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Pattern Play: Zigzag Jazzes Up a Kids' Room
Cartoon character overload? A geometric pattern takes your little one's room straight back to chic
Jennifer Bishop, met her passion for all things design at a young age. She was constantly inspired by color and pattern and loved how a beautifully designed space could have such an emotional effect on a person. There was no question she would choose Interior Design for her career. Jennifer went on to attend San Francisco State University and received her Bachelor’s in Interior Design.
Jennifer Bishop Design was launched in 2003. It was founded on the principal that a home must function as well as be beautiful. A hands-on approach is taken with each project to insure every project is completed with precision. With a bespoke design style, talent and experience, projects run smooth and become a place, in the end, that a client feels right at home.
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Jennifer Bishop, met her passion for all things design at a young age.... More »
We are doing things a little different on Pattern Play today. In past ideabooks, readers have expressed desire in seeing the patterns actually implemented in a room. I love the idea, so let's use this children's room as our example.
For children's rooms, I like to use patterns that are fun and exciting but may not necessarily be typical kid fabric patterns. This way, the room can last them for years to come even if their favorite characters change every month.
More Pattern Plays: Modern Masculine | Traditional Modern
For children's rooms, I like to use patterns that are fun and exciting but may not necessarily be typical kid fabric patterns. This way, the room can last them for years to come even if their favorite characters change every month.
More Pattern Plays: Modern Masculine | Traditional Modern
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| Here's how I used my rules of thumb to come up with this pattern palette. 1. Pick a starting print. For my starting point I used this small zigzag pattern. I liked that the scale was smaller than the very popluar two-color zigzag we're seeing a lot of right now. 2. Build the color palette. The zigzag gave me a very easy way to build the color pattern for the room. I was able to pull black, apple green, raspberry and purple all from this pattern. The other patterns I used in the room, like the bird and the medallion patterns, do not have the exact same tones as those in my zigzag, but that's OK. Even the wall paint was not the exact same tone of raspberry. Colors need to coordinate, but they do not have be exact. Actually using lighter and darker variations of a color can give the room some interest and keep it from feeling too matchy. 3. Vary the style. Since I started with a zigzag, which is geometric, I wanted to add a floral and a more curved pattern for contrast. The paisley lent softness. The bird-with-leaves pattern and the suzani are modernized florals. 4. Vary the size of the pattern. The zigzag is small, the paisley duvet and circle accent pillow are medium, and the bird and suzani are large scale. Varying the size of patterns not only gives the room interest but is actually out of necessity. If all the patterns were the same scale, your eye would be in a tizzy not knowing which one to focus on. I also love to add trims sometimes on pillows and drapes. On the zigzag I applied a faux leather fringe, and on the bird I added a black pleated trim. I loved how this made the pillow pop out from the wall. |
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Here you can see all the patterns used in one place. With this room, I played not only with patterns but also with texture, adding a knitted accent pillow, a green quilted coverlet and a small sheepskin rug.
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I love that this pattern brought in a color the zigzag didn't have. The yellow here gave me a way to incorporate it in other parts of the room.
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Suzani prints are great alternatives to traditional floral patterns. They generally bring in a mix of colors just like florals, helping build your color palette. They also can read both masculine and feminine.
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This lighter-weight fabric would definitely not work well in upholstery or any other hardworking use, but in a pillow and bed skirt it does just fine.
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The curvy lines of this paisley print contrast very well against the zigzag.
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Knits can add great texture to a room, and initials or monograms are a great way to convey a personal touch.
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The pattern on the quilted coverlet adds a subtle texture, and I like that it slightly mimics the leaf pattern on the bird print.
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This pattern is no longer available, but IKEA carries a new version from the same designer. At the time, it was also available in drapery panels, which I could have used if the room didn't already have shutters.
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A soft landing for little ones to snuggle up on.
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| And there we have it! Many patterns mixed with scale, style and color taken into account. More Pattern Plays: Modern Masculine | Traditional Modern More: On Trend: Painterly Florals |
Comments
Gracious Style What a beautiful room! The colors are lively and relaxing at the same time.
15 months ago · Like
Jennifer Bishop Design Thank you so much. Kind words are always very much appreciated!
15 months ago · Like
thejeziks Thanks for the instruction on patterns! I really learned something and I appreciate the fact that your sources are accessible ones for the everyday shopper.
15 months ago · Like
tbwalbridge this is fabulous
15 months ago · Like
jkearns Terrific site, thank you. would you have ideas for hall way and stair well that highlight natural woodwork that is dark? The house is victorian and has wainscotting and a beautiful balestrade on the stair case - not going to paint the woodwork - but would love to get away from beige and brighten the area up! any help or direction of where to look would be greatly appreciated. On all the sites I've viewed, the wood work is painted! Jane K
15 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on Feb. 21, 2012.
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