THE ART OF LAYERING PRINT & PATTERN

Decorators and designers share their knowledge

Take a look at any beautifully decorated home and you’ll ! nd it’s usually ! lled with glorious pa"erns and textures, all of which are layered to great e#ect. Colourful wallpapers and richly pa"erned textiles not only give a room character and life, but they also act as foils for ! ne furniture, decorative antiques, vintage pieces and other collections you might have.

Textile designer Molly Mahon, known for her exuberant blockprints, explains the enduring appeal of layering designs and colours: ‘ There’s something nostalgic about using lots of pa"ern,’ she says, recalling the William Morris sofas at her childhood home. Frieda Gormley of House of Hackney thinks layering pa"ern on pa"ern and embracing colour is a wonderful means of expressing one’s individuality. ‘ I see pa"ern as a chance to imbue a space with personality,’ she says.

But how does one layer di #erent colours and designs without

simply creating an exhausting kaleidoscopic mess? Many interior designers begin by selecting a primary fabric, which they then layer with more simpli !ed versions of the design.

Fabric and wallpaper designer Charlo"e Gaisford says she always chooses her main fabric ! rst. ‘Once I have my showstopper design I can ! nd other fabrics to combine with my choice,’ she says. It amazes her that people focus only on choosing one fabric for a room. ‘ It’s important to consider all the so# furnishings: cushions, upholstery, window seats, and so on. It would be boring if you used the same fabric for all of these. You need to think about the whole scheme.’

Scale is another consideration. Interior designer and broadcaster Sophie Robinson recommends ensuring there are plenty of prints in varying sizes in the mix: from slim, ticking stripes to oversized $orals. ‘ I tie these together with a tight colour pale"e,’ she explains. ‘O#en, I’ll start with a hero fabric like a detailed chintz and from that spin o% the colours into stripes, geometrics and other $orals. Seeing them all jostle next to one another just sparks joy for me.’ Molly Mahon agrees that scale is important. ‘ It’s calmer on the eye to sit big pa"erns next to li"le pa"erns, rather than having lots of small designs.’

It is also worth taking time to observe how pa"ern behaves on di %erent materials, as interior decorator and antiques dealer Robert Kime points out. ‘ The thing to understand,’ he says, ‘is that on a fabric you won’t always see pa"ern the way you see it on a wallpaper. Pa"erns on wallpaper are viewed $ at, so they have a di %erent e%ect and impact than fabric, which is o#en gathered.’

Although it breaks the traditional rules of decorating, and takes con !dence and a good eye, top-tobo"om entirely matching schemes are having something of a moment. This approach not only makes a serious statement, but it can result in a wonderfully cocooning e%ect, which is especially good in a bedroom or bathroom. ‘I’m a

great proponent of covering all the surfaces of a room – walls, ceilings and upholstery – in matching wallpaper and fabric to feel enveloped in the most cosseting way,’ says Lulu Lytle of Soane Britain. Frieda Gormley is also a fan of this ‘surround-sound’ look. ‘Our approach is totally fearless,’ she says. ‘ But if you’re on a budget, just wallpaper the ceiling and paint the walls – the e!ect will be dramatic, unexpected, and u"erly mesmerising.’

However, the real secret to combining a number of richly pa"erned wallpapers and textiles successfully, Frieda says, is by ‘creating beauty and harmony through a cohesive colour pale"e in each room. Print- on-print looks great when the tones are similar. Alternatively, you could use the same print in contrasting colours to create depth and interest, say by toughening up so# pink with petrol blue or black.’ She also suggests picking out the tonal highlights in a print and painting woodwork the same shade.

Molly Mahon suggests choosing a selection of colours that are upli #ing and to simply shrug o! any so- called rules about colour combinations. ‘Some people can take colour more than others,’ she says. ‘ I can live comfortably with lots of colour. I love red and pink. People say certain colours clash, but do they? Do they clash, or do they sing?’

If you keep di !ering pa"erns the same colour, you can clash these with bolder colours elsewhere in a room, says Charlo"e Gaisford. ‘Although my drawing room has lots of pa"ern, I actually used a fairly simple concept. I chose contrasting colours of green, red and gold for a strong, dramatic e!ect, but I put together six di !erent pa"erned fabrics in the curtains, cushions and lampshade, using the same colours.’

Texture is another part of the puzzle when playing with pa"ern, and it is the key to layering and essential for adding depth to a scheme. ‘ It’s always good to try to incorporate pa"erns of di !erent textures, such as weaves, heavy linens, stripes and $orals,’ says interior designer Penny Morrison.

‘I always try to include some vintage textiles, maybe on the cushions or on a single armchair.’

Accessories such as cushions and lampshades also allow for experimentation without a he!y price tag. ‘ Pops of pa"ern and colour make a huge di #erence,’ she says. ‘ This can be pa"erned lamps, or lampshades, cushions and rugs over the back of a chair or sofa. I like vintage Swedish rugs in particular, but any rug can pull a room together and they are so easily changed.’ Robert Kime agrees. ‘ We start every project and room with the rug and go up from there. An antique rug can carry a space and provide a kind of base – colour is more directional, but a rug fully sets the tone.’

Molly Mahon $ nds that people become braver and bolder as they begin to introduce more pa"ern to their interiors. ‘ We always suggest that you start with a cushion or two and build from there. Then add a lampshade, which will add instant interest. It’s a good way to adjust to living with more pa"ern and colour.’ Charlo"e Gaisford heartily agrees. ‘Add pa"ern slowly, and enjoy shopping for the di #erent elements. Make the room an experience in its own right.’

This living room by Penny Morrison shows how she uses pattern to great effect. By bringing together patterned curtains and upholstery, as well as cushions and lampshades, in a mix of different textures and three key colours, she creates a cohesive scheme with character.

Designers often produce patterns within a collection that are designed to be used together, making it simpler to choose complementary fabrics. These Molly Mahon cushions are covered in three designs from her new Greencombe collection.

Sophie Robinson’s living room demonstrates her approach to scale when using colour and pattern. One sofa features the dominant floral fabric, which contrasts with the glorious candy-stripe curtains.

This is a beautiful example of how large florals and stripes can work in surprising harmony. The curtains are Olivia in Red/Green (£149 per m), trimmed with Cut Ruche Red/Forest (£33 per m), and the chairs are covered in Yatton Stripe Red (£69 per m), all from Colefax and Fowler.

Lulu Lytle of Soane Britain is known for her bold approach to pattern, using matching wallpapers and fabrics to cover as many surfaces as possible. Here, in her home, the walls and ceiling are papered with Lotus Palmette in Raspberry (£ 430 per 10m roll) and the lampshade is covered in a matching linen (£180 per m), all from Soane Britain.

This cosy room by Frieda Gormley features pattern from floor to ceiling. The curtains are in Anaconda (£140 per m), and the wallpaper (£125 per roll), bed drapes (£120 per m) and carpet (£185 per m) are all in Artemis, from House of Hackney.

This Rapture & Wright bedroom is a masterclass in the expert use of colour, texture and scale. The headboard is in Albaicin, the wallpaper is Tin Glaze, and the cushions are in Iznik and Maroc, all available from The Fabric Collective.

The new colours in Ben Pentreath’s Queen Square collection for Morris & Co make it straightforward when styling different patterns from the range.

Robert Kime’s collection of lampshades made from antique textiles includes a wonderful mix of ikats, stripes and florals.

Pops of pattern and texture inject colour and character into a room and can be added by using antique ceramics and paintings as well as rugs, as in Penny Morrison’s inviting hallway.