When you have settled on the color scheme and designs of your home, the next step is to look at your samples in their intended surroundings. This is particularly important because you may find that when you see the shades and patterns in your room's natural light, they look completely different. Making changes to your selection could involve nothing more than a minor adjustment, swapping one pattern for another perhaps, or you may find you have to re-think the entire color scheme.
If you feel that the patterns work well together but the colors just don't gel, consider another color scheme from the same design. Alternatively, if you love the colors but feel the designs don't do anything for each other after all, look at other product lines from the same manufacturer. Often a designer or manufacturer works with the same palette of colors for several collections and one of them may well provide you with the ideal combination of color and design.
Mixing and Matching
Although some designers believe that you should never mix more than four different designs in one plan, you can use a larger selection if they are totally compatible. To get the best mix, aim to include one large-scale pattern with one or two smaller patterns that are related in color and style: geometric designs such as stripes, checks or trellis, stars or spots are a good choice of smaller pattern.
If the main pattern is a traditional floral, blend it with an all-over leaf design or a sprig pattern. If it is a bold oriental print, a small paisley or French country pattern works as a more subtle contrast.
The opportunities for using different patterns side by side are enormous. In a living room, for example, a wing chair covered in a checked fabric contrasts well with a floral sofa, while matching curtains could be lined with a toning sprig or stripe. The wainscoting region offers scope for teaming one or two complementary wallpaper designs with a decorative border. Cushions, armcovers, and tiebacks open up further scope for building the complexity of the coordinated plan.
Sometimes, you can add pattern in less obvious ways to give an individual look. One method favored by some designers is to repeat a design motif throughout the scheme. For example, a trellis wallpaper could be echoed in a textured fabric with a diamond weave and again in the sculptured texture of a rug. Used sparingly, this device can make a room seem perfectly integrated. Repeating the motif in a stenciled border, using a reversible jacquard fabric, or hanging printed, sheer curtains at the window reinforces the look.
The art of mixing and matching lies in knowing when to stop. Avoid becoming a slave to coordination at all costs. Once you have set up the pattern and color linkages, you can start including some of your own accessories and decorations, not identical to the other designs but carefully chosen to go well with the rest of the plan.
In the Bedroom
If any one room is an ideal testing ground for coordinating designs, it must be the bedroom. Ready-made curtains and matching bed linen proliferate in every possible color and style. Then if you want to carry your chosen pattern further, some designs also offer wallpapers, borders, and fabrics by the yard or meter for making your own accessories.
When you choose bedroom coordinates from a design that includes fabric, the scope for originality increases enormously. You can make a focal point of the bed by covering a padded headboard, or create bed drapes for a canopy, half-tester, or coronet. On a less ambitious scale, you can make a customized window treatment with valance or pelmet, tiebacks or blinds to go with the curtains, or pile cushions on the bed or chair.
Dial Soap Printable Coupons 2011 Guide
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