How To Mix Patterns in Your Home

Combining prints brings excitement to a room—but how do you make it work? Set small patterns against large ones, limit your palette, and include one big solid (on sofa, floor, or wall) in the scene. Go ahead: Do try this at home.

Roland Bello

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Floral + Gingham + Trellis

Indulge in a gorgeous explosion of flowers, but temper it with orderly pillows: In single colors with plenty of open space, giant gingham and a refined trellis pattern hit a country note while offering relief from the botanicals. Unfussy white furniture (note the trellis base of the coffee table) makes an elaborate floral print feel cool and modern rather than dowdy. And it plays up the white background in the wallpaper, adding more air.

Cobble Hill Hampton sofa, $1,895, abchome.com. Fabric for yellow pillows: Hingham plaid, $200 a yard, quadrillefabrics.com for showrooms. Moroccan Tile pillow (turquoise trellis print, small), $90, zincdoor.com. Fence linen pillow (light blue trellis print, large), $356, cococozy.com. Fabric for floral pillows: Orangerie by Designers Guild, $242 a yard, Osborne & Little, 877-322-7420 for info. Egg Press Floral bolster pillows, $68 each, schoolhouseelectric.com. Lattice coffee table, $4,300, tuckerrobbins.com for info. Silhouette nightstand, $149, westelm.com. Haeger Potteries White Cottage lamp, $150, lampsplus.com. Valentina console, $1,495, and Mina Bottle Neck vases, $156 for two: bungalow5.com for info. Hubbard Flowers botanical prints by Natural Curiosities, $240 each, mgbwhome.com for stores. Orangerie wallpaper by Designers Guild, about $240 a roll, Osborne & Little, 877-322-7420 for info.