Prints Decorators Love—and How to Use Them in Your Own Home
Patterns can add pizzazz but they can also clash, overwhelm and (surprisingly) disappear. Here are some foolproof strategies for mixing and matching.
By Abbe Wright
Space Saver
"My favorite prints to use in a home are naturalistic patterns in clear, vivid colors with lots of space in between. Those prints don't read as heavy—the space makes them read light and airy."
—Tom Scheerer, author of
Tom Scheerer Decorates
Match Point
"When mixing many prints together in the same room, remember this rule: Keep everything within the same color palette. This living room works, in part, because all the patterns are kept to a black, white and indigo palette."
—Julie Carlson, author of
Remodelista
Excerpted from Remodelista
by Julie Carlson with the editors of Remodelista
(Artisan Books). Copyright © 2013. Photographs by Matthew Williams.
Big Idea
"I love when a large, geometric print takes up a large surface area in a room. A print-covered bed works really well in an otherwise neutral room."
—Andrew Weaving, author of
Living Retro
Shape Shifter
"I look for common shapes in a room's furnishings and decor and then select a print that helps repeat them, for example, the squares of the frames and table are echoed in the pattern on the chairs."
—Mar Jennings, author of
Life on Mar's: Creating Casual Luxury
Curtain Call
"Avoid putting a very expensive print on an item that will get day-to-day wear, like the family couch. It will need to be replaced often and that can get costly. Save those patterns for rarely-handled drapes or use them in small scale, like on pillows."
—Jane Schwab and Cindy Smith, authors of
The Welcoming House: The Art of Living Graciously
Floor Plan
"Print rugs are very forgiving in high-traffic areas, and they don't show dirt the way a solid carpet would."
—Jane Schwab and Cindy Smith, authors of
The Welcoming House: The Art of Living Graciously
Close Encounter
"Don't be led by common misconceptions, such as smaller spaces cannot take pattern. On the contrary, I think that a smaller room with beautiful papered walls is much more invigorating than a small room devoid of any color, pattern and personality."
—Tricia Guild, author of
Tricia Guild: Decorating With Color
Published 03/15/2014
