10 Tips for Mixing Colors & Patterns

I dream of fabric.  And mixing patterns.  That's normal, right?  Captain Project happened to walk by as I was putting the finishing touches on this apron:

"That's a crazy combination of fabrics," he said.  Pfft!  I think it's awesome!

Some of my aprons are calm and soft in color and pattern, maybe a bit demure, but my heart really sings when I can effectively mix and match colors and prints!  Using my aprons as aids, these are my tips for mixing it up ~ room decor, clothing or sewing projects.

My color mixing tips:  To smartly mix color, keep the color wheel in mind:

Tip 1:  Colors next to each other always look great but so do colors that form 90 degree angles to each other, like the blue and red here:



Tip 2:  Colors opposite each other work well together too, like the red and green on this apron:



Tip 3:  Color combinations that form a "T", like yellow + green + blue, or blue + orange + violet-red, or yellow + violet + red-orange, etc. are lovely together:



Tip 4:  Four-color combinations that form an "X", like blue + orange + violet red + yellow can be very whimsical:



Here are my tips for pattern mixing...

Tip 1:  Polka dots, cherries and zebra stripes?  Colorful bubbles and racing checks?  Yes, they go together too, if you keep the scale of the patterns similar in size and frequency.



Tip 2:  Use a similar color palette.  For this apron, I used three different florals, all pastel shades of pink, blue and green





Tip 3:  Use neutral colors to ground your pattern mixture.  I began this apron with the whimsical drunken elephants on charcoal gray, and mixed in coordinating pink gingham + green and pink stripes + white polka dots on a lighter shade of gray:



Tip 4:  This combination of prints combines patterns of different sizes as well.  Mixing a dense print (elephants) with sparse prints (the gingham, stripes and polka dots), balances all the patterns ~ the elephants are the focal point and the smaller prints compliment the overall look.



Tip 5:  Using micro patterns, like this chocolate brown with white polka dots, as neutrals compliments bigger patterns.  Closeup, this apron is a complex collection of patterns and not a solid brown.



Tip 6:  Round/hard/soft rule:  Using graphic and linear patterns like stripes and polka dots with organic patterns like florals (and birds in this case) is a classic way to effectively mix patterns:



I'd love to hear from you ~ what are your favorite color and pattern mixing tips for taking dressing, designing and decorating from ho-hum to harmonious?

August is winding down and I'll draw a winner for Beth's book on the 31st.



Click here for entry details.