Florals – wrong and right

One thing that I love about patterns is how awesome they can look when they’re done right.  Like this chair:

Terai Folding Chair in Floral Stripe from Anthropologie

Or this loveseat:

Floral couch via Bliss

Or this awesome shirt:

A Splash of Color floral top from Ruche

The trick to doing florals right is twofold: color/pattern and scale.  First, you have to balance color and pattern.  If the pattern is busy, keep the colors to a minimum and within a color scheme (like with the shirt).  But if the pattern is more open or simple, feel free to use more and higher contrast colors (like in the loveseat and the couch).

Second, take note of the scale.  The small flowers that look so cute on the shirt would look busy and confusing if used all over a couch.  Likewise, the giant blooms of the chair may overwhelm a small pillow (not that oversized patterns aren’t awesome, but if you use them in a small area, limit the colors to one or two).

I’m still working on doing some updates to the blog, but I’m at the point where I can start to post more regularly, hooray!

Tomorrow I’ll show the inspiration board I’m working on for my sister’s baby shower – it’s going to be awesome!!!