5 Essential Pattern Layering Combinations for Traditional Homes

Decorating with patterned fabrics creates a space that is endearing, cozy, and so charming. If you’re not sure where to begin, try these essential traditional pattern layering combinations for the textiles in your home.

Layering patterns in just the right way really brings a special kind of magic to decorated spaces. We’ve all seen beautiful designer rooms filled with stunning textiles that just all seem to work together in a way that is cohesive, elegant, but also in a way that feels natural and organically collected over time. These spaces don’t feel like they’re trying too hard. They just work. But when you try to put patterns together in your own home, the process can sometimes feel a little intimidating and maybe even overwhelming. I thought it might be helpful today to put together some classic pattern layering formulas and some visuals to go along with them to hopefully give you some inspiration and a bit of a starting point that will help you quickly narrow down your choices into something that you know will work. I always like to say that classics are classics for a reason and these combinations will never let you down.

More home decor inspiration for timeless interiors: 7 Things Every Traditional Room Needs to Feel Complete

Pattern Mixing Basics

The way some people describe pattern mixing, it can sound like you need a master’s degree in interior design before you can even attempt working with fabrics, but it really comes down to something very simple. Once you know this, you’ll start to see it everywhere and you won’t be able to unsee it. The trick is to mix florals (or botanicals) with geometrics. That’s basically it. You can read more about this most basic trick here:

The Absolute Simplest Way to Mix Patterns in a Space

You’ll notice that all the classic formulas that I share below are all just variations on this same theme, with a little extra guidance to help you find the combinations that work the best. If you love traditional style homes, these are the essential pattern mixing formulas you can come back to again and again.

Traditional Pattern Layering Formulas to Try

These examples are all patterns that I’m using currently together in my home and that you may have seen in photos of my rooms here, in my newsletter, or on Instagram. Many of the fabrics being used are curtains and pillows from Two Pages, and if you see any that you’d like to try together in your home, I’ll share links to them below each examples. Be sure to use my coupon code CREEKLINEHOUSE to get 20% off your entire order!

Gingham + Small Stripe + Large Scale Floral

Pictured Above: Green Gingham Curtains (Light Green Small Plaid)| Floral Pillow Cover (Cypress)| Stripe Pillow Cover  (Thyme) – all 20% off with CREEKLINEHOUSE | Rug | French Market Basket

In the example above, a small scale gingham and stripe, both in soft green, and paired with a larger scale floral print. This is a charming combination that works every time, and feels elegant but relaxed. I give myself bonus points for the complementary soft red rug that I have paired with these green fabrics in this space.

One other way clever way to incorporate a floral pattern into your pattern mixing plans is to use actual florals in a vase as the floral component of your combination. In this case, dried blooms or good quality faux florals from a reputable retailer such as The Faux Floral Company are the way to go to make sure you always have the floral component of your pattern mixing scheme.

Small Botanical (Light Background) + Small Botanical (Dark Background) + Large Scale Plaid

Pictured Above: Dark Botanical Pillow Cover (Brown Olive)| Plaid Pillow Cover (Latte) | Light Floral Pillow Cover (Vintage Linen)| Ruggable

This more masculine, large scale plaid works beautifully with these smaller scale botanical prints for a neutral look that feels balanced, but full of personality.

Dark Background Botanical + Same Pattern Repeated + Light Background Botanical + Stripe

Pictured Above: Blue Curtains | Matching Blue Pillow | Bold Floral Pillow (Cypress)| Dainty Floral Pillow (Verte)| Stripe Pillow (Sailor) | Rug | Coffee Table

Although the light blue of these curtains isn’t really a “dark” color, it’s more saturated than the white of its botanical pattern, so it acts as the darker fabric in this pattern grouping. When mixing florals, pairing patterns with darker background and lighter backgrounds is a pleasant way to bring variation to the mix.

Simple Botanical Print + Block Print + Stripe

Pictured Above: Stripe Pillow Cover | Block Print Pillow Cover | Sage Leaf Pillow Cover

Block prints are so popular right now, but you can make them feel more timeless than trendy when you pair them with botanical prints with a looser pattern with more flow to it, like this simple sage leaf print.

Linear Botanical + Block Print + Loose, Flowy Botanical

Pictured above: Wallpaper (color: “Winter” with “Milk” background)| Floral Pillow (Cypress) | Block Print Curtains (Stone Grey)

Here we see how a linear botanical wallpaper and a small scale block print both have a lot of structure to their patterns. Pairing them with a loose, flowy floral breaks things up a bit and helps soften the look. Try not too get too concerned with background base colors being slightly mismatched. This relaxes that look and helps it feel more natural. If all the off-white base colors matched exactly, the space would end up feeling stiff and plastic, even though we’ve been told that making sure whites match is the “correct” way of going about things. Traditional style should always feel a little bit collected, so mixing things up is absolutely essential to getting it right.

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