The most well-designed rooms are gorgeous to look at, but describing why it works so well can be hard for many people to define. There are some rules that designers follow that do help us achieve those wow-worthy spaces, especially when it comes to mixing patterns in a room. Stray too far from the rules and your interiors can look like a mismatched mess. Follow these 5 steps for layering patterns in a room and you’ll never go wrong.

1. Scale

The most important rule is to vary the scale of the patterns you introduce into a room. In the living room above, you can see that there is a large-scale pattern on the seat of the sofa and another on the smaller rug. They aren’t fighting for attention because they are both in a similar color palette, which allows them to “play nicely” with each other. Then there are a few mid-scale patterns, like on the pillows. And finally I layered in small-scale patterns, like those on the ottoman and on the large rug. Allow one pattern to be the star and use smaller-scale patterns as supporting players.

2. Color

The right palette can also make or break your pattern mix in a room. You want to have a base palette that will be the background for the space. In this living room, it was a neutral palette of sand, white, and gold. In fact, what makes this room really successful is that the large-scale pattern is in toned-down colors. That keeps it from looking too busy and overwhelming.

3. Contrast

Once you have a base palette, you want to layer in other colors that will complement the pattern play you’re creating. Since I started with warm golds, I went to the other end of the color wheel and selected some purples and blues for contrast. Complementary colors are the perfect example of opposites that attract the right look.

4. Shape

Shapes in a room create their own visual pattern, so pay attention to that when you’re layering a space. With a sharp-angled window as a focal point in this living room, I used a lot of curves and soft shaping to offset the corners and straight edges. It’s a balance between one extreme and the other.

5. Texture

What’s harder to see in a photograph, but is easier to see when you’re standing in a room, is how much texture can add to the pattern play. A nubby pattern, a deep pile rug, and a flatly bound rug all have pattern in their construction, so keep those in mind as you create your own balanced design.

Designing a room that’s balanced and tasteful is exactly like mixing the perfect cocktail. You start with one overall base and layer in other complementary flavors. So try these 5 steps to shake things up in your own home recipe! And if you need help, my team and I are just a phone call away.

All the best,

Kara