How One Designer Layers Prints and Textures to Lush Effect
There’s never too much of a good thing.
Updated Oct 12, 2018 9:51 AM
In partnership with
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
In the quest for design that looks richly layered, it’s becoming more common to experiment with pattern and texture. But with an abundance of color and print comes great responsibility. After all, a space that’s too bold can risk feeling overdone and juvenile. For interior designer Natalie Kraiem, subtlety and strategy are key to making the mix work.
“A room with great textures and patterns amuses the eye, and encourages you to look around and explore more,” she explains. The designer isn’t bothered by a monochromatic room, mind you, but it should incorporate a selection of fabrics and wallpaper to make it visually interesting.
When it was time to decorate the bedrooms for her two children—eight-year-old Andree and ten-year-old Eli—Kraiem pored over Fabricut’s extensive catalog of wallcoverings and fabrics to create rooms that are dressed to impress.
“Their fabrics are made all over the world with the best mills,” Kraiem says. “I love working with the company because I know they stand behind the quality of their wovens, wallpapers and trims.”
To create a “garden in the sky” theme for daughter Andree, Kraiem selected a soft palette of colors, patterns, and textures that complement each other—just like a planning a real flower plot. Highlights include sweet sisal wallpaper that extends to the ceiling, sheer linen Roman shades, and a bench covered in pink mohair.
Kraiem wanted Eli’s room to look streamlined and sophisticated, so she dialed up the design by experimenting with different textures. She created a “boy’s cave” effect by placing brown wool wallpaper on the walls and ceiling. A velvet grid-print bed frame, cotton throw pillows, and a bench draped in an embroidered stripe round out the look.
While each bedroom has a completely different look and feel, Kraiem used the same strategy with both spaces: “I tried to keep the selections to two or three different colors, but used many shades and lots of texture to make a statement,” she explains. Her secret? She tries to not limit herself. When it comes to subtle pattern for these kids’ rooms, her attitude is ‘bring it on!’
Read on Where to Buy Fabric: The Domino Guide 6 Foolproof Tips for Being a Pattern-Mixing Pro This Artist Took 100 Yards of Fabric to the Beach and Made a Sofa