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Patterns, Patterns, Patterns! Can You Stand the Latest, Loudest Home Trend?

Move over, minimalism: The latest home decor trend is the polar opposite of simplicity. Say hello to patterns—as loud, brash, and busy as the eye can stand!

At least, that’s the word spreading in the wake of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2017, the world’s largest furniture and design festival, where over 2,000 exhibitors in Milan recently presented the most cutting-edge trends. And stripes, flowers, checks, and out-and-out psychedelia were everywhere this year.

Why? Some chalk it up to the ’70s aesthetic being all the rage; others say it’s a backlash against the minimalist, neutral “Scandi-bland” trend that’s dominated for the past few years.

As for the origins of these wild patterns, many were fused from various sources of inspiration. London designer Adam Nathaniel Furman, for instance, created the furniture below using Asian-inspired patterns with a Technicolor twist.

Meanwhile, Dolce & Gabbana teamed up with home appliance company Smeg to create hand-painted toasters, mixers, and other small kitchen appliances.

Some of the patterns are hard to look at—yet hard to look away from, too. Check out British designer Kit Miles‘ signature plant and flower rug below.

And lest one pattern isn’t enough, British fashion and design company Eley Kishimoto and Kirkby Design teamed up on a mix-and-match approach, with a whole slew of black-and-white patterns overlapping one another.

In a way, it makes sense: After minimalism’s long reign, designers and consumers were begging for more visual interest.

“You’ll often see the design world go from one extreme to the other,” says interior designer Larina Kase. “We get tired of one look and crave something very different. People don’t want to have their homes or businesses look like everyone else’s. This trend will help you stand out.”

Some designers say these particular patterns are a reflection of the digital age.

Kase also notes that these interior design trends are clearly a sign of the times.

“The patterns and colors we’re seeing now appear to be influenced by technology,” she adds. “They have a computer graphics feel, and look high-tech and contemporary.”

But unless you have a thing for carnival-inspired decor, we’re guessing you’re not chomping at the bit to buy a Technicolor cupboard for your kitchen anytime soon. We don’t blame you. Instead, here are some realistic ways you can incorporate patterned decor into your home.

Make art from fabric

Kase recommends making a grid of four different but coordinated patterns by stretching patterned fabric over stretcher bars (used for painting canvases). Hang the fabric art as a group. (Bonus: They’re easy to take down later.)

Go to the window

Window treatments are a great place for pattern.

“If doing entire drapes in the pattern is too much, use the pattern for a trim detail or a color-blocked bottom of the drape,” says Kase.

Start small, but not too small

Yes, you can add a patterned throw pillow to your sofa. But to show your true creativity, go for a headboard in a patterned fabric, bold patterned floor tiles in a small foyer, or an upholstered set of chairs to pair with your leather sofa.

“It doesn’t have to be the biggest element of a room, but you’ll get far more wow factor if you show some level of commitment to the pattern,” says designer Danielle DeDoe Harper.

Don’t shy away from mixing patterns

“The trick is to unify the room with one color family so as to trick the eye into not being overwhelmed by pattern,” says textile designer Carolyn Rebuffel, of Workroom C.

So if you have a couple of patterns that you’d love to include in the same room, make sure they’re close to the same color. Some of our designers’ favorite pattern combos? Kase loves mixing a small-scale geometric print with a larger Asian ikat or Persian suzani print. She also recommends an animal print with a simple geometric.

“Striped wallpaper is begging for floral upholstered chairs to go with it,” says Harper. “It’s like the peanut butter and jelly of pattern mixing.”

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