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12 Prepped-Out Patterns
Dock the yacht and pass the plaid. These preppy pattern styles for the home will boost your social status in no time
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Playful preppy patterns have always been a personal favorite. In fact, I've met people at conferences who remember me years later as "Becky with the whale pants." If you like to rock some Vineyard Vines style on your clothes, chances are you'd enjoy preppy patterns around the house. Here's a look at a dozen prints that will never go out of prepster style.
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Plaid. Whether it's from a prep school uniform, a Scottish clan or the Burberry store, plaids will always be preppy. Here designer Tobi Fairley has added a playful plaid (and a monogram; more on that later) to this very tailored bedscape.
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Paisley. First introduced to the Western world by the East India Company, this British colonial import lends a preppy look that can go from crisp to wild, depending on the color palette.
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All things Lilly. If it has a Lilly Pulitzer label, it's automatically preppy, no matter the print. Did you know if you look hard, you can see "Lilly" hidden within any Lilly Pulitzer print?
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Herringbone. Most often seen on a prep's sportcoat, herringbone patterns have spread across floors, over furniture and up walls. It's a preppier pattern than its cousin chevron.
Houndstooth. This dynamic checked pattern jazzes up the preppy look. A small-scale pattern like this one is the preppiest kind of houndstooth, but it's interesting to have some fun with it by blowing it up.
See more houndstooth around the home
See more houndstooth around the home
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Trellises and lattices. These patterns remind preps of the outdoor armature that supports the climbing roses at the real or imagined family compound on Nantucket.
by Tamar Schechner
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Faded florals. Speaking of roses, they are a preppy British import when it comes to fabrics. Some of the preppiest floral fabrics come from the studios of Cath Kidston, Kathryn Ireland and Laura Ashley.
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Stripes. While there are many types of preppy stripes out there, this enlarged ticking stripe pattern in a nautical palette is the preppiest of them all.
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| Madras. "If there is one fabric that is quintessentially Preppy, it is madras," says The Preppy Handbook. True madras is vegetable dyed and comes from Madras, India. It's most often seen paired with khakis and loafers, but it also works with Ugly Dolls and Angry Birds. |
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| Gingham. This playful form of plaid is always as fresh and clean as Gilligan's Island's Mary Ann. See more gingham around the house |
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by RLH Studio
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| Polka dot. Some polka dots are more preppy than others. Those rendered in a medium green and cream, and paired with a gorgeous scalloped cream valance trimmed in green are extra preppy. This room looks like it came right off preppy design muse Dorothy Draper's drawing board. |
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Monograms. "Preppies have known it for years: Who needs LV or YSL when you can lay claim to a discreet EBW III?" states The Preppy Handbook.
Monograms aren't really a pattern, but they're a quintessential preppy stamp that goes on everything from canvas boat totes to leather wastebaskets.
See more monograms around the home
More:
So Your Style Is: Preppy
Old-School Prep and Modern Prep
Monograms aren't really a pattern, but they're a quintessential preppy stamp that goes on everything from canvas boat totes to leather wastebaskets.
See more monograms around the home
More:
So Your Style Is: Preppy
Old-School Prep and Modern Prep
Comments
lindseyakin you just covered my.absolute.favourite.style! Love it so much I'm spelling in my native English rather than my new American because it seems much more appropriate. I really need to find a plaid blanket for the bedroom, our house style can be best described as "preppy parkitecture".
13 months ago · Like
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Cathy Lara I'm going to get my hands on that Preppy Handbook (!).
13 months ago · Like
Anita Roll Murals Great article! Here's one more! 
13 months ago · Like
olldbobbi Love plaid! From my bathroom curtains to my summer shorts, it just makes me smile. And drives my hubby crazy.
13 months ago · Like
Becky Harris Cathy, the Preppy Handbook is hilarious through and through. She released another book about a year ago that was updated but not quite as good as the original.
13 months ago · Like
cembh In the South Preppy never went out.
12 months ago · Like
Tiffany Colvert Herringbone or Houndstooth for sure!!!
12 months ago · Like
ladyshoban Love your article.. Spot on! Takes me back to 50's, 60's, etc when I was "young" and to this day Scot's plaid rules even in our log home!
12 months ago · Like
bkdale I love the look. It's clean, cozy, inviting and not pretentious. A design/look that can be achieved with out much fuss. Hello Ralph Lauren.
12 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on April 19, 2012.
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