topic Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns in Home

Mixing Prints & Patterns

wilma — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:40:23 GMT

Do you mix prints and patterns in your home decorating?

I have rooms where the pillows and rugs are different prints & patterns, but that’s about as far as I go. I use solid color furniture & window treatments with my printed pillows & rugs.

Too many different prints & patterns are distracting to me. My eyes don’t know where to look when there are lots of different prints & patterns in one space. I guess that can make those rooms more interesting, but I prefer a more cohesive coordinated look.

Here are a few photos of rooms I found online that mix prints and patterns. Do you like any of them?

IMO the rug clashes with the red sofa. I’m not really liking the floral print on the chairs or drapes.

This time the red & burnt orange colors seem to clash to me. The light plaid on the chairs seems too white for the rest of the furnishings in the room.

Too many different prints for me. The light neutral sofa helps balance those prints some.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

ThinkingOutLoud — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:49:11 GMT

I would label all 3 of those sample picts "a mess" and hard on the eyes (prints/patterns, color, style, clutter). Mixing prints/patterns works better as long as the room is all in the same color family (hues, tints, tones OR shades).

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

jeanlake — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:51:51 GMT

I'm good with some mixing of prints & patterns. I like to use obvious differences - like stripes and checks or checks and wildflowers. It says -- uh huh -- I meant to do this. I don't go overboard. Except for a couple of pillows, I only have solids in my open dinining / living room. I need to do something about that. Shake it up a bit. Thanks for the reminder. I may replace solid recliner, which is showing wear, with print chair.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

nana59 — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:00:28 GMT

does anyone actually live in these rooms?!

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

Azcowgirl — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:07:53 GMT

I have used a mixture of prints ( florals and checks in different scales) in my rooms, and I love the look as they are all in the same color family, so I think it is balanced and eye pleasing.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

NickNack — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 18:05:56 GMT

I like mixing some patterns and prints. When I think of that, though, I think of something like this room. I found these two pictures on Pinterest.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

shoptilyadropagain — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:30:21 GMT

My short answer is NO but it depends on the size of the item, size of the print, the particular pattern on the item, the colors, etc, etc. etc.

Of your three pictures, I don't care for any of them but like some individual elements in each one. I like the third one the best but I would have to edit some of the decor items.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

mspatmac — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:38:09 GMT

@wilma I don't care for the rooms at all, might be the color scheme is whats off to me because I like @NickNack room very much. I could live with that room but not the first three.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

depglass — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:46:28 GMT

The top three rooms actually cause me anxiety, just staring at them. Then I get to the blue room and I am instantly soothed. Why waste money on psychiatrists, decorators are much cheaper, especially when you are the decorator..

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

ECBG — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:52:33 GMT

These room have the key color in them, but there's just too much pattern, which hurts most people's eyes.

I mix patterns all of the time, but, there is a point of excess.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

CANDLEQUEEN — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:58:02 GMT

I mix a little bit, yes but not to that extreme. Those 1st 3 rooms are atrocious and just way too busy for me! The room that Nicknack showed was pretty though... That mixing was done on a much smaller scale and with softer colors too. I think in the 1st 3 rooms the color palettes were so loud, that it didn't help!

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

millieshops — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 20:45:31 GMT

I've done the mixed upholstery style of decoration, but first I'd have to love the patterns. I wouldn't have used any of the prints in that photo by themselves, so combining them in one room? - not even if they were new and free! I'd be a nervous wreck in that room.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

stevieb — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 20:54:33 GMT

I often mix prints, patterns and colors in unexpected ways but the key is to do so judciously. All the rooms pictured have some lovely elements and nice patterns but there are a lot of them and they all appear to be somewhat bright. Of the rooms in the original post, with some tweaking the first and second rooms could be quite nice, the third would require a bit more editing and effort, but could also be reined in...

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

ScarletDove — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 23:39:15 GMT

All of these rooms have way too much furniture, accessories etc and way too cluttered!

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

jannabelle1 — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 23:39:46 GMT

For lack of a better term, these photos are just dizzying to me! There are too many patterns and colors going on. I wouldn't have a problem with one or two prints with patterns, but these rooms are overwhelmingly awful!

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

DREAMON — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 00:50:34 GMT

Heavens No to the first 2 rooms but the 3rd room I would like with the throws and most of the pillows removed.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

Citrine1 — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 13:14:07 GMT

I do mix prints and patterns, although there was a time when I was very matchy matchy and wouldn't have dreamed of doing such a thing. Now, I love to have variety and mix up my textures and look.

I very much like the first two pictures. If I had to live with them, I'd probably tone them down a bit. I don't care for the third room. The room that @NickNack posted is really lovely.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

ScrapHappy — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 14:19:26 GMT

Oh heck no.

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

okaywitheasypay — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 14:22:08 GMT

"do you mix prints and patterns in home decorating ?"--very seldom. I painted one of my walls in living /dining room the aqua /turquoise (?) color of wall in last picture and have drapes wth zig-zag design and large room size rugs with tapestry patterns. But that is about all . Mostly the rest of room is shades of gray aqua & lots of white.

I do not personally care for orange and agree there is just too much pattern in most of the rooms above, I could live with the blue and white if some of the pillows were removed.

florals/tapestry/ checks/ stripes & is that fringe on the lamp shades ? too much .

Re: Mixing Prints & Patterns

Katcat1 — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 14:26:01 GMT

All of those pictures look horrible to me. When you mix patterns you need to be subtle. You don't want the whole room to scream out at you like in these pictures.