Top designers offer tips on using bold prints and colours for rooms with unique standout style
Top designers offer a fresh take on making bold choices in your home – think contrasting prints and strong colours for incredibly joyous spaces
1 all in the detail
If you’re tempted to use pattern but wary of the commitment, remember to start small. One of my favourite uses of wallpaper recently has been in the back of a kitchen dresser where I used the Hegemone paper with its exuberant free-flowing blooms to connect the kitchen to the exterior view of the garden. Joa Studholme, colour curator, Farrow & Ball
2 anchor the scheme
It’s important to not think of rules but rather be guided by what you love. Mix up the scale and go for contrasts – mix checks with flowers, abstract tiny designs with stripes, and mix textures – linen with wool, flocked wallpaper with silk, satin with velvet. If you’re nervous, keep your palette tight to ‘anchor’ the mix – allowing one off beat accent colour and keep in mind that one colour should be a neutral. Tricia Guild, founder, Designers Guild
3 new nostalgia
Gingham has made a comeback; it’s casual yet playful and comes in a rainbow of hues. I love how it has moved away from its original place, traditionally on the table as tablecloth or napkins and now on more noble pieces like armchairs or headboards. Using patterns out of their ‘natural habitat’ is a good way to keep things fresh and modern. Emma Stevenson, founder, Emma Stevenson Interiors
4 spark joy
When I was a child, my grandmother told me she had chosen to cover her entrance room with a pineapple motif wallpaper as it was a symbol of welcome. This ignited a lifelong love of bold, playful interiors and how pattern can elevate our mood. Our clients love the patterns we create with wallpaper borders. Adelphi Paper Hangings is one of my favourites – you can use its designs on walls but also to outline doors, windows and architectural details. Rachel Chudley, founder, Rachel Chudley
5 surprise, surprise
Wallpaper in shelves is one of my go-to tricks. It’s a great way to use up remnants and it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect as nobody will notice. At the moment, I’m wild for chequerboard, I want chequerboard f loors, chequerboard pillows – and don’t even get me started on chequerboard mixed with stripes. Jonathan Adler, designer
6 stylishly bold
We love the modernist era, and the art deco period with its glamour and striking colours is a favourite. We’ve looked into designs that evoke that same charm and came up with Mazes tiles. The endless configuration options allow for a unique look that is more akin to a bespoke mural than standard tiling. Lee Thornley, founder, Bert & May
7 consistent colour
I love pattern layered on pattern. The trick is to use different scales – something large, medium and small with a common colour thread – even if it’s just a small note of the same colour carried through. Every single one of my wardrobes is wallpapered with a pattern. It creates a wonderful jewel box of sorts and has great emotional impact – so much better than boring white walls. Dara Caponigro, creative director, Schumacher
8 soft and sharp
The way to mix pattern successfully is to team geometric prints with organic shapes and patterns – used in this way it softens the sharp lines and adds balance. I love that mix – it suits all styles of houses. In my own home, I’ve combined it with the use of black and white with gold. The use of metallics makes everything pop! Greg Natale, founder, Greg Natale Design
9 let it flow
Patterns are exciting to use and can transform a scheme from the ordinary to the spectacular. When mixing prints, pair traditional patterns with more eclectic ones to keep a harmonious balance. Using colours within the same tonal family or palette can create an aesthetically pleasing environment, and makes it easier to blend simple and complex patterns together. Mix in solid colours to break up the shapes of your patterns and keep your patterns flowing throughout the space to have even distribution and symmetry. Eva Sonaike, creative director, Eva Sonaike
10 on high
We’ve found that taking patterned wallpaper over the ceiling can make a room appear taller, despite the thought that it will shrink a space. It can also work well on just the ceiling, almost like having a fresco, leaving the surrounding walls as block colours to allow for the print to breathe. Susi Bellamy, founder, Susi Bellamy