How To Visually Modify Room Appearance With Pattern

Hey everyone, I don’t know about you but I am developing a fascination with patterns! Who wouldn’t after seeing all those amazing Islamic mosaics I blogged about in the exciting art of islamic mosaics? Today, I am just going to give you some tips on how you can use pattern to alter room dimensions.

A Pattern is a decorative deign that can be applied to objects and surfaces. It can be seen as carvings on furniture or woven into textiles such as upholstery and rugs.

Here are the facts,

1. Patterns come in a variety of designs such as geometric, floral, Jacquards, Damask, and paisley to name a few.
2. Patterns come in three different sizes; large, medium and small
3. Objects appear larger and heavier when covered with a large pattern.  If you compare the white sofa with the floral pattern {?} covered arm chair {on the right}, then you will see that the white sofa appears lighter. I am ignoring the  green armchairs{ on the left} because other factors affect their visual weight {such as color, scale as well as pattern}.Sensational Color
4. Large patterns advance.  See how the large pattern on this kitchen wall makes it appear closer than it actually is. Houzz.com
5. Small pattern appear as texture when seen from a distance. Below is an example of a small pattern on the ceiling.

Jaima Brown Home

Here is how you can apply these facts to visually modify room appearance,

1. To make a small room seem larger, use a small scale pattern as the dominant pattern.Houzz.com
2. To make a large room feel cozy, use a large scale pattern as the dominant pattern.House Beautiful
3. To make a ceiling seem higher, use vertical pattern on the walls or fill in a ceiling tray with pattern. Houzz.com
4. To make a ceiling seem lower, stencil a pattern or add a wallpaper with a  pattern on the ceiling.House Beautiful

The key to a successful room design is visual balance which can be achieved by reducing visual conflict between patterns around the room {Keep in mind that we are only talking about patterns now}. So, if you have a small room, you can still add a large pattern without affecting that room’s size. You can either use that large pattern on several small objects Or you can use it on one large object and change the scale of the other patterns around the room.  That is what mixing patterns with confidence is all about. Below is an example of an area rug with a large pattern. Notice how it pops out against a solid backdrop and how there is virtually no conflict between it and the other patterns in the room.

My fascination with patterns continue. In my next post, I will discuss another Islamic pattern that I think you will find amazing……Arabesque.