Go Mad for Motifs

How daring of an interior decorator are you? Do you play it safe with a neutral palette and classic furnishings? Or are your rooms a paint box of color and mixed up furniture? Either way, let’s take a look at some ideas for using patterns and prints throughout your home. If you are already daring, hopefully this will give you some different ideas. If you are a bit cautious, maybe you’ll be inspired to spice things up a bit!

Prints shine when placed within neutral contexts. This doesn’t mean everything needs to be white, but you most likely don’t want a riot of colors and patterns going on. If you are decorating your first apartment, this is great because you are starting with a clean slate. Since motifs can work in any room you don’t have to make any major decisions if you fall in love with two contrasting patterns. Sticking to a complementary color palette will ensure no major décor faux pas are made.

Motifs are great because nearly every taste can find something to love. You can go for huge flowers in bold colors or petite florals in pastels. Geometric shapes can range from stars to circles. Patterns like plaid, checked, etc. also work well on a number of fabrics. Any number of small restful prints exist, and don’t forget about color. The same print will look quite different in crimson compared to soft blue.

Kitchen

This is one of the best rooms to get whimsical in. It can be as basic as gingham for your kitchen towels or curtains. Reupholstering your kitchen chairs with a bright floral pattern is another great idea.

Bathroom

Here’s another room you can go a little wild in. How about a shower curtain with huge stars? Maybe colorful stripped towels? Or if you’d prefer your bathroom to be a bit more serene, go for a mini floral print.

Bedroom

Because your bedroom should be a place for relaxation, you may want to keep it toned down. Checks are a great bedspread pattern and come in every color you can imagine. Curtains are a good choice for adding a motif, perhaps flowers or geometric swirls?

Living Room

Animal prints top all the ‘must have’ design lists of this year, so if you’ve been itching to go wild, the living room is a great place to do it. A tiger-striped side chair or zebra print pillows really add an element of interest to a room, attracting the eye to something fun. If your room is big enough, curtains with a large flower print can look great, practically doubling as art. A striped couch with checked pillows in a matching color scheme is simple and classic.

Pillows in fact are the best way to add pizzazz to your living room or bedroom. Here you can go a little bit crazy, tossing out a couple leopard prints with some flowers and stripes.

If any of your rooms need a rug, this is a great way to be daring. Choose something in your color scheme with a repeating pattern, graphic or one big motif (flower, shape, etc). Stripes are a great rug pattern. Art is another place to insert some shape, from graphic to floral to geometrical – be brash if you dare.

You can go bold and quirky or subtly sublime. Experiment a bit and come up with a positively patterned décor.