pattern

PATTERN ~ From the book More Is More Is More: Today’s Maximalist Interiors

In my former career as a textile designer, pattern was an omnipresent concern. Creating a design element and then engineering it to echo across the width and length of fabric was challenging yet very enjoyable work. And while stripes have always been a personal fascination, there’s a vast, ever-expanding trove of patterns for designers to utilize in maximalist rooms.

The patterns in use today have their origins in many cultures, with motifs originating from East to West. There are time-honored Persian paisleys, both traditional and contemporary interpretations; adaptations of ancient Roman herringbones in every color of the rainbow; ginghams, which are thought to be of Malaysian origin, from the Malay word genggang; tree-of-life designs born from Indian bedcovers and tent panels called palampores; and bountiful florals traced back to China and subsequently reinvented by Europeans.

As dizzying as the breadth of patterns that exist is, there is an equally vast number of ways in which interior designers can deploy them. A grand-scaled William Morris design from the mid-nineteenth-century founder of the Arts and Crafts movement might be papered around the perimeter of a library, creating a kinetic rhythm. An awning stripe fashioned into tasteful curtains hung from lacquered white rods can serve to impose order on the landscape just outside the window. And speaking of outside, an English floral chintz, covering a range of upholstery silhouettes, transports the visitor to the gardens of a historic Essex manor house in the languishing days of a British summer.

*Interior Design by Harry Heissmann ~ Photography by* Kris Tamburello

Then there’s the artful juxtaposition of patterns, giving maximalist designers an opportunity to mix and match to create a range of effects. A decadent salon sheathed in an electrifying mix can feel like a 1990s Christian Lacroix haute couture runway show, providing the backdrop for invigorating conversation. Alternately, a demure bedroom with patterns that reveal a graceful mix of motifs encourages a sense of serenity just before slumber. There’s always something that creates a connection—either overtly or in a nuanced way.

Repetition of color is one tried-and-true option for mixing patterns in successful maximalist rooms. For example, a chevron-patterned rug woven in brown and white would pair perfectly with a Moorish-motif wallpaper similarly inflected with brown and accented by powder blue and silver. Repeating motifs works just as well: a delicate Indian lotus print on a tablecloth trimmed with a deep bullion fringe would mix perfectly with a blossoming peony fabric on a collection of throw pillows. The mix could be further unified by a rose-covered Aubusson underfoot, resulting in a verdant botanical flair.

Utilizing geographical references is also an excellent way to link patterns. Think wallpaper populated with chinoiserie pagodas set against a bamboo trellis upholstered on a pair of club chairs, then paired with a stylized chrysanthemum-covered folding screen. To take this idea a step further, a designer might choose a variety of locales by combining a Francophile toile, a Portuguese azulejo, and a Florentine vine, tracing a path around Europe.

With the vast knowledge the designers in this book possess on the history of the decorative arts—coupled with their curiosity and intuition—it’s no surprise that the rooms in this chapter brim with the creative use of pattern. As they would likely all agree, using patterns successfully comes down to what appeals to us personally. To quote the legendary decorator Billy Baldwin, “Be faithful to your own taste, because nothing you really like is ever out of style.”

Pattern: **Shanghai in Cinnabar. Available through Schumacher**

SURFACES ~ From the book More Is More Is More: Today’s Maximalist Interiors

No book about maximalist interior design would be complete without mention of Tony Duquette, one of the genre’s most celebrated practitioners, who combined fantasy, theatricality, and audacity in equal measure. His aesthetic steeped in global references, Duquette conjured rooms that appear otherworldly, with every surface embellished in wonderfully imaginative ways: Styrofoam fruit crates attached to a ceiling and painted, trompe l’oeil malachite in rich verdant green sheathing the walls, and black-and-white checkerboard floors overlaid haphazardly with gloriously patterned rugs.

Like Duquette, contemporary interior designers know that the majority of rooms are created with a cube or rectangle as their framework. And these rooms have six surfaces: four walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Combined, those six planes create an envelope within which designers can realize endless maximalist ideas.

Because of the number of square feet involved, the four walls of a room provide designers with the biggest way to pack a maximalist punch—both by utilizing standard finishes like wallpaper and paint and by envisioning one-of-a-kind surfaces created by artisans. A good example is walls conceived with bold, graphic patterns or a mix of patterns, or walls that juxtapose a matte finish against lacquer, allowing the light to change as it moves from surface to surface. An adventurous designer might create walls that stand in stark contrast to a room’s furnishings—perhaps a stylized floral wallpaper set off by a clean-lined Parsons table. These are just a few ways to decorate vertical planes to enhance a maximalist space. You’ll find many more striking and unusual wall treatments in the pages of this chapter.

Interior Design by Ken Fulk. Photography by **Douglas Friedman / Trunk Archive**

The floor is the fifth surface in a room, and it has one intrinsic requirement: it must be durable. No matter the material or finish, the floor must withstand the punishment of daily traffic, children, and pets. The good news? Maximalist patterned floors, like a geometric carpet or an intricately tiled mosaic, hide a multitude of sins. In the case of the latter, stone often looks better as it ages; the same could be said for wood floors. Patinated surfaces imbue a room with a sense of history and grace.

Turning to the sixth surface in every room, the ceiling, the legendary twentieth-century decorator Albert Hadley once said, “Ceilings must always be considered. They are the most neglected surface in a room.” Contemporary maximalist designers would surely agree with Hadley. High-gloss lacquered or mirrored ceilings reflect light and add drama; wallpapered ceilings draw the eye up and can be everything from restful to kinetic. For the adventurous designer, the sky’s the limit—pun intended—when it comes to decorating the ceiling.

Finally, a note of caution: not every surface should be over the top. On the contrary, maximalist rooms benefit when they strike a balance, with some surfaces receding and others taking center stage. A juxtaposition of pattern, color, and texture, in the words of Diana Vreeland, allows the eye to travel.

More Is More Is More: Pattern

More Is More Is More: Surfaces