Pattern Drenching Is About Bold, Complementary Patterns—Here's How to Do It Well

Look at the Undertones

"Pay attention to undertones and ground cloth color," says Colgan. This means carefully looking at whether your wallpaper and fabric have the same white or similar levels of chroma in their color. "I would not mix patterns with clearer, brighter colors with prints or patterns in muddier colors. If I am working on a scheme with a whiter ground cloth, I would not mix in a pattern or prints with a creamier or more tea-stained ground cloth," she says.

Mix Types of Fabrics for More Visual Interest

Pattern isn’t exclusive to printed textile form. Colgan explains that you need variety to help a space feel grounded. "Woven fabrics, brocades, and embroideries add a different texture and visual weight to the mix, making pattern mixing and layering more successful." She also recommends mixing fabric materials. Use cotton, linen, and silk all in the same room. Don’t feel like you need to keep things consistent. In this case, more often is better.

Choose Unifying Colors

"When selecting colors for the space, choose ones that complement each other so there can be a bridge between all the patterns, helping the overall design make sense," says Ferguson. She explains that you can get creative with patterns in art, textiles, accessories, and wallpaper, but there should always be a unifying color that ties the design narrative together.

Find Chaotic Harmony

Similar patterns can work, but they need to complement rather than match. "Plaid and buffalo check or ticking and pinstripe both have similar shapes that can coexist in the same space," says Ferguson. "Adding a bold floral pattern with colors from either combination takes it one step further and can help achieve a sense of chaotic harmony."

Be Bold and Clash

Pattern drenching is one place where you should never hold back. Go bold. "Too much of the same thing just looks busy and messy," says Amy Pigliacampo of Amy Pigliacampo Interiors. "It's actually the boldness that makes mixing patterns work well. If you are too cautious and hold back, it's often noticeable in the end result."

Sarah Stacey, lead interior designer at Sarah Stacey Interior Design, agrees, saying that "things that tend to 'clash' are typically patterns/colors that are just a little too similar to each other. You don’t want it to look like you tried to match something and just missed the mark."

Use a Pattern Continuously

While pattern drenching often means mixing up your patterns, a pattern repeated throughout the space can also have an impactful look. "You can do a wallpaper and a similar drape pattern, which makes the pattern continue but through a different textile, which is super fun," says Alissa Johnson, founder and principal designer of Alissa Johnson Interiors.

Pay Attention to Scale

The key is to keep your eye moving—you never want too many prints or patterns in a similar scale right next to each other. "Generally, I would only have one larger floral fabric print and would layer that with a few medium-scaled prints in a stripe or geometric and a few smaller-scale prints to finish off; perhaps a block print or a smaller stripe," says Colgan.

Choose a Hero Fabric

This isn’t necessarily your largest or boldest print, but it’s the one that incorporates all the other colors used in the room, and it’s often used in multiple places, like on an ottoman and a lampshade. "You can also further tie things together by using passementerie—tapes, contrast welts, and other trims—to pull a scheme together," says Colgan.

Repeat Motifs in Different Scales

To help textiles, drapery, and furniture play together nicely, particularly when they are heavily patterned, Vani Sayeed, principal of Vani Sayeed Studios, recommends choosing a shape or motif and repeating it throughout the space. "I often use a shape that is repeated in varying degrees like a chevron pattern, a ticking stripe, or a floral pattern," says Sayeed. "This can be used on a trim on a small scale, and larger on the wall covering, repeated on a pillow with a textured fabric on the furniture." The repeated motif creates a visual rhythm that keeps the overall look from feeling too busy.

Keep It Slightly Imperfect

"Don't make it too perfect," says Colgan. It’s tempting to make everything fit together just right when you’re planning out the theme for a pattern-drenched room. You want every piece carefully selected, but that can make the space feel contrived. "Every room needs something that is a little off. You want just enough to create a tension that makes the room interesting and keeps the decorating scheme from feeling overly twee," says Colgan.

Add a Moment of Rest

While all these patterns are gorgeous, Colgan points out that a moment of rest is necessary. "If the upholstery is more patterned, perhaps the walls are painted. More lively curtains? Maybe the area rug is more restful," says Colgan. She also recommends layering antique furniture in wood tones—brown furniture, if you will—to add a more subdued element.