If you’ve ever skimmed a home interiors magazine or daydreamed your day away on Pinterest, there’s no doubt you’ve seen at least one impactful room that featured multiple clashing patterns. When executed correctly, this look does more than just bring the wow factor, it also adds grandeur, personality and intrigue to a room.
Clashing patterns can help to set your home apart from others and can act as the finishing touch to your décor. So, how can you pull it off?
Start small – try to blend varied patterns of cushion covers, throws and lamp shades while keeping the rest of the room clean and simple. Save the patterned couch with clashing cushions for when you when you’ve honed your craft.
Pick a theme – mismatched tartans, stripes or florals can be a fun and easy way to test out pattern-clashing. Starting with something safe like thick stripes competing with thin stripes is a great way to ease into this look if you aren’t confident quite yet.
Be guided by colour – focus on some multicoloured pieces you love, like a vase, artwork or lamp base and pick out the key colours. Use these to select similarly-coloured patterns on items like cushions, lamp shades, coasters, trays or even your rug. This will show purpose and thoughtfulness without looking contrived.
Forget the rules – the best way to inject personality into your space is by filling it with pieces that speak to you. Each time you travel add a special memento; be it a hand-painted platter from Capri, a rug from Istanbul, a pot from Jingdezhen or a tapestry from Normandy, the patterns will clash in the best way possible because their common thread is you.
There’s no limit to how many different patterns can feature in one room, so long as you love the look!