This Is How to Layer Color, Pattern, and Wallpaper Like a Pro

When an equestrian family purchased this 1886 painted lady Victorian in Saratoga Springs, NY, a horse-racing town, they wanted to design it in a style that’s an established winner: the patterned, colorful interiors often found in Great Britain. “In a lively town with rich history, we knew we could have fun and take some risks,” homeowner Kathryn Sharp says.

She and husband Justin Nicholson hired London designer Sarah Brown to assist. “We asked Sarah and her team to design a home with bold, inviting colors, with a very British mix of antiques and layered fabrics,” Kathryn says. The layering is key to the aesthetic, “to keep it from looking ‘designed.’” Brown says.

That homey feeling was lacking when they first got their hands on the place. “All the walls were pale gray—I mean there was no color in it at all,” Brown recalls. While colors in English homes can lean a bit muddy in undertone, here Brown went for happier hues that suit the summer season, with all paint colors from the historically-inspired British brand Farrow & Ball. 

1. Add an Unexpected Element

Brown’s signature style is the mix of patterns. “We steer away from being too matchy,” she says. “We try and bring in different types of patterns—a stripe, a small floral, a bigger floral, a plain. We almost tick off, ‘Have we covered the types of print that, when you put them all together, creates a really nice balance?’” But there are methods of creating cohesion. The addition of pinks and reds throughout the home is one way she created visual repetition.

The most personal design feature is also the most unexpected. Halfway through the project, Kathryn brought up a vision she’d been having of a wall mural. “She said: ‘I can’t get it out of my head. I want to have this mural, and I want it to have the kids and the dogs in it,’” Brown recalls. They customized a hand-painted American folk wallpaper tailored to her fever dream. “The landmarks are personal and important—the Saratoga bandstand, their kids walking hand in hand, and their two little puppies.” The look is a sentimental winner in any country.

"The mural is visible from nearly every room on the main level," Sharp says. "We love how it echoes the surrounding Adirondack mountains."

2. Pair a Ruffle, Fringe, and Piping

The painting above the pink sofa depicts the Saratoga Race Course, which has been open since 1863. Its riot of color provides connection for the palette and all of the patterns in the house. "We wanted a pink room somewhere on the ground floor," Brown says, and the drinks parlor was the perfect spot. Trims add an extra layer of visual flair. "With cushions, we try to do a ruffle, a fringe, and a piping so that you've got a nice mix," she says. The wall color is Farrow & Ball's Setting Plaster 231.

In the game room, the pink theme is continued with a vibrant lamp. Behind the patterned blue and cream curtains, a sheer layer provides privacy and light flow at once. 

3. Use Textured Wallpaper as a Neutral Backdrop

“The dining room was one of the trickiest rooms to get right,” Brown recalls. The homeowner originally wanted a green room, but that didn’t feel right once the wall mural went up. Sheathing the dining room’s walls in grasscloth helps cozy up the space, in an easy-to-live with neutral that “makes it feel a bit more cozy,” Brown says. “It's not fighting too much with all the colors in the room. It sort of sits back, but it still gives the room a bit of personality.” The Japanese botanicals hung together act as one piece of art, while speaking to the other hues in the room. The shirred ikat lampshades supply additional texture and another warm pattern against the grass-cloth walls. 

4. Use Patterns to Combine Design Styles

"The main bedroom and attached dressing room is my favorite space in the home," says Kathryn. "Those rooms together feel both Victorian and contemporary, and most importantly, exceptionally comfortable." The half tester canopy brings another layer of softness to the bed. Ditto the scallop-edge linens, which add a pretty detail to the room. 

Kathryn “dresses up for the races. It’s part of the fun,” Brown says. “She had loads of hats in boxes, and I said, ‘Why don’t we just put them all up?’” The wallpaper, Toile des Lapins by Nicholas Herbert, lends an aura of provenance. (Look closely and you’ll see bunny rabbits in the pattern.)

5. Use the Boldest Patterns in Small Spaces

Adjacent to the new entry, the powder bathroom was the perfect opportunity to indulge in one of the homeowner’s obsessions: British ceramicist and illustrator Polly Fern, who designed the wallpapers and is based out of a 17th century building in Suffolk. “She is a huge fan, so I knew we wanted to use one of Polly Fern’s wallpapers,” Brown says. “It’s had a great impact in there with the yellow paneling underneath.” The wainscoting is painted Farrow & Ball Sudbury Yellow 51.

Bathrooms are a good place to experiment with bold colors and patterns, because the small spaces can be easily closed off from the rest of the home. In another bathroom, a flouncy skirt around the pedestal sink, a Roman shade on the window, and fabric lampshades on the sconces bring soft touches to a bath with a lot of wood detailing.