Greetings!
We're at about the halfway point of summer break. All of my kids are home, but they are at that place in any vacation where they are just about getting bored and almost ready to get back to the routine of school! But we've kept busy! A gift to ourselves when we first moved were Disneyland annual passes and we have made many visits to the Magic Kingdom - so fun!!
This week I was asked to give a presentation at a women's group. I love to do these! I thought I would share with you a couple of the audience questions and some of my responses as these are questions I am often asked!
Audience question:
Can I mix patterns & textures and are there any tips for doing this? Absolutely! In fact if you're building your decor from a neutral pallet, the mix of textures is a necessity!! Imagine a beige room, with tan furniture, light wood and cream drapery. In order to keep the space from becoming boring, a judicious use of textures is definitely in order.
 | | This picture is a great illustration of a room full of neutrals with LOTS of great shapes and textures. |
 | | I loved how MUCH texture is in the picture. Foyers & focal walls are great places to play and experiment as they have less space and less functionality than other areas of the home. Both of these to photos are from the HGTV website. |
Build your fabric story with three basic patterns, then fill in with solids and textures that coordinate: - Repeat - repetition pattern, stripe or graphic, depending on your style
- Random - A large scale pattern, sometime random or bold.
- Mini-Print - small, repetitious. Sometimes one color with texture
Can you mix frame styles in a wall grouping?
Yes! Frames can be mixed, but look for a thread of some of consistency. It can be the:
- theme
- frame color
- black and whites
- size/scale
 | | In this three, the continuity is the color. Different frames, painted to match. All these images were from the Etsy website. |
 | | And this works so well, as the images are all Hollywood Black and Whites, while the frames all different. (Of course, I thought this one was so cool with the lit background :)! |
Do you have ideas to mix throw pillows? - ahh throw pillows. gotta love em. My hubby's rule is if I bring home a new one, an old one must go. Ha! Even the worlds best husband won't win the pillow discussion.
Pillow Hints:
- Use them to move color around the room
- Use them to bring in added texture & pattern in your color scheme. Especially useful in a monochramtic scheme
- Use pillows and throws to 'smooth' out the rough edges.
 | | This is from the HGTV show Design Star last week. It was perfect time for this. This room is a prime example. Very angular. Pillows to soften edges, add an interesting dose of color AND note how she (the designer) moved the color around the room! Pillows can help you work out lots of decorating challenges! |
Finally, the question came up of using color to create a mood in a room. As I told the ladies...THAT is a whole conversation on it's own. See you next time!! (That by the way, was a tease for the next edition...already in the works. )
Pamela Sandall Design |
