When it comes to mixing color and pattern in our homes, a lot of us get hung up on how it will flow from room to room. How much is too much? What will and what won’t work together? Can rooms look totally different or should they follow some kind of color theme? I love this Chapel Hill, NC, home designed by Andrew J. Howard because it throws all of those rules out the window and yet, color seamlessly flows from room to room. Keep reading for some of my favorite “details to notice”. . .
- I love the mix of red, blue and green in this room. Notice how the shades vary from pinky-reds to rust, from chartreuse to Kelly green, from indigo to peacock blue. Nothing is too matchy-matchy and it all works.
- The natural wood elements help to ground all of the color and pattern, where a painted coffee table, for example, would feel like too much.
- He took an unused corner and added more seating. A great little spot that might otherwise be overlooked when considering furniture layout.
- Multiple botanical prints (both artwork and fabric) can work in the same space.
- Notice how he also mixed window treatment styles using the same fabric.
- There’s just enough touches of green in the living room to effortlessly connect it to the patterned dining room walls.
- He also repeats different shades of blue in this adjoining space.
- The wallpaper is the star. No artwork or busy rug needed.
- A small antique desk or console makes for a pretty bar or server. (And I love the tassel for a special touch.)
- Painting out everything in this cozy den the same rich color instantly makes a moody statement.
- Notice the accessories are simple but the saturation of color keeps it from feeling bare.
- A good reminder that it’s okay to position seating in front of a fireplace that’s rarely used.
- He’s a master at mixing shades. While I might have gotten hung up on trying to find a velvet blue chair that matched the walls exactly, it all works together here. Another reminder to think “big picture” when pulling a space together.
And, a quick look at few more ways he used wall color throughout the same house. . .
See the rest of this charming home here. And, find more “details to notice” posts here.
What a gorgeous job! So many lessons to be learned from this house. Next time I go walking around trying to match the exact color of the flower in my pillow I’ll remember this! Stop with the matchy-matchy!
Hi Emily,
I noticed that the colors used seemed to have the same amount of saturation. Is that the best way of putting different colors/ patterns together?
Or can you get the same curated effect by using different saturations?
Wow! Such a gorgeous home! I love all the color and pattern! Do you happen to have details on the green dining room wallpaper, by chance? Thank you for sharing this stunning home!
Wonderful post, Emily. As the pictures progress to the more intense and dramatic walls colors, I’m reminded so much of designer Sheila Bridges’ Harlem home. The rooms are fascinating – one can easily sit for hours, taking in the big pic then zooming in to study every detail then zooming out again for one more big look before moving on to the next pic. I found Sheila Bridges when Laurel Bern of Laurel Bern Interiors (who always has tons of fascinating photos in every post) showed a photo with walls in my absolutely favorite yellow green. I wanted to see more of the room and clicked on the photo reference for Sheila Bridges, thinking she was the photographer. Of course she was; it was her wonderful home she was shooting. I’m new to your blogs but I’m loving them, and I do spend a lot of time studying each room in a post and indulging my penchant for outside-the-box thinking.
Gorgeous. I like seeing homes that use color. My instinct is beige and subdued, but my house is collected and not designed, so I have much more color than I would have planned for. These houses give me ideas and encouragement.
This might be one of my favorites. For a while I quieted things down quite a bit in our home trying to reduce visual clutter. And while I like the paired down look I am missing some color. I still have my beloved blue and white but this makes me want to pair some of it with some more color again.
This feels so brave to me, yet it is absolutely beautiful! A lotto take in and learn from.