Pattern Mixing with Wallpaper

With fall around the corner, it feels like the perfect time to refresh your interior spaces. While commercial interiors are harder to update seasonally or jump onto microtrends, residential interiors offer more flexibility. If you’re thinking about changing up your space, consider a trend we’re hearing about a lot: pattern mixing. We think this trend is a fun way to easily refresh a room by incorporating a new splash of pattern into your existing space. And peel-and-stick wallpaper is an easy and affordable tool to do that.

But first, what exactly is pattern mixing?

Pattern mixing
Not every room has to be perfectly matched in every way. Combining patterns helps to create a visually exciting room, while still feeling cohesive. In an article in Decorilla, they say the “key is maintaining balance with a consistent color scheme, allowing stripes, florals, and geometrics to coexist beautifully. Consider using a large-scale pattern as the main focus and smaller patterns as accents to create harmony.”

One material that makes this easy to do is wallpaper. Wallpaper is back in a big way and digital printing is a big reason why. Advances in digital printing have made it possible to print images with unlimited colors. This means there can be texture, gradients, and no limit on repeat size. Additionally, peel-and-stick wallpaper has made it easier to apply and easier to remove. This makes wallpaper much more accessible to everyone, even those on a small budget.

Want to give wallpaper a try but are not sure where to start?

Here are a few ideas to think about as you use wallpaper in your décor to add pattern, texture, or just a sense of fun.

Try wallpaper as a mural.
While we love repeating patterns here at Design Pool, we also enjoy the fun of a striking mural. Whether it is an original piece of art, or a landscape pattern used at a large scale, a mural can make a statement in a children’s playroom, an entryway, or a bedroom.  Wallpaper can also be a place to showcase original artwork. 

Add pattern for a maximalist vibe.
The maximalism aesthetic can be a challenging needle to thread. The best examples of maximalism layer color, pattern, and texture in a way that feels rich and lush. When it doesn’t work, it feels chaotic or cluttered. With wallpaper, you can add a splash of pattern and color to a room in a small amount.

Economical way to play with a microtrend.
For interior décor enthusiasts (especially those on TikTok and Instagram), it’s tempting (though unrealistic) to jump on every microtrend getting attention. Wallpaper, however, makes it easy to jump on a fun trend in a way that is economical and not wasteful. It is also a low risk way to test design concepts in your space without a full commitment.

If you’re looking for the perfect pattern to print on wallpaper, we invite you to search through the Design Pool pattern library. Whether you’re looking for something whimsical, like birds, or something more coastal, we have just the thing. It’s easy to license any of our patterns to print on whatever material you’re using in your next project.