THE ART OF INTERIOR DESIGN Lessons on colour and pattern and vintage fabrics from Penny Morrison

IN THE LATEST IN OUR SERIES, INTERIOR DESIGNER PENNY MORRISON TALKS COLOUR AND PATTERN AND USING VINTAGE FABRICS AND RUGS WISELY

PATTERN & COLOUR

I’M a big believer in walking into a room and letting it tell me what it needs in terms of both colour and pattern. When I’m decorating a room I usually bring in a bundle of bits of fabric and then look at them to consider where they could work within the space.

It’s important that you balance what colour and pattern hits your eye when you enter a room. Pattern works wonderfully on one or two windows, but if you’ve got a room that’s got a row of three big windows then covering them with pattern will overpower one side of the space. In that case I would rather use the pattern somewhere else, like a sofa, chair or on the bed.

You might love a bold, bright shade but think it might be ‘too much’ on all the walls, and that’s not always the case. My library is painted in arsenic, but it’s not really an overall colour; the bookcases take up quite a lot of the space, and there are also breaks from the windows, so those provide balance and stop the bright colour from overwhelming the room.

Balance out colours and patterns with each other, too. For example, a colourful linen sofa works perfectly with patterned cushions, or a quite plain room lit up with a patterned ottoman. Upholster with one pattern on the sides and another on the top for an amazing focal point.

People are so scared of mixing different things in case they don’t go but if you have the confidence to put together what you like and what your eye feels comfortable with then it’ll work for everybody else, too. →

Mix rich tones and decorative fabrics for an elegant yet eclectic space WHERE I SHOP FOR COLOURFUL AND PATTERNED MATERIALS Where you shop depends on your budget – it’s easy to spend a lot on materials, but you don’t need to spend all the money on everything. For plain fabrics, Chelsea Textiles has a huge range of linens and velvets. If I’m looking for pretty linen, Romo and Prêt à Vivre are good. I also love The Cloth Shop, especially for floral designs.