Tuesday 5 June 2012

Passionate about Patterns, a continuation...

Incorporating patterns within a space is a fabulous way of establishing a style or setting the tone for a decor project.  In researching for part one of my 'Passionate about Patterns' post, I quickly began to realise that -WOW, there are a lot of patterns out there! 

Feeling blue? I adore the nautical feel of crisp blues and whites.

Although I am exposed to various patterns all the time,  even I was blown away with the countless designs that continued to emerge.  I guess I never actually stopped to consider just how lucky we are to have such a variety to choose from. 

So now, if I can get over my 'A..hah' moment, let's look at some more patterns!

Herringbone - simply put - An arrangement of rectangles

Love the contrasting colours of a herringbone design on this table top
Herringbone is a popular and classic choice for flooring as well.   It has been used in retail commercial applications and I recall seeing it often in old estate homes in England.

Warm and weathered herringbone flooring contributes to a natural feel in this room of understated elegance.
A pattern very similar to the Herringbone is the Chevron design.  Until now, I never really considered that there was a difference between Chevron and Herringbone - or maybe it's better to say that I just never gave it a second thought in the first place.  

Chevron - an inverted 'V' shape pattern

So not my personal style, but man do I love this room!

I found this article from 'apartment therapy' that describes & illustrates the subtle difference between these 2 similar designs. I will dedicate a post solely to the 'herringbone' and 'chevron' patterns in the near future because I just adore how versatile and timeless these designs can be.

Houndstooth - a duo tone textile pattern characterised by broken 'checks' or abstract four-pointed shapes, often in black and white. Wikipedia definition

This pattern has long since been one of the favourites on fashion runways around the world.

Source
But houndstooth is also very prevalent in home decor.  Pictured below is the 'Hotel de Vendome' in Paris where the houndstooth design has been used on the upholstery fabric for the chairs and...

So clean and fresh, I wish to sip wine here during a posh lunch appointment. Care to join me?! Say 'Oui!'

...on the bar stools.
The black and white pattern paired with the baby pink is soft and so cute.

When decorating, bear in mind how many different patterns you want to include in your space.  As we have observed, patterns are not limited to fabrics but can be seen all around us in many areas such as flooring, accessories, tiles and more.  Be careful not to go too crazy with patterns (like I showed you in this post) - or your eyes will not have a place to rest.

Lattice - typically known for its' diamond design (like the picture below) but today there are many variations in this repeat vertical pattern.


This radiator cover plays double duty with a shelf to display accessories as well.

Fun accent pillows

And my favourite...

Room divider, accent cushion and wall paper lattice designs. What a fresh office space.
With so many patterns styles & colours to choose from, you can be overwhelmed with choices. If you want professional advice for mixing patterns in your space please do not hesitate to contact me.  I can help you fall in love with your home again!  My new cell number is 905-599-2588. 

Tomorrow I am off to Toronto for a 3 day workshop to become a True Colour Expert.!!  This course is with Maria Killam, a decorator, blogger, author and internationally sought after colour expert from Vancouver.  I am so excited to attend this course and you can be sure I will be taking pictures and posting about it all very soon.


No comments:

Post a Comment