Mix Patterns for a Chic Look in Your Apartment

Going for a chic look doesn’t require a lot of money or space; it requires just mixing one bold print pattern and a few other complementary patterns to your apartment’s decor. The inspirational bold print fabric can be something you already own; and adding a few pillows here and there, curtains, or a rug will complete the tastefully chic apartment space you desire. Here are a few tips on mixing prints to achieve this look:

START WITH A BOLD PRINT FABRIC

Before you pick out colors, take a look around the room in your apartment and notice if there is a bold patterned rug, chair, couch, maybe even bedding. If you have bold print on anything already, then use that as your inspiration for additional prints and colors. If you do not, then think about incorporating a piece inside your room that has fabric with a bold pattern and at least three different colors. Floral is the most common pattern but you can choose whatever you like to complement your place.

CHOOSE A COLOR PALATE      

Once you have your inspirational fabric picked out, pick no less than 3 colors and no more than 4 colors that are more prominent in your pattern. In this case we have raspberry, marigold, sea-green, and citron.

MIX THE PATTERNS’ SIZES

Now that we have a color palette, it is time to find additional printed fabrics using the 4 other colors we picked for our color palette. Here you can see the marigold taking action with the chevron print. Why it works: because the chevron pattern is a smaller scaled print. Other options would include geometrical shapes, checks, solids, and any smaller pattern that is repetitive.

What you do NOT want is two patterns that compete with each other. As you can see below, both patterns are busy and although have similar colors, they compete too much with the original inspirational print we picked. Both patterns have big scaled prints.

PLACEMENT WITHIN THE ROOM

After you have picked your fabrics it is time to place them in your room. If you have more than one heavy pattern, you should place them on opposite sides of the room. This helps to balance the space. Bold fabrics work well in curtains, drapes, temporary wallpaper, rugs, and bedding. Once you have placed the bold fabrics inside your space, you can now pair them with the rest of the patterns you picked out, such as our chevron example or solids.

By using more than one pattern correctly, you can make your place look chic without it looking too busy. Most importantly, pick patterns and styles that you love because that is the most important part about decorating your apartment!

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For more tips on mixing and matching patterns visit the Homes.com blog article by decorating expert Beth Hunter.