A Designer's Step-by-Step Masterclass on Mixing Colour & Pattern
See how a designer combined bold colour and pattern in this family home – and pick up insider tricks in the process
Georgia Madden
22 October 2021
The three rooms – a main bedroom and two bathrooms – that interior designer Elizabeth Flekser redesigned in this family home in Toowoomba, Queensland, provide a masterclass in colour and pattern. Here, she reveals how she pieced them together, along with some practical tips you can apply to your own decorating project.
Images by Hannah Puechmarin
Answers by Elizabeth Flekser, interior designer and principal at Ivy + Piper
Who lives here: A family of five including three young boys
Suburb: Toowoomba, Queensland
Rooms worked on: Main bedroom, family bathroom and powder room
Design: Ivy + Piper
Joinery: Focus on Kitchens
Budget: Around $150,000
Where it went: On construction works and cabinetry
Scenario: This is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home built in the late 1990s.
Answers by Elizabeth Flekser, interior designer and principal at Ivy + Piper
Who lives here: A family of five including three young boys
Suburb: Toowoomba, Queensland
Rooms worked on: Main bedroom, family bathroom and powder room
Design: Ivy + Piper
Joinery: Focus on Kitchens
Budget: Around $150,000
Where it went: On construction works and cabinetry
Scenario: This is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home built in the late 1990s.
The scope of works
To redesign and renovate the three-way bathroom into a family friendly zone, to redesign and reconfigure the powder room, and to redecorate the main bedroom.
The client’s must-haves
To redesign and renovate the three-way bathroom into a family friendly zone, to redesign and reconfigure the powder room, and to redecorate the main bedroom.
The client’s must-haves
- Playfulness in the powder room.
- Functional cabinetry with integrated laundry hampers and a double shower in the family bathroom.
- To make the bedroom a serene retreat.
Antique settee: upholstered in Diane Bergeron Lexington fabric in Raspberry
Brief for the main bedroom
The client wanted to capitalise on the spaciousness of the main bedroom to create a retreat-style zone including a seating area to read and relax. The scheme also needed to connect with the beautiful natural outlook in this secluded property.
As a shared bedroom, getting a balance between masculine and feminine was important. The owners love antiques and art but wanted to use them in a fresh way and within a scheme that was restful, while being layered and interesting.
Brief for the main bedroom
The client wanted to capitalise on the spaciousness of the main bedroom to create a retreat-style zone including a seating area to read and relax. The scheme also needed to connect with the beautiful natural outlook in this secluded property.
As a shared bedroom, getting a balance between masculine and feminine was important. The owners love antiques and art but wanted to use them in a fresh way and within a scheme that was restful, while being layered and interesting.
Colour and materials palette
We chose a soothing palette with plenty of neutrals, including pops of more intense colour. The mint-and-white scheme is a great backdrop for brighter colours such as bold pink, which we used in a targeted way. Antiques with touches of brass or marble add authenticity and a sense of enduring style.
Starting point
The starting point was the bedhead fabric (a similar stye is GP & J Baker’s California linen). It’s a gutsy floral on linen that didn’t feel overly feminine, and that balanced the pretty mint tones in the scheme.
Original pieces retained
The demilune table, antique bookcase, leather wing chair and leather ottoman were all pieces from other areas of the home that we repurposed here.
We gave the owners’ antique settee a new lease on life by recovering it in a bold trellis-print fabric (Diane Bergeron Lexington fabric).
We chose a soothing palette with plenty of neutrals, including pops of more intense colour. The mint-and-white scheme is a great backdrop for brighter colours such as bold pink, which we used in a targeted way. Antiques with touches of brass or marble add authenticity and a sense of enduring style.
Starting point
The starting point was the bedhead fabric (a similar stye is GP & J Baker’s California linen). It’s a gutsy floral on linen that didn’t feel overly feminine, and that balanced the pretty mint tones in the scheme.
Original pieces retained
The demilune table, antique bookcase, leather wing chair and leather ottoman were all pieces from other areas of the home that we repurposed here.
We gave the owners’ antique settee a new lease on life by recovering it in a bold trellis-print fabric (Diane Bergeron Lexington fabric).
Orange spot sofa: fabric and sofa custom-designed by Ivy + Piper; curtains: Thibaut Songyue Embroidery
Connected spaces
Creating a sense of flow between the bedroom and bathrooms was important, so we considered everything holistically.
For example, the bathrooms are not physically connected to the main bedroom, however we established visual continuity between them by using nature as a continuous theme with floral and botanical prints, by using the same soft colour palettes, and by using timber and antiques throughout.
Connected spaces
Creating a sense of flow between the bedroom and bathrooms was important, so we considered everything holistically.
For example, the bathrooms are not physically connected to the main bedroom, however we established visual continuity between them by using nature as a continuous theme with floral and botanical prints, by using the same soft colour palettes, and by using timber and antiques throughout.
Flekser’s Secrets to Mixing Patterns
- Take a risk: Many people think that when you mix patterns you have to stick to the same colour palette, but this can end up looking contrived. Contrast can be very effective; try adding something unexpected to the colour mix – for example introducing a touch of black to ground a bright scheme, or combining a botanical or floral print with a geometric print.
- Pick your hero pattern first: Decide where it will be applied – usually the largest piece in the room, such as the walls, sofa or bedhead.
- Mix it up: Contrast organic patterns with structured geometrics, and over-scale patterns with plain textiles or ones with small patterns. Treating pattern this way means that different colours are able to sit next to each other with ease.
- If the scheme feels too busy: Consider applying one of the patterns in a more restrained way – for example, use it on the top or bottom third of a curtain heading, or add an eclectic mix of patterned cushions on a plain upholstered armchair or settee.
- View it first: Before you commit, be sure to look at your textile swatches together in a flatlay to get a preview of how they will work together. Chances are if you like the arrangement in a concentrated grouping, then it will sing when you use it in a larger space.
Wallpaper: Gaston y Daniela Amazonia wallpaper; subway wall tiles: Toowoomba National Tiles; antique mirror; wall light: Anna Charlesworth
Brief for the powder room
To create a vibrant and fun experience for guests and family, while making the space functional.
Colour and materials palette
We used classic white subway tiles on the walls, and added a sense of fun and quirkiness by placing hand-painted black-and-white spotted tiles in random spots across the walls.
Starting point
An impactful wallpaper featuring oversize quinces, foliage and little butterflies.
Fixtures and fittings
An off-the-shelf, wall-hung vanity made the powder room feel more spacious. We then hung an antique mirror and a hand-forged and plastered feature wall light to give the little room depth and personality.
Brief for the powder room
To create a vibrant and fun experience for guests and family, while making the space functional.
Colour and materials palette
We used classic white subway tiles on the walls, and added a sense of fun and quirkiness by placing hand-painted black-and-white spotted tiles in random spots across the walls.
Starting point
An impactful wallpaper featuring oversize quinces, foliage and little butterflies.
Fixtures and fittings
An off-the-shelf, wall-hung vanity made the powder room feel more spacious. We then hung an antique mirror and a hand-forged and plastered feature wall light to give the little room depth and personality.
Adding a half-wall of tiles like we did here is a great way to break up a busy pattern such as this one, and it helps protect the paper from water splashes.
When choosing a bold wallpaper, consider the subject matter and theme of the pattern or print, taking into consideration the period or character of the home, its setting (city, country, coastal), and the decor and colours in the surrounding rooms.
When choosing a bold wallpaper, consider the subject matter and theme of the pattern or print, taking into consideration the period or character of the home, its setting (city, country, coastal), and the decor and colours in the surrounding rooms.
Brief for the main bathroom
To create a dual-purpose bathroom with a timeless feel for family and guests. Being a busy spot in the mornings when the boys are getting ready for school, the space also needed to feel calm.
Starting point
First, we needed to address the layout to ensure we achieved a dual-purpose zone for family and guests. By reconfiguring the floor plan, we were able to separate the bathroom and powder room, and position them adjacent to the boys’ bedroom wing. This then left the powder room as a private facility accessible to both the boys and guests.
Browse more images of beautiful Australian bathrooms on Houzz
To create a dual-purpose bathroom with a timeless feel for family and guests. Being a busy spot in the mornings when the boys are getting ready for school, the space also needed to feel calm.
Starting point
First, we needed to address the layout to ensure we achieved a dual-purpose zone for family and guests. By reconfiguring the floor plan, we were able to separate the bathroom and powder room, and position them adjacent to the boys’ bedroom wing. This then left the powder room as a private facility accessible to both the boys and guests.
Browse more images of beautiful Australian bathrooms on Houzz
Wall sconce: Motivo; Timber-look floor tiles and marble-look floor tiles: Concept Tiles Toowoomba; Kado tapware: Reece; mirrors: Ivy + Piper
Colour and materials palette
Lashings of white provide lightness, while soft tones of mint and blue bring a soothing touch of colour.
We used a combination of porcelain marble-look tiles on the walls, a timber-look chevron tile on the floors, and a classic penny-round tile in the shower to create a sense of depth and interest.
We painted the walls above the trim tile in a soft, calming mint tone that ties in with the colour in the main bedroom for a sense of cohesion. Classic two-pack polyurethane cabinetry created the timeless look the client wanted.
Colour and materials palette
Lashings of white provide lightness, while soft tones of mint and blue bring a soothing touch of colour.
We used a combination of porcelain marble-look tiles on the walls, a timber-look chevron tile on the floors, and a classic penny-round tile in the shower to create a sense of depth and interest.
We painted the walls above the trim tile in a soft, calming mint tone that ties in with the colour in the main bedroom for a sense of cohesion. Classic two-pack polyurethane cabinetry created the timeless look the client wanted.
Your turn
Do you love a scheme with bold colour and pattern? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen for more on colour? Don’t miss this story – Feast Your Eyes: The 3 Hottest Colour Palettes for 2022
Do you love a scheme with bold colour and pattern? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Keen for more on colour? Don’t miss this story – Feast Your Eyes: The 3 Hottest Colour Palettes for 2022
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Love the green and the wallpaper
love the cushion fabric. any idea what it is. is it an embroidered ikat?
I would love to know the name of the mint paint colour that is used in the family bathroom.