Power of Pattern Part 2: Starting Small & Finding your Comfort Level

Pattern can be an enriching part of a home, adding movement, energy, softness or structure in a way that plain surfaces often can’t. But we each have our own preferences and tolerances for pattern. What feels uplifting for one person can feel overwhelming for another.

If you sense that something is missing in a room, that it feels a little flat or somehow ‘off,’ it may be because there’s no visual rhythm or anchor for the eye to land on. Pattern can often be the missing dimension. If you’re curious about introducing it into your home in a way that feels comfortable and natural, read on.

This is Part 2 of my Power of Pattern series. In Part 1, we explored the psychology behind pattern – why certain motifs calm us, why others energise or unsettle us, and how our brains respond emotionally before we’re consciously aware of it. Now that we understand why pattern affects us, we can begin to explore how to introduce it into our homes in a way that feels natural, personal and reassuring.

Pattern doesn’t need bravery. It needs understanding, and confidence begins with small, intentional steps.

Now That You Know the Why… Let’s Explore the How

This part of the series is all about learning to trust your instincts. If Part 1 helped you understand why pattern feels the way it does, Part 2 is about tuning into those instincts and using them to guide your early decisions. Rather than leaping into expanses of large-scale pattern straight away, we’ll start small, build confidence gently, and allow your personal preferences to surface at a comfortable pace.

How to Recognise the Patterns You’re Instinctively Drawn To

Trust me – everyone likes pattern. If you have a knee-jerk reaction to the suggestion of bringing pattern into your room it’s possible you are thinking of something busy, over-powering, possibly dated.  So let’s start with understanding your personal pattern preferences.

As noted in Part 1, psychology and environmental design research, including in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, (Bower, Tucker & Enticott, 2019) shows that familiarity strongly shapes comfort.

Have a look at photos from childhood summers, from favourite holiday spots or ‘happy places’ closer to home, and flick through a magazine on a subject that interests you – nature, boats, cooking, travel etc. When you feel drawn to a particular image, study it – what about it feels specifically appealing, and what patterns, structure, order, or lack of, do you see? Let’s take an example – the picture below of a Ferrari.

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale – image courtesy of Alexandre Prevot, wikimedia

If your eye lingers on the fluid sweep of its silhouette or the sculpted rear curves, you’re likely drawn to softer, organic shapes and patterns. If, instead, you’re immediately pulled toward the sharp headlight slits or geometric air intakes, you may prefer cleaner lines and structured, graphic motifs. A focus on the radial stars of the wheels suggests a deep appreciation for rotational symmetry and mathematical order. It’s a simple way of noticing whether you naturally gravitate toward fluidity or precision – an instinct that often translates directly into the types of patterns you feel most at ease living with.

Now move onto pattern samples – you can do this online, browsing through wallpaper and fabric offerings on sites like Jane Clayton or Wallpaper Direct.

As you scroll through, notice your first, almost subconscious reactions. Do you lean in or pull back? Do your shoulders soften or tighten? Does your eye rest comfortably, or keep scanning for clarity?

These micro-responses often reveal more than rational analysis.

Then ask:

• Which patterns feel familiar or comforting?
• Which evoke curiosity or excitement?
• Which remind you of a place, memory or season in your life?

This gentle audit allows you to identify patterns that align with your emotional history – whether that’s the reliability of stripes, the calm of botanicals, the structure of geometrics, or the nostalgia of classic prints.

Let Colour Lead and Pattern Support

Once you know your pattern instincts, the next layer is understanding how pattern interacts with colour.

If your room already has a colour palette, pattern should work with it and complement it. Think of pattern as a way to:

• deepen a palette
• introduce movement
• soften contrast
• or bring a sense of coherence through repeated tones.

Some helpful approaches:

• Neutral rooms: Pattern introduces warmth, depth and personality through texture or subtle design.
• Colourful rooms: Choose patterns that repeat one of your main hues to maintain harmony.
• When unsure: Pick a pattern where the background tone matches your wall colour or largest upholstery piece.

This keeps things calm, intentional and grounded.

Before choosing which patterns to bring in, it also helps to ask how you want to feel in the room, and what the space is primarily used for. A bedroom designed for rest and recovery will benefit from gentler, more organic patterns with low contrast and softer movement. A living room where family gathers, talks, and plays may benefit from more energy – patterns with clearer rhythm, stronger structure or a touch of boldness can feel appropriate and uplifting. How you want the space to support you emotionally should guide whether the pattern you choose needs to soothe, inspire, or enliven.

From the front this accent chair has a simple charcoal buttoned effect. The back however tells a bolder story with the opulent Kruger cotton satin in vibrant lime green. Soho Accent chair by Limelace.co.uk

Gentle Ways to Introduce Pattern Into Your Home

By now you hopefully have some ideas of the type and colour of pattern you think will work in your room. These have been great first steps.  Time for the next one: start with small, low-risk patterned elements in your room that allow you to experiment and build your confidence.

Lampshades

A wonderfully safe place to begin. A patterned shade adds personality without dominating the room.

Cushions

Perfect for experimenting with scale and motif. Try one hero pattern paired with a quieter companion.

Tile decals or stickers

For kitchen or bathroom splash backs, self-adhesive tile stickers applied to your existing plain tiles allows you to see how pattern interacts with the other surfaces and finishes in these rooms. Well applied and good quality decals can last many years in a kitchen, so these aren’t necessarily a temporary fix ahead of expensive re-tiling.

Decorative Vases & Ceramics

Ideal for geometry or bolder motifs – a patterned vase on a sideboard or mantel gives the eye a point of interest.

Small Upholstered Pieces

A footstool, end of bed bench, or removable seat pad covers for a wooden armchair cushion let you explore textile pattern in a more substantial way, but still with flexibility. With a staple gun you can easily recover an existing footstool or bench with an inexpensive remnant of fabric – and just as easily remove it if it doesn’t make you smile.

Rugs

A bigger statement but still inexpensive and movable. Rugs are excellent for understanding how pattern scale impacts the perceived volume of a room.

Whichever of these you employ, note your reaction to them as you enter the room, or when you’re seated in a favourite spot and glance over. See how they feel during different times of the day, when perhaps that room is used for different purposes. Are you feeling a shot of joy, or a pang of apprehension. If it’s the latter, give it a few more days, or move the item around. And if it doesn’t feel right, try swapping it with a different pattern, a different scale, something with painterly brush strokes rather than sharp lines, or a different colourway.

In this calm dining area, Pooky’s Wobster rechargeable lamp, with Studio Killian-Dawson shade packs a small but joyful punch.

Why Small Steps Matter

These smaller pieces let you explore pattern at your own pace – noticing your emotional responses, adjusting scale, testing colours and building confidence as you go. They’re far less risky than patterned curtains, wallpaper or a patterned sofa, which carry more visual weight and a stronger presence.

For some people, these smaller touches are enough. For others, they spark a desire to go further, to let pattern become a defining feature of the room. If that’s you, we’ll delve into how to layer and scale pattern beautifully in Part 3 of this series.

A few gentle tips as you experiment:

• Consider inherent woven or other textile patterns such as herringbone or moiré.
• Bold textures such as bouclé or marble veining can scratch a pattern itch.
• Start with subtle contrasts before exploring bolder combinations.
• Trust your emotional signals.

Final Thoughts

Pattern doesn’t need to be dramatic to be meaningful. Begin with pieces that feel safe, notice what resonates, and let your confidence unfold naturally. Many beautiful schemes are complete with just these small patterned elements layered against plain walls, simple flooring and block-colour upholstery.

In Part 3 of this series, we’ll explore how to layer and scale pattern – from quiet weaves to expressive motifs – to create depth, harmony and interest.