The Power of Pattern

Book excerpt: Featuring interiors by today’s top designers, The Power of Pattern shows how wallpaper and fabric designs can be used to elevate and personalize every room. Both a beautiful interiors book and a resource guide, it features a diversity of interiors and styles, showcasing the patterns themselves in full-page splendor. Best-selling interiors author Susanna Salk turns her focus to patterns, celebrating their versatility and creative possibilities, from a dash of colorful pattern in the entryway to the whimsy of a uniquely upholstered chair in the dining room or a luxuriously textured bedroom curtain. A practical primer on the many motifs available—“Nature”, “Animal”, “Floral”, “Ikat”, “Chinoiserie”, “Stripes”, and “Toile” are some of the chapters—this volume presents myriad versions of each, with inspiring examples of how to decorate with them. Salk also provides tips on how to use pattern in a particular space—for example, stripes create the illusion of a bigger room, and floral patterns look modern and bold (not fussy) when used on a big scale in bright colors. Presenting rooms by design stars such as Alessandra Branca, Miles Redd, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Mary McDonald, among others, The Power of Pattern teaches how to mix and match to make a house look effortlessly decorated. And Salk’s encouraging design tips give inspirational ideas and practical tips, opening up a world of decorating creativity.