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Pattern play

By Susan Pantaleo, ASID -- Furniture Today, April 27, 2008

Interior Design 101 teaches us how to combine patterns by carefully balancing their size and quantity within a room. The latest trend, however, is breaking the rules, and the end result is an explosion of fun.

Current patterns have evolved and progressed toward unexpected material mixes and a playful relationship between the patterns and the way they are being combined. Texture becomes an integral part of the newest patterns by adding dimension to the surface mix of materials.

Details like embroidery, hand painting and appliqué, as well as woven and contrasting materials, all play a role in this new trend. A careful look often reveals that the background is as interesting as the pattern itself.

It's likely that the preference for solids during the past six years was a reaction to the previous decade's heavy combinations of tapestry and prints. We can even go back to the unfortunate country geese of the 1970s and brushstroke pastels of the '80s to understand this need to simplify and cleanse the visual field.

But did we clean it up a bit too much? Pattern preference is one of the best ways to reflect individual style. Since we are seeing a corresponding rise in the trend for individualism, taking the opportunity to capture some personality with pattern is a natural extension.

If you're ready for a trip on the wild side, then a playful pattern overdose is for you. Patterns are not only distributed throughout the room, but combined on each piece. Multi-patterned pieces scattered around a multi-patterned room will create a Bohemian Chic or Global quality.

Think about waking up in a bedroom with Ankasa appliqué linens, the Company C Grand Damask rug and Guildmaster's Duchess chest. This is an adventurous approach that works if you maintain a consistent style-focus throughout the pattern mix.

For a more reserved atmosphere, create a quiet room where the eye glides over the space until focusing on one exceptional piece. The Century Ellipse chair creates pattern with the embroidery and beading on iridescent silk for the perfect focal point in a sophisticated shell.

You can take this same subtle shell and treat it to toss pillows like those from Bliss Studio that are a study in contrasting texture with appliquéd felt, boucle and quilting, all working to create pattern with a quiet interest.

Whatever your mood, pattern has a way of bringing a room to life. Be on the lookout for the following techniques operating alone or in combination to create the freshest look in pattern play:

Exaggerated scale often of classic or organic motifs.
Playful blends of several patterns on one piece.
Embroidery, beading and quilting to add depth to the pattern.
Unexpected material combinations like embroidered leather.
Appliqué with contrasting textures like felt, boucle and flocking.
Hand painting on fabrics and casegoods to create a contrast of matt and luster.
Metallic threads, fabrics or paints used to highlight a pattern.

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Behind the Design

Jan 27, 2008

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