If you don’t have an eye for interior design, decorating can be a challenge. But there are plenty of decorating tips and tricks that can help you create a room that looks like it was carefully planned by a designer. In today’s blog, the interior design experts at Star Furniture break down how to mix patterns and colors in home décor.
How to Mix Colors in Home Décor
Follow to the 60-30-10 Color Rule
The 60-30-10 color rule is an interior design rule that relates to the proportion of different colors used in a room. According to the rule, you should choose three distinct colors for your space: the main color, the secondary color, and the accent color. If you’re following the rule, 60% of the room would be decorated in the dominant color, 30% would be decorated in the secondary color, and 10% of the room should be decorated in the accent color. The main color you choose will be used as an anchor color. It’s typically determined by the room’s largest elements, including things like walls, flooring, cabinets, or large furniture. Your secondary color should match your main color without creating too much contrast. Think of these colors as working together to create color harmony. Your accent color, on the other hand, is where you can create bold contrast in the room. Because it’s the lowest proportion of color, accent colors are often seen in throw pillows, art, and small accent furniture.
Utilize the Color Wheel
If you’re not naturally proficient at matching colors, the color wheel is a great resource to help you choose your room’s color palette. There are two main ways to use the color wheel. The first option would be to choose three analogous colors, which are any colors that are directly next to each other on the color wheel. You might, for example, choose blue-green, blue, and blue-purple or yellow-orange, orange, and red orange. Alternatively, you can choose two complementary colors, which are opposite each other on the color wheel, with a third neutral color to supplement. If you choose blue and orange, for example, you might want to use black or white as your accent color. Whatever colors you choose, you’ll want to follow the 60-30-10 color rule to help make the room feel both visually interesting and balanced.
How to Mix Patterns in Home Décor
Mix Up the Sizes
Patterns, like furniture, have different scales. The scale of a pattern refers to the size of the pattern itself. When you’re mixing patterns in a room, you’ll want to mix large, medium, and small-scale patterns together to create the right balance. If you’re having trouble determining a pattern’s scale, consider how many times the pattern is repeated. If, for example, there are only 8 stripes on a throw pillow, that would be a larger scale pattern than a throw pillow with 80 stripes. You’ll also want to consider the size of the pattern as it appears in your room. If you have a large patterned sofa, for example, you’ll probably want to keep the other patterns contained to smaller objects in the room. You should also try to choose the pattern that will take up the most space in the room first so you can use it as a springboard to choose complementary patterns and colors.
Stick to Your Color Palette
Mixing and matching patterns can be difficult. You want to give the room visual interest, but you don’t want it to look chaotic or overwhelming. If you’re pairing multiple patterns together, the first thing you’ll want to do is consider your color palette. If the different patterns incorporate your main color, your second color, or your accent color, it can help make the patterns feel more harmonious. In fact, if one of your patterns has multiple colors in it, you can also try incorporating one of those secondary colors into the other pattern you choose. If the colors match or complement each other in some way, the patterns are less likely to clash, making your room feel curated and stylish.
Mix in Some Solids
When decorating with multiple patterns, you’ll want to give the patterns some room to breathe. That means that you’ll want to put some solid colors throughout the room to break up the lines and shapes of your patterns. Think of the solid colors as a place where the eyes can rest and try to spread them out throughout the room. That way it doesn’t feel too busy. If you’re worried about the solids being too boring, consider varying the texture of the solids in the room. A solid-colored velvet throw pillow, for example, will have a different look and feel from a solid-colored linen throw pillow. Now that you know how to mix patterns and colors in home décor, it’s time to start decorating. Visit a Star Furniture store near you or browse our online inventory of living room furniture, bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, home office furniture, and home décor. You can even take advantage of our complimentary in-store interior design services. In the meantime, check out our interior design blog where we cover everything from how to design a living room from start to finish to how to choose the right wall art for your wall.