Mix and match - Decorating - blending prints in interior design - Brief Article

Sunset, April, 2002 by Ann Bertelsen

How do you successfully blend solids, stripes, prints, and plaids in the same room? Interior designer Janice Stone Thomas demonstrates in this remodeled house. To create a vivid environment inspired by the home's lakeside setting, Thomas developed a palette of Caribbean blues, sunshine yellows, and coral pinks. The key colors repeat on cabinets and accent pillows.

TIPS

* Think of the room as a large canvas. To help you visualize your composition, develop a color board of fabric swatches and surface materials, such as door samples and tiles.

* Select the dominant color and subordinates to anchor the palette.

* Choose a multicolored print and pull in different colors and textures to complement it. Play around with the various colors and patterns, including plaids and stripes that repeat some of the colors in the print.

* Maintain the same scale and proportion throughout the room to achieve a comfortable repetition of color and design. The blue pillow in the niche, for example, picks up the blues in the rug and cabinet, harmonizing the color in the room.

DESIGN: Janice Stone Thomas, StoneWood Design, Sacramento (916/454-1506)