How to Mix Fabrics and Patterns: See these three tips for guidelines for mixing and matching fabrics and patterns with your design schemes, color palettes, and throw pillows!
Mixing fabric patterns can seem daunting; but, it doesn’t have to be! Fabrics are meant to be layered and combined; but, doing it the wrong way will make it look like a hot mess. Follow my formula below and I promise your rooms will look great!
MIXING FABRIC PATTERNS
Picking out fabric patterns or pillows for your living room (or any other room in your house) doesn’t need to be stressful! Worst comes to worst, you can return the pillows! If you follow these guidelines, you are sure to create a great combination!
Without further ado, here are my top tips for picking out patterns and mixing fabrics in your home!
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#1: VARY THE SIZE OF THE FABRIC PATTERNS
You can see two different options above. I like always using one solid pillow (or very large scale), one floral or medium scale pattern, and one graphic/ small pattern. What holds these very different pillow patterns together is that they are all of the same color. You want to vary small things–and one thing at a time!
Elsewhere in our house, we use the same principles–as you can see in the graphic below. Each room has a large pattern, a smaller pattern, and a medium pattern.
living room: left/ middle/ right
front entry: left/ middle/ right
powder room: left/ middle/ Farrow & Ball Parma Blue paint
family room: left/ middle/ right- similar (our actual DIY pillows)
And in our kids’ spaces, we do the same thing! Even if we mix colors, we keep the scale varied!
boys room: left/ middle/ crane and canopy larkin
girls room: left/ middle/ right- Benjamin Moore Romance Pink
#2 VARY THE TYPE OF PATTERN TO MATCH FABRICS:
I love to use a graphic, a floral, and a solid in each room. Using an animal print is a great way to use a graphic element that also adds a little something unexpected! You can see in the picture below of the fabrics in our first living room design, I picked out 1) a floral 2) a graphic 3) a solid. I ended up ditching the graphic black and white because it was too busy and just used the animal print in lieu of it.
By mixing up the fabric patterns sizes it will be visually interesting but not too busy! If you don’t want to use a solid, maybe use a solid with a ribbon detail (like a Greek Key–see my DIY Greek Key Curtains which were an Ikea hack!) or a small print.
In our powder room/first-floor bathroom, you can see that I used a solid (white), a floral, and a graphic rug to complete the design.
And in our master bedroom, I mixed a leopard pattern with a graphic pattern (headboard) and solids (white curtains).
#3: VARY THE COLORS OF FABRICS:
Third, you can experiment with mixing colors. If you want to mix up the color palette in your room, I urge you to stick to three at most and pick out one fabric that brings it all together. In our family room, the three colors are blue, white, and a pop of red (which is echoed in the fabric for the ottoman.)
In our first living room, the colors were pink/ coral, black, and tan. This way the fabrics all “played nicely” with each other because there are common themes. But, it isn’t boring! A floral piece is always a great way to add some extra color as long as it picks up colors from the other pieces, and because there are so many colors in it, they almost always will!
In my daughter’s room, we used pink, white, and green (multi) as colors. You can see how we also used different sizes and patterns too!
Even in our kids’ bathroom, I used three different colors–blue, orange, and lime green. Notice that by using colors from the shower curtain in the curtains, the paint, and the bath mats it all comes together. The shower curtain toile functions as a type of floral pulling it all together.
To summarize, remember the following:
TIPS FOR MATCHING FABRICS IN YOUR HOME
- Mix the pattern scale
- Mix the type of pattern
- Mix the colors but have one fabric that pulls it all together!
Want some more examples? After receiving tons of questions on our living room pillows, I mocked up six different pillow combinations with different fabrics, so you could see how easy it is! Sources for each pillow are below image with the corresponding number.
1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 10 (schumacher dragon located left column second row, fourth and fifth column first row)
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Jaelan says
This post was made for me! Want to come over and help me setup my filming space?! I could use some help. The room is so incredibly boring.
Tiffany @ A Touch of Grace says
Love this! I 100% agree that leopard is a neutral. I just need to get some leopard pillows and ask for forgiveness from the hubs later. Great tips lady!
Jacquelyn @ The Lowcountry Mama says
I struggle with this so thank you! I’m looking for a new fabric to make drapes in my living room.. I’d love to pick a pattern instead of another solid or neutral.
Lindsay says
Can I please move in your house? Pretty please? Your styling is BEAUTIFUL, and I love how you break down mixing fabrics to a simple formula.
Catherine Short says
These are great tips! Mixing prints is one of those style/design elements where it’s really easy to second guess your instincts.
Paige @ An Uncomplicated Life Blog says
Ahhhh! Love this post. I’m actually one of the ones who’s scared of prints – don’t even mention mixing them to me – because I’m scared things will look too “busy.” But your home looks fabulous! Great tips too. Wonder if hubs would be mad if he showed up from work and I had pink AND leopard prints in the house… 😉
Tayler Morrell says
I love the look of this room. My mom is very good at this, as are my sisters, but I just don’t have the talent. Visiting from Blog Passion Project.
Amanda Elizabeth says
When I get a house will you come and help me style it? I am in love with your ideas and execution!
Topaz & Sapphire says
Ohhh I love this! You can apply to this not only home decor but your wardrobe too. Love how bold you can be without coming off mismatched!
Christine says
This is so awesome! I am not good at fabric mixing so this helps a ton!
Erica @ Coming Up Roses says
I love this so much, as a soon-to-be new homeowner, lover of leopard, and print mixer! Mixing small with bigger patterns is a great idea – it’s the same with outfits!
Coming Up Roses
linda says
thank you so much for this! VERY helpful ….ive been challenged so many times picking out throw pilows. love your home photos too