Favourite Five: Trend-setting Patterns

Feeling a little pattern-shy? From stripes to polka dots to paisley, choosing the perfect prints for your pad can make your head spin, but fear not: the experts appearing at the Calgary and Vancouver Home + Design Shows got graphic and gave us the down-low on their favourite patterns for Fall 2013.

1.  Geometric

Of all the geometric prints on the market, the chevron pattern wins the popularity contest hands down. With its classic V-shape, the chevron is a simple pattern with a big impact. From your home décor to your wardrobe, there is no place that chevron can’t go!

2.  Floral

Forget pastel prints from the 80s – the modern floral motif features vibrant blossoms and bold colours. Make a floral feature wall that pops and set a trendy yet tasteful precedent for your decorating style.

If you’re having trouble adding pattern to your space, look to Clare Gardner, sales and design consultant at Cardel Homes for a little advice. Channel Clare’s daring design style and combine floral, striped and geometric patterns in small, stylish doses.

Get more pattern pairing advice from Clare when she appears with Marie-Claire Williams on the Trail Appliances Main Stage at the Calgary Home + Design Show on Saturday Sept. 21 at 4pm and Sunday Sept. 22 at 1pm.

3.  Animal

From zebra to cheetah to tiger, the animal kingdom offers plenty of inspiration for chic interiors. Earn your style stripes with warm leopard and giraffe motifs. Pro tip: incorporate these patterns sparingly to avoid an unfortunate Jersey Shore-esque animal print overdose.

4.  Ikat

This centuries-old print features soft, irregularly shaped graphics perfectly suited to worldly, artistic spaces. Softer than geometrics and more subdued than animal prints, this pattern is the perfect complement to a wide range of design styles, from eclectic bohemian to mid-century modern.

5.  Plaids

Typically associated with a boy’s bedroom or professor’s study, modern plaid is breaking boundaries and proving itself a design staple beyond the norm. Try incorporating brightly coloured plaid by tossing cushions and throws into your den décor for a twist on the traditional.

Interior designer Aly Velji loves to mix up his pattern play with pops of texture.. Animal and ikat prints are best suited for textiles, but Aly also recommends using patterned wallpaper, perhaps in place of an art piece.

Aly will be dishing out more design tips on the Main Stage at both the Calgary and Vancouver Home + Design Shows.  Catch him in Calgary at 6pm on Friday Sept. 20, at 2pm on Saturday Sept. 21 and again at 12pm on Sunday Sept. 22. Vancouverites can see him on Friday Oct. 18 at 4pm and Sunday Oct. 20 at 12pm.

Now that you've got the pattern basics down pat, try putting your new skills to the test! Leave a comment below to tell us how it goes.

Before you get too wrapped up in a whirlwind of pattern, get your tickets online for Calgary and VancouverHome + Design Show today and save $3 on regular adult admission! 

    

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