THE POWER OF PRINTS

Stripes, plaids, florals, petite and oversized, ikats, toilles, and textures, just how are you supposed to figure out what goes together??? You might own a rug with a pattern , how do you deal with that ?? Does everything then have to be solid in the room?

Only if you want to be boring... patterns thrive on other patterns, they add life to each other, you just have to know how to use them.

Scale is your first consideration. You must vary the sizes of the designs. You can combine a small check with a large plaid for instance. A petite floral will look lovely with an oversize floral. An ikat print looks fantastic combined with striped patterns.

Usually I combine at least 5 patterns in a room: could be found in the rug, the draperies, the upholstery fabrics, patterned case goods,or the pillows,depending on the decorating style and size of the room. Contemporary decors require less pattern, traditional & country the most combinations and transitional somewhere in between.

It is a skill most designers are born with but you can educate yourself by examining photos in shelter magazines , for instance. Try studying the components, looking at the variance of size of patterns and types of print, you will gradually begin to see how things are put together and what works successfully. It is clearly for me the absolute most fun you can have in a room. Go for it!!!