Designer Tips For Mixing Patterns, Colors + Textures At Home
From pretty patterns gracing rugs, drapes, beds, chairs, wallcoverings and beyond, today’s colorful textiles add both visual charm and functional elegance to any room. With options as seemingly infinite as possible combinations, Luxe turned to top designers to share their tips, trends and go-tos for mixing pattern, color and texture. Whether you prefer natural material wallcoverings or performance fabrics, these expert takeaways are sure to inspire a colorful home refresh.
Learn How To Mix Patterns, Colorful Textiles, And Textures
Designer Honey Collins selected the Carnival fabric by Christopher Farr for the walls of a recent bedroom project. (Photo: Sarah Winchester)
Use Classic Patterns With A Modern Twist
“I love to see companies create a brand-new colorway for a successful pattern from their collection. A classic pattern can be recreated in a much more modern or current color combination. The Carnival fabric from Christopher Farr is a great example.”
—Honey Collins, Honey Collins Interiors | Essex, Massachussetts
“Recently, I designed a floor-to-ceiling upholstered bed out of the most beautiful fabric from Schumacher. It was a statement!” designer Lisa Schwert says. (Photo: Read McKendree)
Turn To Organic Patterns For Big Statements
“I’ve been incorporating intricate, organic patterns as the focal point in otherwise minimalist spaces. Like how a gorgeous rug, a beautiful, patterned fabric or wallpaper can set the direction for the design of a room.”
—Lisa Schwert, Innate Studio | Wilton, Connecticut
House of One CEO and Creative Director Brittany Farinas incorporates her brand’s fabric capsule collection with Candice Kaye into bespoke murals, as seen in this sushi concept in Miami. (Photo: Become Legendary)
Mix Wallcoverings With Custom Murals
“Bespoke murals are trending at the moment. We have been inserting our wallcoverings from our capsule collection with Candice Kaye in many projects.”
—Brittany Farinas, House Of One | Miami
Outfitted with a paneled mural wallpaper called Tropics, this bedroom suite is layered with furnishings that juxtapose Art Deco fabrics against elegant silhouettes. The space also includes a gray woven canopy bed from Palecek. (Photo: Austin Handler)
Look To Classical Murals As A Starting Point For Mixing Patterns
“Classical murals are given new life with a neutral palette and blur the color lines to create a painterly but more modern version. We have also seen flower motifs getting blown up in scale. ”
—Jennifer Mabley and Austin Handler, Mabley Handler | New York, New York; Palm Beach, Florida
An outdoor bench with bright orange fabric sits underneath the redwood trees in designer Noz Nozawa’s Mill Valley project. (Photo: Christopher Stark)
Let Subtle Pattern Play Elevate Your Outdoors
“I am blown away by how much energy the industry is putting toward elevating outdoor textiles! The colors, the patterns, the softness of the materials—it makes me giddy and grateful that solution-dyed acrylics have come this far. I’m also noticing a playfulness with scale, where the same pattern, in different materials, is utilized in the same collection at two different sizes. I enjoy repetition that doesn’t feel monotonous!”
—Noz Nozawa, Noz Design | San Francisco, California
A fun colorful textile trend designer Alex Kaehler has noticed is nature-inspired patterns, which can be seen on the curtains of this living room. (Photo: Aimée Mazzenga)
Bring The Outside In
“I am seeing a lot of nature inspired patterns—trellis and traditional florals bringing the outside in! I am also seeing a lot of small-scale prints in new fresh colorways. They can be paired with just about anything.”
—Alex Kaehler, Alexandra Kaehler Design | Winnetka, Illinois
“Patterned fabrics like rugs and towels are typically seen in the kitchen and bathrooms, but we’re seeing a growing interest in introducing strong pattern into other elements like sofas, drapes, and bedding,” designer Regan Baker says. (Photo: Suzanna Scott)
Play With Geometric Patterns
“Contrary to the move curved patterns and elements we were seeing before, square patterns, and specifically plaid, are coming in more. Modern geometric combinations, like checks within plaid, are also ways of pattern coming into play.”
—Regan Baker, Regan Baker Design | San Francisco
Designer Amber Guyton layers different patterns and textures in this pink-inspired bedroom. “I love to mix different patterns with bold colors through paint, furniture, rugs, pillows, and accent décor,” she says. (Photo: LaJoy Lewis)
Add Curvature To Textiles
“I’ve always been a fan of geometric patterns and layering textures in spaces. So many wallpapers and fabrics are playing with both, but adding curvature to the traditional sharp edges and shapes is something we’ve seen lately.”
—Amber Guyton, Blessed Little Bungalow | Atlanta
Designer Cortney McClure suggests using warm, earthy colors and geometric pillows to transform a space, as seen in this primary bedroom. The green curtains are by West Elm. (Photo: Kacey Gilpin Photography)
Use Similar Textile Colorways To Add Dimension
“Bold colors, textures, and materials are a great way to transform a space by intentionally adding geometric pillows, unique window curtains, and colorful rugs. We love using similar colorways for our textiles, as it adds dimension without being too in your face. Performance fabrics are the way to go for pillows and rugs, especially those with young kids at home. There are so many great fabrics and products that don’t sacrifice beauty for functionality.”
—Cortney McClure, Cortney McClure Design | Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Designer Lucy Doswell decorates an office in an Upper East Side home with colorful textiles. (Photo: Read McKendree / JBSA)
Nod To The Past With A Colorful Mix Of Textiles And Styles
“It’s so fun to see chintz prints and patterns from the archives used in new and inventive ways. Dahlia Block Print from Clarence House and Mortefontaine from Pierre Frey are two of my favorites. I love to mix them with contemporary artwork, vintage modern furniture and jewel-toned fabrics. Classic patterns keep the more bold color choices from overpowering a room; it grounds a space and gives a nod to the past.”
—Lucy Doswell, Lucy Doswell Interiors | Charlotte, North Carolina; New York, New York
In this sitting room, designer Kate Marker interweaves geometric patterns into different colorful textiles. (Photo: Stoffer Photography)
Channel The Power Of An Unstructured Stripe
“An unstructured stripe—either more geometric patterns interwoven or more relaxed and wayward such as a painterly stripe or small pattern that is placed in a stripe profile. Chunkier, looser weaves are also becoming more prevalent.”
—Kate Marker, Kate Marker Interiors | Barrington, Illinois