The World of Patterns

 

In the world of patterns there are numerous combinations that come to mind. They can be geometric, striped, tribal, or boho just to name a few. You might opt for patterns over solid designs if you are looking to spruce up your interior design and home decor. Check out these different pattern styles to find designing inspiration for your home.

Geometric

A geometric pattern is formed of geometric shapes and is typically repeated like a wallpaper design. It includes shapes such as cubical, triangular, and circular where the pattern is typically symmetrical across the fabric surface. Some geometric designs include abstract objects and color schemes. In these patterns, the use of shapes are incorporated into a more structural elaborate design using color such as arcs, arrows, and semi-circles.

Stripes

A stripe pattern is a line or a band that differs in color, width, and or length to the adjacent pattern. Stripes are a cluster of lines used to create a uniform look for example the American flag. They can be used as a vertical pattern, horizontal, or diagonal.

Chevron

A chevron pattern is created by the use of a v-shaped stripe zig zag design that is repeated across the fabric. The v-shape can be either inverted or reverted depending on the print. They can be created by using different color schemes that are symmetrical in size and direction.

 

Paisley

A paisley pattern is an ornamental design using a teardrop-shaped motif with a curved upper end. The design can be simple only using two or three colors or more intricate using up to eight different colors to create the pattern. The colors are either very bright and neon or more dull in color. You can clearly distinguish this design from others and it has been used for decades dating all the way back to the 18th century.

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Damask

A damask pattern’s main difference compared to other designs is that it is reversible and is styled after the fabric. Damask patterns are not always made with damask fabric but they made to resemble them. They can be made with cotton, silk, wool, polyester, and linen. The pattern is created to blend into the background color for example a white curtain could have a pattern that includes white and black whereas the black is designed to include the white background.

Florals

These patterns are made after flowers and plant life. Floral patterns can range from tiny to large-scale, realistic to abstract, casual to formal, and colorful to monochromatic. Floral patterns are very common in home decor.

Ikat

In Ikat patterns, the fabric used to create the design is dyed prior to being woven. The pattern is Indonesian and is used as a highly decorative and intricate type of design. Because of the labor required to create ikat patterns they are usually more expensive than other patterns. They are usually dyed with yellows, browns, greens, blood red, and navy blue. Darker color tones are able to blend more fluidly as some brighter colors may run into each other confusing the pattern.

Herringbone

It is named after the skeleton formation of the Herring fish. This pattern is a distinctive V-shape pattern which looks like a broken zigzag. They are made using different sized rectangles and parallelograms to create a mosaic design using different colors. The Herringbone patterns use symmetry in size and colors. It is also known as the broken twill weave pattern.

 

Medallions

A medallion pattern is created by using circular patterns of the design in the shape of a disk, oval, diamond, hexagon, or other rotational figure, typically with a mirror symmetry. The most inward part of the design is repeated outwardly using different colors and shapes while maintaining the circular pattern. It sometimes resembles a kaleidoscope.

Hounds-tooth

A hounds-tooth pattern is created by using broken checks or four-pointed shapes that are interwoven together. They are normally duo-tone usually being black and white or other contrasting colors. The design has been around since the 1800's and is named after the bite-marks left behind by a dog. It is also referred to as shepherd’s check. This pattern is very bold and is recognized easily by its distinctive shape.

Gingham

A gingham pattern is a striped checked design using two tone contrasting colors similar to the way Houndstooth patterns are designed. The same pattern is repeated throughout the entire design.

Tribal

A tribal pattern is used by encompassing a variety of African based prints using different shapes and colors. The main color use is green, yellow, red, and green. It is said to be taken from indigenous cultures when a lot of colors were not available. The term tribal refers to designs that were used prior to modern civilization. The patterns are very abstract.

Boho

Similar to tribal patterns, boho designs originate from bohemian gypsy or hippie influences in culture. The colors used are usually more darker in tones like sand, brown, gray, dark green, violet, and but can be mixed with brighter tones to bring out objects and shapes.

Animal Prints

Animal patterns are used by copying the fur colors and patterns of animals in the wild such as zebras, leopards, tigers, cheetahs, and cows. These animals have a very distinct color patterns and shape patterns on their fur that stands out among other designs. Snakeskin patterns are also a type of animal print but are usually put into its own category as these patterns are more close in design only varying in size and shape.