CONSIDER THE TEXTURE, TACTILITY, AND SCALE OF THE PRINT TO PROVIDE DIMENSION AND INTEREST
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How to choose colour and pattern for your home
Colours and patterns are all around us, influencing the mood and ambience of a space. The opportunity to play with them is endless, ultimately transforming a room and producing lively, inviting, multi-faceted interiors.
Colour affects our interpretation of light by reflecting or retracting it and can therefore create dark intimate spaces or light airy rooms.
For some, designing the home interior can be a daunting process as choosing the right shade and complementary colours can be difficult, and combining patterns together can further complicate the decision process.
To help you decide, we discuss what you ought to consider when incorporating these design elements into your interior scheme.
Colour
Colour
The ‘Six Elements of Design’ are: colour, pattern, line, texture, shape & light. Considering these elements when creating an interior scheme helps to achieve harmonious spaces that can be either warm or cool.
When starting with a blank canvas, you need decide how you want the space to feel before selecting your colour palette.
Neutral and lighter shades give the feeling of a larger space and provide the perfect backdrop to showcase furniture, artwork, or accessories. On the other hand, darker walls provide drama, building an intimate, moody atmosphere. It is important to tread carefully as darker shades can make a space appear smaller but also cosier.
Spaces can also be brought to life through your choice of curtain fabric. Use a subtle colour for the walls and let your curtains take centre stage or opt for a vibrantly upholstered couch and armchairs.
Read article: How to choose curtains for your home
Read article: Considerations when picking an upholstery fabric
Read article: How to choose your wallpaper
Colour trends come and go, so you need to consider whether you will be happy with your colour choices a few years down the track. When deciding, it’s helpful to look to nature for the natural pairings of colours, such as fallen leaves or the shades of petals. Fashion magazines are also a great place to search for colour inspiration as well as social media tools like Pinterest where others share photos of their home décor.
Mizu Garden Wallpanel & chair in Peonia Velvet both by Mokum
Pattern
Pattern
A ‘pattern’ is a repeated form or design especially used to decorate something. The regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done. Something that happens in a regular and repeated way” (2016). Merriam-Webster Dictionary
To get a feel for patterns you like, take clippings or make a mood board so that you can get a visual idea of what patterns will work well together. Think about mixing the texture, tactility, and scale of prints to provide dimension and interest in your design scheme.
My Portfolio is a fantastic tool for creating digital mood boards.
Always consider the size and scale of the design. Smaller pieces like dining chairs or stools won’t show the full potential of a fabric with a large-scale pattern, whereas a 3-seater couch will. Expansive spaces such as a grand entrance way or a spacious room with a high stud would suit a larger pattern rather than a small intricate one.
To mix and match patterns with confidence, select a colour from one of the fabrics and ensure that this colour is included in the contrasting fabric. Keeping that consistency whether it be through colour, line or scale will result in a complementary pairing.
Moonlight Memphis by Catherine Martin by Mokum
Pattern or plain?
Pattern or plain?
Consider the vintage and character of the furniture and the style of your home. A vintage piece of furniture can be modernised by reupholstering it in a contemporary fabric, be it patterned or plain.
A child’s bedroom is a great place to have fun and create a cheerful and inviting feeling with a mix of colours and patterns. Curtains, bed linen, walls, artworks, and accessories all provide opportunities to express creativity and personality.
The added benefit of choosing a patterned fabric over a plain is that patterns can hide imperfections like stains or the wear and tear common in a child’s space or high traffic area.
Read article: 5 simple ways to a stylish kid's bedroom
Dealing in textiles is to fall in love with the beauty and tactility of the sheer breadth and variety of constructions, finishes, colours, and designs. In an industry focused on the dilemma of choice it is often the look, feel, or drape that compels us to furnish our homes with a particular texti...
