Ethnic prints, oversized botanicals and coastal motifs are among the top patterns and motifs that span many home furnishings categories this season. HomeYet.com breaks down three looks:
• Ethnic-inspired patterns that celebrate exotic locales and handcrafted techniques are nearly as common as animal prints. In fact, they perform the same task in residential interiors as popular “skins” … these accents add depth and interest to otherwise neutral upholstery, walls and flooring. The most popular looks offer a veritable tour of global inspiration, including looks inspired by African kuba cloths (woven of raffia palm and featuring loose geometric patterns); suzani prints (from the Central Asia region and featuring vines, floral, leaves and sunbursts); and ikats (woven in a process called resist dyeing to create a “blurry” or tie-dye effect, and with Indonesian, Thai and pre-Columbian variations).
Designers have updated the colors used in ethnic prints, however, to make them more accessible for North American residences. In other words, the more subtle variations on these patterns blend in when they’re placed here and there in any room.
• Today’s floral patterns are big on looks, literally. Rather than petite bouquets on window treatments, area rugs, upholstery fabrics and other home textiles, floral blossoms are large in scale and few in repeat (the number of times the pattern is repeated on a product). Peonies, roses and other flowers with lush and delicate petals create a romantic mood, especially when done in pink, plum and rose hues. Meanwhile, two-dimensional blossoms presented on dark background colors create a graphic effect that fits contemporary or transitional interiors.
• If you can’t buy the beach house, bring the beach house to your home. Coastal-inspired decorating is no longer limited to seaside retreats along the coasts. The open, breezy and inviting look created by crisp whites, sea-inspired color combinations, cheerful stripes, woven materials and coral accents is favored by land-locked homeowners. Ahoy: The most successful executions of Coastal decorating requires more than tacit commitment. Consider Coastal only when you’re ready for a whole-room makeover. Master and/or guest bedrooms, the family room, or outdoor rooms are poised to go Coastal any time of year.
