Picking Patterns

Just as the season for painting inside may be ending, so is the one for hanging wallpapers.  Science can tell us a lot about which patterns are best on walls and what researchers have learned about seeing patterns on walls is also applicable when they’re in upholstery and also on rugs.

Investigators have determined that:

• Colour combinations that feature different shades of the same hue (for example, several different shades of blue or several types of greens) or colours that have about the same level of saturation seem like more harmonious, pleasing combos. Apparent harmony also increases when all colours involved are lighter as opposed to darker and when colours combined vary only in lightness.
• As the scale of a pattern increases, fewer people are apt to like it.
• Smaller patterns on walls will likely increase the apparent size of a space, particularly when compared to the effects created by using larger scale patterns.
• Seeing curving lines relaxes us while straight ones bring thoughts of efficiency to mind.That means the patterns you use on the sofa in the family room should be filled with curls, or at least have relatively more curving elements than straight ones while any options you select for your laundry (because who does like doing laundry anyway?) should be heavy on straighter ones.
• Patterns that seem balanced and to have a certain rhythm about them (as long as that rhythm is not so repetitive that they seem boring) are more positively received than those that aren’t balanced or that lack rhythm.
• We also prefer symmetry, whether it’s reflective (seems to arise from a single fold) or rotational (arrayed around a central point, like the spokes on a wagon wheel). Seeing symmetrical things (patterns or shapes in those patterns, for example) also improves our mood.
• Moderate visual complexity is preferred in patterns just as it is in design generally, as discussed in this article.  Some examples: the Japanese flag has low visual complexity, the US flag high visual complexity and the Canadian flag hits the sweet spot of moderate visual complexity.  Things seen in front of a more complex background seem smaller than those seen in front of one with lower visual complexity, which can be handy if you’re trying to reduce the impression made by an unsightly but immovable object.
• Descending diagonal lines (those that are higher on the left and lower on the right) are associated with relaxation so they are better for a place where you want to decompress than ascending diagonal lines.
• Fractals are very special sorts of patterns (they repeat elements in key ways) and they have very particular effects on how we think and behave.For more on fractals (as well as illustrations of what they are) read this article: https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/report/biophilia-fractals-toolkit/  As detailed on the linked to website: “Fractal patterns are an intricate ubiquitous machinery behind nature’s order, allowing for many of its complex processes to occur. In nature, complexity and irregularity is actually governed by underlying pattern and order. . . . The unique trademark of nature to make complexity comprehensible is underpinned by fractal patterns, which apply to virtually any domain of life; to the design of built environment, fractal patterns may present opportunities to positively impact human perception, health, cognitive performance, emotions and stress. Yet, designing with fractals can also come with implementation challenges. This paper provides a high-level conceptual framework for thinking about designing with fractals, and for promoting restorative and satisfactory environments, with a focus on the indoor environmental quality.”
• Seeing biophilic patterns can relax and refresh us.Examples:  wood grain or simple-ish line art of gently curving plant leaves and stems.
• Beware of putting patterns on floors that may create the optical illusion of differences in topography that are not actually present (i.e., some sections of flooring that seem higher or lower than others, although they are not).