At home, these patterns are predicted to be big in 2022

Since the past couple of years have taken on a “same ole, same ole” redundancy on many levels, some of us feel the need to give our personal spaces a little kick. Nothing accomplishes that better than a good pattern.

Whether it’s on the wall, floor, or just simple accessories placed throughout, a splash of patterns can refresh your home and bring about a renewed sense of excitement and joy.

While chevron is front and center as a leader in 2022 interior design trends, we spoke to a few designers about other popular patterns they’re seeing for the upcoming year.

From fruity stripes to playful checkerboards, earthy motifs to tiny flower power, today’s hot patterns take tradition and kick it up a notch.

Stripes

Not the simple linear repeat bands we’ve gravitated to in the past, today’s geometric classics have been recolored in fruity mixes, according to Lucy Penfield, owner of Minneapolis-based Lucy Interior Design.

Penfield explains, “Inspired by fashion (think Bengal stripes on button downs), [stripes today are] a pairing of unusual tonal colors like watermelon and fruit punch or kiwi and mint. It’s like the sweet and tang in the Candy Stripe.”

This update is perfect for a cheerful sunroom. “Instead of nautical, go all in like you’re in the tropics or a Dorothy Draper-inspired salon,” she says.

• Get the Annie Selke Bright Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rug at Dash & Albert for $248
• Get the Loloi Multicolored Yarn Ribbed Square Throw Pillow at Bed Bath & Beyond for $53.99
• Get the Daydream Stripe Wallpaper at Spoonflower from $69

Checkerboard

For graphic lovers, the black-and-white checkerboard favorites return in 2022, from small patterns on accessories all the way up to large black-and-white entry tiles.

Audrey Scheck, of Audrey Scheck Design in Austin, Texas, says, “The checkerboard print is definitely making a comeback.”

This squared pattern of alternating lights and darks (typically black and white) is a show-stopper when used in a bathroom or kitchen to make the floor the focal point.

Scheck’s unique tip: When installing checkerboard flooring, the tiles can be placed on an angle to feel more like diamonds, if traditional checkerboard is too bold.

She also incorporates checkerboard patterns in a whimsical way with small decorative accents in the kitchen or the living room—think canisters, an acrylic serving tray, or a picture frame, or a simple throw pillows.

“This allows for the playful, retro vibe of the pattern without it being too overbearing,” Scheck explains.

Choosing a checkerboard pattern doesn’t have to be as easy as black and white.

“A neutral checkerboard using ivory and taupe or pale pink is also a subtle way to incorporate this pattern,” she adds.

• Get the Torino Checker Black/White Table Lamp at Perigold
• Get the Mackenzie-Childs Courtly Check Kitchen Organizer Collection
• Get the Checkerboard Bath Mat at Urban Outfitters for $39
• Get the Gullo Cotton Armchair at Wayfair for $217.99
• Get the Krista Marie Young Oven Mitt at West Elm for $85

Nature-inspired prints

Motifs using earthy color palettes or elements such as water, trees, and mushrooms are popping up for sexy living rooms and dim hotel-like powder rooms, according to NYC-based interior designer Lisa Galano. Yes, this is where the wild things are.

Galano explains, “Earthy patterns usually evoke a sensual and warm energy.”

Choose an even color palette to bring warmth to all spaces. There’s really no wrong way to use these prints, with Galano pointing to everything from wallcoverings, fabric, or art to bring the outside inside.

But, nature isn’t always the obvious flora and fauna around us. Sometimes you have to look up—way up. Think celestial.

Penfield notes that Pantone’s color of 2022 is a mystical, grounding, and spiritual shade. “Turn to nature-inspired patterns that align with the Veri Peri in us,” she says.

She suggests incorporating small celestial patterns throughout the space in stars or moons to create a vibe in wallcoverings for creative or craft rooms, a powder room, or spa-like master baths. “Try wallpapering around the tub,” she says.

• Get the Leily Cloud Mushroom Shelf at Etsy from $47
• Get the Star Wallpaper by Clare V at West Elm from $74
• Get the Bohemian Moon Phase Mirror Set at Etsy for $71.99

Vintage florals

In the 1920s, Liberty London department store began producing its own miniature floral, paisley, and abstract fabrics that became known as “Liberty Prints.” According to Galano, these small-scale iconic prints are having a big comeback.

Galano says, “Seen as accent pillows and small upholstery items, these can be mixed as a solid if used within a similar color palette. [They] give a particularly playful energy, especially in children’s rooms as well as family rooms or places of high activity.”

If you want to go big, there’s room for that as well. Penfield says, “Some patterns we see are a nod to vintage florals, but they’ve been remixed and restored. There’s a play on scale—some are small-scale fabric prints and others, through the use of digital printing, are big, beautiful botanicals.”

Vintage florals are also seeing a resurgence with a retro 1970s remix of florals on velvet.

Penfield says, “Memorable punchy florals that are recolored aren’t going by the wayside, but standing proud inspired by a vintage remix.”

To embrace this trend, she suggests refreshing an upholstered piece to pair a modern shape with a vintage floral or take an heirloom piece and redress it in a remixed floral.

She’s encouraging. “Be dashing, daring, and pairing.”

• Get the Jean Paul Gaultier Tourbillon Cushion at Roche Bobois for $135
• Get the Nathalie Lete Les Fleurs Wallpaper at Anthropologie for $148
• Get the Liberty of London Liberty Print Art Poster at Etsy from $15.68
• Get the Holli Zollinger Liberty Natural Blackout Curtain Panel at Overstock from $71.99