yellow polk-a-dot bikini...

We are drawn to pattern.  It is interesting, it keeps our eyes moving, it is stimulating and we immediately attach emotion with it when we see it.  When you look at a color, this also happens, but pattern is more stimulating.  When you see a bold print, you love it, you hate it, it reminds you of something or someone you love/hate.  It is geometric, graphic, soft, hard, structured or loose; patterns create an expresive sensation for our eyes and overall experience of space.  Think about classic patterns like plaid, chevron, herringbone, these all give off a certain feelings or create an emotional connection.   My grandfather wore a herringbone jacket and I can smell the wool and feel the texture to this day.  Paisley, graphic prints, animal prints, or more modern designs create a completely different stimulation.  Pattern is one of the oldest forms of design.  Our world is based on pattern.  Original cave paintings used pattern and repetition to tell stories and to lock history into images.  Charbagh, the Persian garden formation is replicated in most cultures for design and pattern layout. We love the motion and rhythm that pattern creates.  Why do we love wood?  It is a pattern we have seen forever and we believe it, it's real, a real nature created pattern that is beautiful.  We love tile and the movement and dimension that contrasted patterns create.  Pattern can be scary when using it in a design sense, in your home or elsewhere.  Just pick the patterns that speak to you, and that you know you can't live without.

GO BOLD!

photots: remodelista.com, donghia.com, cheekychic