Female Focus
Page 39
Home & Garden
Your personality will have the largest impact on your choice of furnishings, leading you toward delicate antiques or in contrast, large plump sofas. But also to be considered in your choice of style are your daily routines and the practical requirements of your furnishings.
Pattern. Pattern can add detail and individuality to your chosen style and is best introduced through the use of fabrics and finishes. Pattern is often given a wide berth as many are afraid to use it, but the key to success is understanding what you like, and then learning how to mix your chosen patterns together.
Which patterns are you naturally drawn to? Checks Stripes Plaids
Polka dots Paisleys Flowers
Scenic prints Geometrics Plain colours
Whichever patterns grab your attention when you are looking around, these are likely to bring a smile to your face if you use them in your home.
Using Pattern Successfully. Using pattern successfully is all about creating a sense of relationship. For example if you chose checks as your favourite pattern, this can be reproduced by establishing groups of square objects, such as cushions, around the room. If flowered patterns
were your choice, then adding fresh flowers or scenic art prints will enhance the connection between flowered upholstery and the nature that inspired it.
To mix patterns successfully ensure there is a strong colour link throughout, and make it clear where one pattern begins and the other ends, otherwise you risk the result looking like a muddled mess.
Texture. Introducing different textures will help create depth and feeling in your style. Texture plays a basic dual role in an interior; firstly it toys with light to create a wide variety of surface effects, secondly it brings a satisfying range of tactile sensations on contact. Think of snuggling up against plush velvet cushions, or wiggling your toes in a sheepskin rug on a cold Spanish morning.
Consider the textures below and think about your emotional response to them.
Soft / Smooth Hard / Shiny
Rough / Scratchy Plush / Cushiony
Silky / Slippery
Are there some textures you would definitely want to bring into your environment, and others you would want to keep out? Consider these when choosing flooring, fabrics and furniture.
Next month we will explore the use of colour in your home, learn not to be afraid of it and where best to use which colour, and after that we’ll look at pulling all you have learnt so far into a successful personal style.
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