Mixing Patterns: The Simplest Formula for Combining Different Patterns in a Space

Mixing patterns is a beautiful way to bring life and coziness to a space, but it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start. Today, I’ll share my super simple formula that guarantees success when combining patterns in a room.

I love a beautiful pattern-filled space, and mixing patterns can actually be really easy if you follow my super simple formula. Of course, there are more complicated ways to go about it, and master designers have all kinds of methods and tactics for decorating rooms with layers of patterned textiles that just look amazing when they’re done. If you like to keep things simple, though, you can still create a beautiful home filled with patterned fabrics all on your own in a way that always works. Actually, you’ll find that even though styles and trends change over the years, you can always come back to this formula when you decorate your home, and it will never lead you astray. When I look through my collection of design books depicting different styles and printed in different years over the last three decades or so, I see this formula repeated over and over again in so many different ways.

The Simplest Formula for Mixing Patterns Successfully

Pictured above: Wallpaper (c/o) | Floral Pillow (c/o) | Stripe Pillow (c/o) | Gingham Throw | Black Lampshade | Similar Bed Frame

The easiest, more basic way to mix patterns successfully is to combine a floral patterned item with a geometric print. Whether your style is sleek and modern, charming farmhouse, or something more classic and traditional, if you combine a floral print and geometric pattern that work with your style and your room’s color palette, you’re going to have success. If this seems overly simplified, don’t knock it till you try it. 🙂

Pictured Above: Rug | Curtains (c/o) use code CH12 for 12% off | Affordable Coat Rack | Mirror | Similar Bed Frame

I’ve heard designers explain their formulas for mixing patterns in different tutorial videos, and they often make it sound way more complicated than it needs to be. Of course, there are other things to take into consideration as you refine your plans, but at the root of it, the formula is really just a geometric print + a floral print = success.

Since I live in an old farmhouse and my style is more traditional, I love bringing a vintage-style floral together with a stripe or a simple plaid pattern like a gingham, check, or windowpane plaid. You may find you like a bold, punchy geometric pattern paired with a whimsical, abstract floral pattern, and that will work just beautifully as well.

Here are a few other little things to think about to help you get it just right.

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Mix Up the Scale of Your Patterns

If you’re adding quite a few patterns to a space, you’ll want to make sure that they aren’t all the same scale. If you have just two pillows together on a sofa, it works just fine to have a small-scale stripe with a small-scale floral, but when you start to add pattern through a rug, wallpaper, curtains, and other textiles, it’s important to mix thing up a bit so a space feels cozy rather than busy, engaging rather than loud.

For example, if you’ll be using a small-scale printed fabric for window coverings, try adding in a large-scale floral rug and a medium-scale plaid on the pillows.

Pictured above: Rug | Curtains (c/o) use code CH12 for 12% off | Affordable Coat Rack | Mirror | Wallpaper (c/o) | Floral Pillow (c/o) | Stripe Pillow (c/o) | Gingham Throw | Black Lampshade | Similar Bed Frame

In this space, my wallpaper is quite a dainty, intricate pattern with botanicals, rabbits, and butterflies, while my floral pillows are a medium-scale print with lots of white space between each motif. My drapes and rug are both large-scale florals, and the throw blanket on the headboard features an oversized gingham.

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Find a Unifying Color for Some of the Patterns

When your goal is to create a cohesive look, it can be so helpful to find a unifying color, or even two colors, in the patterns that you use. Maybe a few of the patterns have the same pale blue, or maybe it’s a dark brown note that ties them together. A word of caution, though: Make sure you don’t get bogged down in perfectionism trying to make sure all your pattern colors match exactly. If your color scheme is too perfect, you may end up with a space that feels plastic, sterile, and soulless. A little imperfection goes a long way.

When it comes to color choice, instead of obsessing about matching all the different hues and shades perfectly, unless you’re trying to go truly monochromatic, try to work in the same color family to find tones and color combinations that will visually complement each other. Stick with either darker colors, bright colors, pastel tones, neutral colors, or muted colors when choosing your palettes for the most part to make things feel like they’re in harmony. Also, look to stick to either warm colors or cool colors to find fabrics that work well together. A decorator uses swatches to help them visualize colors and textures in a space, and this can be a handy tool for helping you find what’s best for you. Most online retailers that sell fabric or home decorating items like pillows, upholstery, curtains, and drapes will send swatches out to you so you can see the fabrics before making a purchase.

More is More

If you really want to create a beautifully layered space, adopt a “more is more” philosophy when it comes to the layers of pattern and texture you bring in. The magic of this method is that the more eclectic patterns you have, the less each individual pattern matters. This frees you up to add in that fun, unexpected fabric you love without it completely clashing or throwing off the balance of your design. It becomes a quirky touch rather than a jarring main design element.

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How to Mix Patterns: Use What You Love

Pictured in this post: Rug | Curtains (c/o) use code CH12 for 12% off | Affordable Coat Rack | Mirror | Wallpaper (c/o) | Floral Pillow (c/o) | Stripe Pillow (c/o) | Gingham Throw | Black Lampshade | Similar Bed Frame

As in every other aspect of home decor, you can’t go wrong when you choose patterns and pick colors you love. If you make sure you love each print individually, when you combine the prints together, you’ll be sure to come up with something really pleasing and beautiful. It can be easy to get caught up in choosing fabrics in prints just because they’re “correct” for the formula, but if you don’t love them on their own, they aren’t right for combining with others in your space. Your room deserves only the very best of your very favorites. 🙂