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A twenty-five-year background in real estate has allowed me to see numerous homes with incredible decorating designs. I’ve found that decorating with color and pattern is challenging for many.
Note Featured Video: One of my faves on how to mix patterns by Emily Henderson
Many people are afraid of color. Although it’s better to stay with a neutral base when selling your home, it’s only fitting to decorate the way you want while living there.
It takes a bit of bravery to decorate a room with a patterned area rug and a patterned sofa. Most people won’t venture down that decorating road, or they’ll start the process only to find they can’t effectively complete it.
So how do you choose a patterned rug with a patterned sofa?
Below you’ll see some photos of my family room that were completed with warm colors and patterns, and yes, the Sofa is patterned, as is the Persian Area Rug.
The Thoughts Behind the Above Room Design
1. Although the rug featured has a great deal of pattern in its design, it also has a great deal of neutral color where the pattern doesn’t constantly overlap.
2. There is no pattern on the edge of this rug. It’s a solid color. Because the room is small (approximately 16feet by 15feet), I didn’t want to close the space by creating a ‘framed effect’ with the rug. Thus I stayed away from dark and patterned borders.
3. If you’re placing this rug in a large space, you can get away with framing the carpet. That means using a rug with a darker solid border or a pattern on its border. In a larger room, choosing a patterned area rug with a design that extends to the border enables you to create a clearly defined sitting area.
4. Choose colors from the area rug to feature in your patterned Sofa. I had already owned the Persian Rug, so I decided to create a warm, deep, cozy feel.
5. I knew I wanted a patterned sofa. So it was imperative to find a couch with colors from the rug. My patterned area rug has many subtle colors: pink, green, blue, tan, burgundy, and light blue. A warm theme was my goal, so I gravitated toward a warm burgundy-colored couch.
6. Once you find the patterned Sofa to go with the patterned rug, you should go easy on the pattern in the rest of the room. You’ll notice in my photos that my drapes are a solid color – and they weren’t expensive; they’re simply four panels I purchased from Walmart. Also, the furnishings are a solid color and burgundy/cherry in their shades. The wingback chair and lamps are solid colors.
7. Last but not least are the wall colors and wall art. The wall art above one Sofa features a solid frame with one of the sofa shades in the print. For the wall color, I took a sample of the gold-colored tassels on the pillow to the paint store and had them match it. It’s more or less a butterscotch tone.
Here Are Additional Examples in Pattern Mixing:
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Love your room, love this advice, love the helpful video!
Thanks Susan! I appreciate that 🙂