A couple of weeks ago I was asked to contribute to the John Lewis Blog, ‘The Edit’, by their Interiors Editor Jennifer Morgan (www.theformereditor.com), she needed some quotes about all things pattern.

Even though I’m not a maximalist and prefer my interiors to be quieter I still have very strong opinions about the best way to incorporate patterns into a scheme. If you would like to hear how I incorporate pattern into the scheme that i create I have expanded on many of the questions Jen asked me below but if you would like to check out the John Lewis blog, click here.

What are your top tips for combining patterns?

Vary the scale that you use, pair a large scale print with one medium and one small print. Its the difference in scale that will stop them competing with each other and create an interesting scheme.

I always like to make sure that there is a common colour that runs throughout the different patterns too, say a blue floral with a blue stripe. This gives unity to the scheme and is a bit more restful on the eye than lots of clashing prints.

Any no-no's?

Mixing colours and prints that don't have the same colour intensity, so i wouldn't pair something with a black background and bold jewel colours with something that has a white background with a pastel colour design. You need to make sure all the hues work together otherwise it can be quite jarring

How do I balance a busy duvet cover?

By teaming with some bold cushions in a solid colour, one that is found in the print would help create a good scheme and balance out a busy duvet, but if you wanted to be really bold choose a colour that contrasts with the dominant print colour.

Should I use patterned on bed linen, walls and curtains? Any rules you always follow?

Tone on tone patterns can be quite an elegant and simpler way of layering patterns in a room, so lots of patterns and prints in a green as an example would be a way to incorporate a lot of pattern into a room without it being overwhelming.

Always break up patterns with solid pieces of colour, the eye needs a place to rest, it can be a little bit overwhelming if all it sees is layers of different prints.

If you do want to use lots of varying patterns in one space make sure they are distributed around the room rather than in one space.

How much pattern should be on my mood board? Should I always see a pattern in real life to get a sense of the scale?

Always try and get a sample to get an idea of the scale and also the colour as seeing something on screen and real life can be very different.

How much to have on your mood board depends if you're a maximalist or a not. I like to have about 30% of the mood board dedicated to a pattern to provide a bit of interest, this isn't a hard and fast rule that I use as i work by eye a lot of the time.

If you are struggling to combine patterns effectively in your own scheme then get in touch to see how I can help.