Mixing wallpaper prints effectively creates a dynamic and layered look in a room by carefully coordinating patterns, colors, and themes while avoiding visual clutter.
Successfully combining different wallpaper patterns involves thoughtful planning and attention to design principles. The key is to ensure the patterns complement rather than clash, contributing to a cohesive and visually appealing space.
Key Strategies for Mixing Wallpaper Prints
Based on design principles and common recommendations, here are the essential steps to mix wallpaper prints:
1. Choose a Color Scheme
This is perhaps the most crucial step when mixing any patterns. Choosing the right color scheme means you are going to take five to ten colors that go together and stick with those options. Select a palette that will serve as the foundation for all the patterns you choose. This ensures visual harmony even when patterns vary greatly.
- Practical Tip: Pull colors from one of the patterned wallpapers you intend to use or from existing elements in the room like furniture or artwork.
2. Use Patterns With Coordinating Colors
Once your color scheme is established, select wallpaper patterns that share colors from that scheme. Use Patterns With Coordinating Colors to link disparate designs visually. Different patterns can coexist beautifully if they share common hues.
- Examples:
- Pair a large floral print with a smaller geometric pattern, both featuring shades of navy and gold.
- Combine a stripe with a subtle damask, ensuring both incorporate a specific shade of teal or gray.
3. Stick to a Theme
Beyond color, having a unifying theme helps guide your pattern choices. Stick to a Theme whether it's a specific style (like tropical, vintage, or art deco) or a type of pattern (florals, geometrics, textures). This ensures that while the patterns differ, they feel like they belong together within the overall room design.
- Insight: A theme provides a narrative or feeling for the space, making it easier to select patterns that support that vision.
4. Avoid Pattern Overload
While mixing patterns is the goal, moderation is key. Avoid Pattern Overload by balancing busy prints with simpler ones or solid spaces. Too many competing patterns can make a room feel chaotic and overwhelming rather than curated and inviting.
- Techniques to Prevent Overload:
- Use one dominant, large-scale pattern and pair it with smaller, less intrusive prints.
- Mix prints with solids on adjacent walls or furnishings.
- Utilize texture papers alongside printed patterns.
- Consider using mixed prints only on specific walls or areas rather than the entire room.
5. Add a Rug
While not directly mixing wallpaper prints, the reference includes Add a Rug as a general design tip within this context. In a room where you are mixing wallpaper prints, incorporating other elements like a rug with a complementary pattern or solid color can help ground the space and tie the overall design together. A rug can echo colors from the wallpaper or introduce a new pattern that works within the established scheme and theme, adding another layer to the design without solely relying on wall patterns.
- Consideration: If you have busy wallpapers, a rug with a simpler pattern or a solid color might be best to provide visual relief. If the wallpapers are more subdued, a patterned rug can add energy.
By following these steps, you can confidently mix wallpaper prints to create a unique, stylish, and harmonious interior design.
