Michael Smith designed this living room and he employed no fewer than eight patterns that I can count in this portion of the photo! Now, I find all that pattern somewhat dizzying, and as Redd is known for bold color, Smith is known for an expansive use of pattern. Of course, pattern and strong color often go hand and hand in the same room, but that is not always the case. So, why do I think pattern will be a strong trend for 2010? Certainly, pattern never left us, just as color never did, but pattern was kept more to a minimum recently. Large swathes of linen, seagrass, and white walls dominated the recent Belgian trend. What I see is that pattern is sneaking back into our fiercely edited interiors. That’s a good thing, in my opinion. So where is pattern making its stealthy entrance?
Now this is really stealthy. While the pattern on the sofa is strong, please also notice how the stonework is its own very strong pattern. As a matter of fact, it is such a strong pattern that it dominates the space entirely. It’s very graphic, as well as textural, and it gives the room a great punch. Image from House Beautiful.
This is a Nate Berkus design. And again, look more closely for the pattern. Obvious, of course, is the zebra rug which has been the go-to pattern in recent years. But look more closely. The circles on the screen give it much more interest, and the pillows on the lime green sofa have great interest and pattern. While you might have seen one or two of these patterned accents recently, now you are seeing more of them. And, don’t get me wrong. I am a huge proponent of the solid sofa, as you can easily change pattern and direction with pillows. It is a classic design tool and one I employ a lot.
More Miles Redd – I know, I know, it’s as though I have a fixation for him. In truth, he is a bit too much for my own personal taste, but looking at his rooms is a great design tutorial. Here Redd sneaks in pattern on the sofa pillows, as above, but also in the graphic print on the chair. Also, a subtle but important bit of pattern is introduced in the herringbone pattern of the floor.
Here Barry Dixon uses a very bold pattern on the floor. He had hex signs from quilt patterns painted on the floor in the kumquat and eggplant colors used on the upholstery. I love this idea.
Here the strong pattern of the chintz is the first one that you notice, but you can also see the great rug and its strong pattern, and of course the check on the curtains is charming, too. This room really stood out to me (from House Beautiful, again!) because while it felt very much on trend with its more neutral palette, the designer pushed the envelope with pattern. I find it very appealing and liveable.
Another note for you. I am starting to see oriental rugs making a comeback. In every single photographic spread from December’s Elle Decor, an oriental rug served as a launching pad for the pallette and feel for the room. Yeah! While I love sisal and seagrass, and have oceans in my home, I also have wonderful oriental rugs that were a real investment when my husband and I bought them years ago. My family room and living room are anchored by two of these rugs and I am so glad to see photos of designers using them again, although I am pretty sure that they were always being used, just not so much photographed.
Another 80’s design signature is making a comeback. Kilim is starting to appear here and there. This is an ottoman from Garnet Hill. I love the pattern of kilims and the warmth and coziness of its woven wool. I looked on eBay for kilim and there are so many choices – a sure sign that a trend may be on its way.
This was an eBay find. For $29, it’s a bargain. So, why would kilim make a comeback now? As I’ve written before, things tend to become trendy when we rediscover them and there is a plentitude to be had at a reasonable price. And if I am right and pattern and color are both going to be strong trends, then kilims are an affordable way to add a great pop of both.
For trendspotting, you often don’t have much further to look than Great Britain. When I lived there it was fascinating to see their obsession with all things American and ours with all things British. So if I see a trend in the British magazines I know that in about a year or so it will hit here with a vengeance. Osborne and Little is a fantatic bellweather for British design. I hopped on their webpage yesterday to take a look at their latest collections. This fabric is called Papini and it is from the Marinetti collection. It is shown in many different colorways, but I really liked this one. I really have a soft spot for cut velvets and while they have been gaining in popularity for a while, based upon the O&L collections and my British theory, they will become more popular.
This is Lucini, from the same collection. The color and texture is just beautiful and it would look gorgous on a pillow, chair, or ottoman in a more neutral room. Lovely. And it is of course, in one of my favorite color combinations, gray and yellow.
This is the Du Barry pattern, again from Osborne and Little. There are so many different colorways in this pattern, it is dizzying. This pattern in this color is one that I think you may see sooner rather than later, as it softness marries so well with the Belgian look. It’s quite dreamy, isn’t it?
Again from Osborne and Little, this wallcovering by Nina Campbell is called Gilty. As its name implies, it has a metallic element to it, and comes in several colorways. This is a dip of the toe into more pattern on the walls.
If Gilty is a dip of the toe into a patterned wallpaper, Jagmandir has you at about waist high. This lovely pattern is obviously Asian in inspiration, but the pallete is more muted and in keeping with the previous more neutral pallette. You could see covering a screen in this paper, or maybe a wonderful niche or alcove. A dining room in this would be stunning.
So Maharani, above, is a full body plunge into pattern! I could easily see Mary McDonald using it as an anchor for a major room, such as a living room or dining room. It truly packs a punch in this colorway, although there are others, too. I do love this, though. But in my humble opinion, I could only use this if there was almost no other pattern in the room, except for maybe a cobalt and white pinstripe. While I love colorand love pattern, I need it in moderation.
Thanks for reading this really long post. Sorry if I am going on and on, but I want to be sure that you see where I see the roots of trends that I discuss here. There will be more trendy posts to come, so be sure to check back in.
Kristin