Home Decor: Tips On Using Pattern To Decorate Your Home

Decorating your home can be fun and exciting, especially when you have very specific ideas in mind. When you design a home that satisfies your personal preference in decor and taste, then the outcome is very rewarding and will be thoroughly enjoyed by you and your guests. For years, interior design had certain "ideas" as to what is appropriate and what is not. Today a lot has changed as far as colors, designs and patterns and the rules are changed to reflect our individual tastes as much as classic schemes that have been used for a long time.

In today's trends, patterns are being used more and more. They not only add color and boldness to the room, but also give it a sense of style as well. There are many different styles of home decor, and although patterns can be effectively used in all these style of homes, it's important to stick with ones that will compliment your overall theme of the home.

There are a few tips you should remember when working with patterns:

1. If you're using coordinating patterns, try to keep the background colors the same. For instance, if white or beige is your background color, keep it on the entire background in your various pieces. The alternative is to 'alternate'. For example, use a pattern where beige is the foreground color, but where it is the background color of the other pattern.

2. Use pattern in a medium to small area of the room. For example, if you use pattern in the window treatments and the cushions, you're involving not an overly large area of the room with pattern. Alternatively, use pattern for the wall such as with wallpaper, but have more plain, or very subtly patterned curtains to not overwhelm the entire room with pattern.

3. Use both textured and plain fabrics for a more interesting look. The texture and patterns of your interior design play a large part in how your room will look. Once you learn more about the basics of patterns, you'll love the effect you get by mixing and matching them.

There are four different types of patterns: floral, geometric, motif and pictorial.

1. Geometric patterns, which are stripes or checks, make for great decor. They're a great pattern for manipulating space. Vertical stripes will make a surface or room appear taller while horizontal makes it look longer and wider. If you have a low ceiling room, such as a renovated basement or attic, vertical stripes will make the walls appear taller.

2. Floral patterns are very easy to obtain and are great for adding a soft touch to a room. If you find the floral pattern is too overwhelming, you can add some coordinating stripes or checks. One example would be a bedroom with a striped window curtain, solid colored bedding and a checked upholstered chair. In the same color scheme, this looks beautiful.

3. A motif pattern is like a repeated image or can also be abstract. They can be based on nature or on geometrical designs but they are repeated throughout the pattern. A bathroom filled with seashells on the wall would be an example of a motif pattern. Or a lounge with leaf motifs on the curtains to bring a sense of nature into the room would be another example.

So there you have it. Now that you've learned a little about patterns and how they work, you can do a lot of experimenting to get the right patterns for your decor. You're no longer stuck with dark, solid walls and furnishings. You can bring a sense of elegance and visual interest with the use of pattern in any room in the home.

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