May 24, 2021

Pattern Play

In: Favorites, Interior Design

[social_share/]

As we soak up spring and work our way towards summer, we find ourselves captivated by the delightful new patterns we’re seeing. Whether it’s fabric, tile, or a statement wallcovering, we felt compelled to round up our latest favorites. Some yell ‘look at me, look at me’ while others offer subtle visual interest but they all have the power to establish balance and harmony throughout a home. Nothing makes a space more intriguing than the smart use of patterns with just the right balance of scale and color!

Photography: Julie Soefer

FLORALS

Contrast helps us to see and appreciate elements within a design and floral patterns are a beautiful example of this! We often embrace bold floral wallpapers and employ a slightly more subtle application when it comes to the use of floral fabrics.

1. Rapture and Wright Webb’s Wonder Wallpaper / 2. Matt Camron Sultanabad Antique Reproduction Rug / 3. The Apothecary Table Lamp / 4. Fortuny IRANI Fabric in pomegranate red and silvery gold

FUN FACT: We created a custom pattern from the landscape plan of the new Houston Botanic Garden and had it digitally printed with Spoonflower in the UK on a cotton ground cloth to make roman shades for our client who serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the gardens. Patterns are a key element in all of our interior projects and we enjoyed playing with the scale and colors to develop just the right design.

A custom fabric designed around the landscape plan of the new Houston Botanic Garden

STRIPES

Depending on their orientation, stripes can lengthen or widen elements of your space.  But they don’t have to be the traditional color-white-color pattern you may have in mind. There’s a whole world of stripes waiting for you! We love using ceramic tiles that lend a subtle stripe or striped rugs that move the eye in a specific direction. Bolder, brighter stripes that have the power to overwhelm can be perfectly captivating as a throw pillow or used to upholster a petite chair!

1. Patterson Flynn Martin Carnivale Rug / 2. Cecile Stripe Cement Tile, Sister Parish for Country Floors / 3. Rebecca Atwood Painted Marine Stripe via JAMES Showroom / 4. Lee Jofa/Kravet Desning Velvet in Red/Blue Fabric
Photography: Stephen Karlisch

GEOMETRIC 

When you hear the word ‘geometric’ are you immediately taken back to high school with thoughts of protractors and parallelograms? Geometric patterns in home décor certainly call on the vocabulary of geometry – circles, points, lines, angles, hexagons, and squares but to use them in your home you most definitely don’t need to pull out those old textbooks! We generally call on geometric patterns in lighting, textiles, and rugs and use them to create visual interest; subtle repetition is key!

1. Cowtan & Trout Olinda Linen Fabric / 2. Holland & Sherry Klostra Pillow / 3. Fermoie Lampshade in Green Wicker via Wells Abbott Showroom / 4. Colleen and Co. Lexi Semi Flush Mount
Photography: Julie Soefer

ABSTRACT

Abstract patterns are true chameleons in the design world! They can be based on the repetition of brushstrokes, dots, or really any motif used alone or combined to form complex designs. They may stand out through bold patterns and color palettes or be more subtle, lending movement and interest when applied in colors that complement the surrounding space. 

1. Jiun Ho Kalahari Embroidered Fabric / 2. de Gournay Porcelain Alchemy Dinner Plate  / 3. Scalamandre Fireworks Lumbar Pillow /  4. 4. Pierre Frey Clapotis Wallcovering

So whether you’re going bright, bold, and extraordinary with your abstract pattern play, or you’re more inclined to subtlety, we’ve found that there’s an abstract pattern perfect for almost every space. 
 

Talk about pattern play!
Photography: Stephen Karlisch

Our world is filled with patterns! Small and large, bright and muted, busy and serene; they can be found throughout nature and we are fortunate to bring their beauty into our homes.

Our team is constantly looking for new ways to use stalwart patterns while seeking fresh applications that are meaningful to our clients and harmonious within their homes – much like we did with the custom fabric commissioned using the Houston Botanic Garden landscape plan! Have any interesting new patterns been calling your name? Share them with us in the comments below!

“Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns,
so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.”
– Richard P. Feynman

Join the Conversation

*