4 Eye-catching patterns to add to your home

Adding appealing patterns to your rooms can be the solution to giving your home space some oomph. Mixing and matching patterns is fine, but if you’re uncertain about how to do it right, stick to one type of pattern to start, and play with it in different colours and scales. Remember, you don’t want anything overly trendy if you’re using it for a more permanent project, such as wallpaper. For tried-and-true looks you can be confident will stand the test of time, we have a few suggestions for you.

Stick with stripes

For a clean, classic look, you can’t go wrong with stripes. Choose navy and white for a nautical appeal, or play with other colour combinations. A rainbow of stripes on throw cushions or on an area rug is a simple and fun way to add splashes of colour to an otherwise neutral room. If you prefer a more subtle look, paint wide stripes on your walls by playing with the paint finishes. For example, keep your walls a neutral tone, but paint stripes in eggshell and high-gloss paint finishes.

Have fun with florals

Think florals are only for elderly ladies? Think again. Bold, oversized blooms in your prints can make an impressive statement. In fact, why not take inspiration from the spring 2013 runways? The catwalks of many designers were abloom with anything but prim florals. Choose an accent wall, and wallpaper it in large, vibrant flowers. You might think it’ll feel too “in your face,” but bigger blooms are actually less overwhelming than smaller-scale flowers, which can feel too “busy” when covering an entire wall or room.

Integrate a little ikat

This intricate pattern, created by tie-dying yarn before it’s woven, fits contemporary types of decor. Consider it for a duvet cover, rug, towels or throw pillows; it can lend a global feel to your room. If your furnishings are streamlined, wallpapering a wall or two in an ikat pattern can create an energetic backdrop for your modern, clean-lined pieces.

Add some animal prints

Give your decor a subtle safari-esque allure with a few animal print pieces — think leopard spots or tiger or zebra stripes. When in neutral tones, animal prints can be considered a neutral, much like a leopard print scarf can be for an outfit. Toss a warm-toned blanket on the couch, or recover some cushions in soft knit animal prints.