10 Fool Proof Secrets to Combining Patterns in Your Home Decor
By Pamela Cole Harris

Would you love to be able to combine fabrics just like the
designers do? Did your last attempt look like a color-blind,
half-drunk orangutan with a plaid fetish decorated the room?
Here are ten easy secrets to combining fabric patterns that will
make your room look like a million bucks!

1. Find one basic fabric that you love and build the room around
it! Whether it is plaid, floral, striped or solid, make it the
foundation fabric for the room.


2. Unless the patterns are muted and subtle, try not to use more
than three patterns in a room. Otherwise, the effect will be one
of chaos rather than balance.


3. Vary the style of the patterns. Instead of choosing three
plaids, try a floral, plaid and stripe. Or maybe add checks or a
geometric pattern.


4. Vary the scale of the pattern. If you have a large plaid,
choose a medium scale stripe and a small scale floral.


5. Don’t cluster the patterns in one area of the room. Spread
them out in at least three different areas to give visual
balance to the room.


6. Unite the patterns with a common color. If your foundation
fabric is red, all of the patterns should be have the same red
as the prominent color.


7. Use small scale patterns in a smaller room. In larger rooms,
where they are seen at a distance, these tend to be read as
texture or a solid.


8. Medium scale patterns are the most versatile. They can retain
their pattern at a distance, yet in a smaller space, they don’t
overpower.


9. Choose large scale patterns with care. They can overpower a
small space, but can add vibrancy to a larger room. They will
appear bolder when covering large furniture, but look fragmented
on smaller pieces.


10. Choose stripes to add height or width to a furniture piece
or the room.


Variety may be the spice of life, but its also the key to
combining patterns. Varying the patterns you choose from large
scale and open to small scale and dense is fundamental to a
harmonious design.

That was easy, wasn’t it? Now can we have a little talk about
your choice of colors? What were you thinking?!

Pamela Cole Harris is an editor, writer and decorator with 35 years experience. Visit her website, http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com for her unique ideas on budget home décor. While you are there, sign up for her free newsletter full of decorating, remodeling and gardening ideas (and a recipe or two!)  Also visit Pamela’s two new sites: http://www.pajamabusinesses.com and http://www.thewellfedtraveler.com