The Design Principles of Patterning   Page 91

Pattern has its own balance and scale, which needs to be coordinated with the other elements of your room. Patterns that are very different in scale to each other, or to your furniture, or to the architecture of your room can cause a visual imbalance, unless they share a common defining motif. For instance, a small plaid could work with a large one and a thin stripe with a thick one, so long as their colors and styles are consistent. It should look as if the same person could have drawn and colored them. You can also use a marginally larger pattern to enlarge a smaller-scaled piece. For instance, upholstering a loveseat in an oversized floral pattern could make it look larger than it really is. This is an advantage if you're trying to increase its scale in a large room, but inadvisable if you want to keep it looking small for a small room. Stripes are great expanders and contractors. You can use a horizontal stripe to make a piece seem wider and squatter, an advantage in a wide, low room. Using a vertical stripe can make it seem narrower but taller, an advantage in a narrow, high-ceilinged room.