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All patterns don’t have to match
Q. I just bought a new sofa with a floral pattern, and now I’m not sure what I should do with the chairs. What about the drapes? Should they match the chairs, the sofa or should they be different? Help!
A. Many people find it challenging to mix different patterns. They feel more comfortable purchasing a matching sofa, loveseat and chair. Good for you for wanting to avoid that “matchy-matchy” look. Mixing colors and patterns makes a room much more interesting, and it is not as difficult as it may seem.
As a general rule, vary the size of the patterns by including fabrics with small-, medium- and large-scale designs. Aim for at least three fabrics — one for the sofa, another for the chairs, and the third for the draperies. Additional patterned fabrics can be used for dining room chair cushions, accent pillows and ottomans. The floral fabric on your sofa is large-scale, so you’ll be looking for small- and medium-scale patterns next.
Stripes and geometrics work very well with floral patterns. Using the colors from the floral — varying shades of sage green, mauve and cream — look for a geometric design for your chairs that includes one or two or three of those colors. For example, look for a small-scale green and cream-colored diamond pattern or a mauve and cream pin-dot design. As an alternative, a medium-scale plaid or stripe in mauve, green and cream would work also.
Patterns should share the same collection of colors, but do not necessarily need to have the same number of colors. For instance, you can combine a floral pattern of five colors with a geometric that incorporates three of those colors, and a tone-on-tone stripe that’s just a single color. For consistency, the background color in the fabrics should be the same. For example, since your floral design has a cream background, the other fabrics should have cream in them also, rather than white.
Let’s talk about the drapes. Since the walls in your living room are painted a warm cream color you have some leeway here. Which of the colors from the floral sofa would you like to see more of — the mauve, green or cream? For a quiet look in the room, choose a cream-colored fabric that blends into the walls. Don’t try to match the wall color exactly — instead choose a color that blends well. Going a little bit darker than the wall will add some richness but still maintain a quiet look in the room. For more contrast, choose mauve or green fabric for the drapes. Tone-on-tone fabrics make lovely window treatments, as they provide pattern without looking too busy in the room. Make some accent pillows out of the drapery fabric for the sofa or the chairs. Add some texture to the pillows by trimming them with a variegated fringe that incorporates two or three colors in the room.
By selecting a variety of coordinated colors and patterns, your room will be unique and interesting.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on June 23, 2007.
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back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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