Often trends from the runway make their way into homeware stores and ultimately our living rooms. One of the hot-to-trot fashion trends for Spring this year is pattern and prints, so we have a few ideas on how you can translate that into your home.

Rooms without patterns generally feel shallow and a little one-dimensional (Read : boooooring!) Pattern, whether visual or textural, adds an instant welcoming vibe and altho we designers;(so its second nature to us) we get that pattern seems a bit scary and sends most for the Minimalistic Hills! But fear not, as once you get this low-down you’ll be fine!

 

If you’re new to the pattern game, start small. A couple of contrasting patterns on cushions maybe, a wow lamp shade, a few vases and accessories are the easiest routes to go down. We are loving these fabulous throws with the oh-so-cool chevron and houndstooth design. ( StlyEAST is selling these, so please contact us if you would like one!)

Another great way of bringing pattern into your interior is through your floor treatment. The obvious is an amazing patterned rug.  Another way would be by using tiles. Black and white porcelain tiles are very striking when used together. They can be used in stripes, or a more traditional checkerboard pattern. There are so many cool patterned tiles also on the market, like the grecian inspired one below

All the tiles are available at Tile Africa

• Nano Porcelain 600×600 in colour Nero and Blanco @R199 ex Vat,
• Pattern 150×600, R149.95 per piece)

If you are really adventurous, mixing different patterns creates a very visual and interesting interior space.  Before you go all Jersey-liscious here, we would recommend that you pick a colour and stick to various patterns or prints within that hue, or colours that are complimentary to each other.  Remember patterns need not be bright; playing with patterns and prints within a neutral colour palette can look extremely classy and elegant.

Vary the scale. Its not so much  that you have to worry if some small scale motif goes with something large; its more about making sure not everything is the same. Trade tip no 1: Its all about the CONTRAST! Lots of small-scale patterns in a room can become a kaleidoscopic disaster, so you want to mix it up a tad. Also the more you mix, the more you add detail/confuse the eye (exactly our plan) and your interior becomes more intriguing! High five!!

Join us on Friday for our first instalment of “Friday I’m in Love <3”, our round up of our weekly favourites

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