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How to mix patterns: breaking it down

Annie Elliott | March 28, 2022

I have been so surprised and delighted by the wonderful response to my little “Design Dilemmas” on Instagram reels and Tiktok, Gentle Readers. Thank you!

Woman with a carpet sample and fabric sample
A Design Challenge on TikTok

Several of them have been about pattern mixing, so I thought I would try and capture the takeaways for those of you who prefer to read rather than watch.

1. Make color the throughline. In the screenshot above, the carpet sample on the left is a medium-sized loose antelope print in blue and cream, and the wide striped fabric on the right is blue and white. We also brought in this fabric:

Red patterned fabric
Malay Batik by China Seas

which is a soft red with light blue, light green, white, and dark blue. Blue is the unifying element.

2. Vary the scale. Put small with large, medium with gigantic, and solid with anything. In this picture, we have a medium-size pattern on the pillows, a large on the Roman Shades, and a gigantic pattern on the rug. (And red is in all of them — a throughline!)

Living room with tan leather sofa and red patterned rug, pillows, and window treatments
My family room. Fabrics by Clarence House and Romo

I’ve been dying to use this large-scale graphic fabric:

Chair upholstered with large-scale graphic fabric with words on it
Schumacher’s Robert Burns fabric

It would work beautifully with a small dot pattern like this. Huge with tiny.

Fabric pattern with small red geometric motif
Polka, another fabric by Schumacher

3. Pair unlike with unlike. Putting a floral pattern with another floral pattern absolutely is possible, but it’s tricky. It’s easier to put, say, a floral with a stripe, a geometric pattern with a small texture, or a figurative pattern (an animal, a boat, etc.) with a plaid.

In this serene bedroom, the predominant fabrics, which are on the duvet cover and the canopy, are solids. Then we have a stripe on the Euro pillows, an embroidered floral on the accent pillows, and a solid with trim (so it reads as a large stripe) on the bolster. All in beautiful muted shades of cream, gray and blue.

Bedroom with canopy bed and pillows
It’s hard to see, but the pattern on the stools is a tiny gray and white abstract pattern

We kept the palette limited in this room, too, but mixed this fabulous Manuel Canovas “Toits de Paris” wallpaper with a floral on some pillows, a small stripe on another pillow (in the center, behind Zoe the Schnauzer), and a large stripe on the Roman Shade. (We pushed it by bringing in that stripey red rug, but that’s how we roll. You could leave that out and the room still would be cool and interesting.)

Bedroom with wooden daybed and wallpaper with houses on it
My daughter Ruthie’s bedroom. And her Docs ;)

This next one is a playful family room, so we used a bright palette based on the Tibet fabric by Clarence House (the tiger pillows). We have a yellow chevron and pink dots on other pillows, a tiny green chevron-y pattern on the bench cushion, and a navy plaid-like pattern on the rug.

Bench seat with colorful pillows
The yellow fabric is China Seas, and the carpet is from Stark

Mixing patterns is an art, not a science. That said, I hope these tips break down the process and embolden you to do some mixing of your own. I have faith in you ;)

Banquette with layered rugs and multiple pillows
Our most recent photo shoot! Patterns a-go-go here

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, with offices in St. Michaels, Maryland and Middlebury, Vermont. We love mixing patterns — and styles! — and we will wallpaper anything that stands still. Thank you, Houzz community, for voting us Best of Houzz – Design for the third time!

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Apr 29

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Window treatments don’t have to be fabric, of course. My favorite non-fabric window treatments are natural woven Roman shades, which are made of bamboo or natural grasses. They’re terrific alone, but they also look great as a first layer, under drapes.⁠
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How great do they look under these green drapes? 😍⁠
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#DCInteriorDesigner #DCInteriorPhotographer #DCHomeDesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc #dmv

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 25

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As your friend, it is my duty to tell you: **you must have some wallpaper in your home.**⁠
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Choose your paper first — or 2 papers, so you can compare costs. Then I STRONGLY recommend bringing in a professional hanger to tell you how much of *that particular paper* you’ll need. The amount depends not only on the size of the room, but also the scale of the design, the fragility of the paper (to allow for mistakes), and how the rolls are packaged. Manufacturers literally cannot make it more confusing!⁠
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#DCInteriorDesigner #DCInteriorPhotographer #DCHomeDesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc #dmv

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 23

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If you see a lamp you like, BUY IT. You will never be sorry. You WILL find a place to put it. ⁠
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The hard truth is that you may not know whether a lamp will work in a certain spot until you try it. It may not be the place you originally had in mind. It may not even be in your current house. But you will find a great place for it, somewhere, someday.⁠ ⁠
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#DCInteriorDesigner #DCInteriorPhotographer #DCHomeDesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc #dmv

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 20

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Natural woven Romans can tone down the formality of a room... and they work in modern or classic interiors, as you can see ;) ⁠
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Both photos by Angie Seckinger⁠
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📸  #angieseckingerphotography⁠
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annieelliottdesign

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Apr 17

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Listen. Your backsplash should make you happy every single day. Ya gotta love your home. Ya just gotta. If yours isn’t your favorite place in the world, you need to call me. Right away ;)⁠
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#DCInteriorDesigner #backsplash #DCInteriorPhotographer #DCHomeDesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc #dmv

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 16

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A tip for styling a Bohemian room? Lots of different pillows! ⁠
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Boho is all about colors, textures, and patterns! The more the merrier, so pile on those pillows ;)⁠
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#DCInteriorDesigner #boho #bohopillows #DCInteriorPhotographer #DCHomeDesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc #dmv

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 16

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Whether it’s a bowl of fruit or a bouquet of flowers, don’t forget a centerpiece for your Easter brunch tomorrow 😉 💐

#Easter #EasterBrunch #dcinteriordesigner #DChomedesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 14

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You know I love roman shades. ⁠They’re great when you have a really beautiful fabric you want to feature. Look how great they look with this matching custom headboard! 😍⁠
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annieelliottdesign

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Apr 12

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“There is no magic in magic, it’s all in the details.” - Walt Disney 💫⁠
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#DCInteriorDesigner #DCInteriorPhotographer #DCHomeDesign #InteriorDesign #washingtondc #dmv
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2802 Cathedral Avenue NW
Washington DC 20008
202-265-0443
info@annieelliottdesign.com

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