Decorating with colour and pattern
My approach to creating joyful, layered interiors
If you’re drawn to interiors with layers of pattern and colours like me, welcome! I believe there’s room for layering elements in both contemporary and classic homes and it’s one of the best ways to truly express your personality at home. These interiors are chic, yet unpretentious. A winning combination for a welcoming home.
My passion for textiles and colour started early — sewing outfits for my Barbie dolls on a miniature sewing machine at age 8. As a teenager, my mum taught me to make my own clothes, and my favourite Saturday ritual became fabric shopping. When we built our first home with four kids under seven, my love for textiles grew and my passion for interior design and styling flourished. I immersed myself in fabric collections, decorating with bold Designers Guild prints, and found ‘my happy place’ by experimenting with how textiles and colour can transform a space.
My lifelong obsession with textiles is at the heart of my interior design work today. I love mixing colour and pattern to create layered, personal spaces. While the result may feel effortless, balancing colours, prints, and textures takes skill and intuition to make a room ‘sing’ and it’s what interior designers do so well. Read on to discover my approach to decorating with colour and pattern — creating a space that tells your story and brings joy to your home.
Inspiration is a great place to start
Inspiration for me often comes from a favourite fabric, an artwork, or the natural surroundings. This artwork by local Brisbane artist Sarah Daly from our High Hopes Project inspired the selection of fabrics and set the tone for this home overlooking the treetops at Indooroopilly. Before designing, I spend time with my clients, getting to know them, how they live, and what they love.
High Hopes Project, Indooroopilly, Brisbane
My studio is always overflowing with fabrics and materials, and my favourite days are the ones spent playing with combinations to create the initial scheme for a client. It’s like piecing together a puzzle until everything just clicks — and the result is a home that feels personal, joyful, and authentic.
Some places interior designers find inspiration:
Magazines, books and online (Instagram, Pinterest etc.)
Travel is one of the best ways to be inspired. Take lots of pictures of the details you like. This could be while shopping, hotels, viewing traditional crafts- or anything!
Commercial spaces like restaurants, retail, hotels or galleries are wonderful places to seek inspiration.
Other areas of design such as fashion or textile design may spark ideas.
Art, photography and cinema will always be a source of inspiration for me.
Nature, the landscape and fauna can be a place to find colour combinations, texture inspiration and so much more. As an Interior Designer working in Brisbane, I’m lucky to live close to Minjerribah - Stradbroke Island where we spend every January and this is my favourite place to be inspired by nature.
Minjerribah -Stradbroke Island, Photographer Kara Rosenlund
How to layer fabrics
Combining textiles is like creating a work of art — there’s a method to the madness! It’s one of the greatest ways to build a layered interior design scheme as there are so many beautiful choices. I typically start with a bold feature print, then layer in smaller patterns, like a delicate floral or a timeless stripe, to add depth and balance. The feature print often sets the colour palette, but I love to introduce a fabric or print that doesn’t match perfectly — adding a touch of the unexpected.
This colourful bedroom scheme features my client’s favourite colours of lilac and lemon. The combination took her back to her childhood bedroom and made her feel nostalgic and happy. I chose Christopher Farr’s Peony fabric as the hero print, layering it with bold and narrow stripes, small florals, intricate embroidery, and rich textures to create a space filled with personality and warmth. Creating bedroom colour schemes is one of my favourite parts of the job as there are so many opportunities to layer fabrics, wallpapers and linen. A material board such as this helps to see the cuttings textile samples all in one place and to easily add and remove things to achieve the ”ah-ha!” moment when everything feels perfect.
Embrace Colour with Confidence
For our Palette Play project, we turned this all-white, architect-designed home in Paddington, Brisbane, into a joyful, happy space for a young family by introducing colour on the walls and vibrant artwork. In this guest room, soft mint green walls create a calming backdrop for the striking hot pink artwork chosen by my client.
Don’t default to whites or neutrals out of fear — playing it safe can make a room feel flat. Colour and wallpaper bring energy and character. When choosing colours, I lean toward muted, crisp tones like soft greens, blues, or a cheerful pop of yellow, steering clear of overly bold shades. Repeating key colours throughout a home creates harmony, while wallpaper adds texture and fun. A bold print in a powder room or small print wallpaper in a bedroom can elevate the space beautifully.
Palette Play project, Paddington, Brisbane. Photographer, Francoise Baudet
When in Doubt Add Pink (or Red)
There’s something about pink that can bring a scheme to life. An interior design colour palette often omits pink and red, and I think this is a lost opportunity! If a room feels too "perfect," adding a touch of pink injects energy and surprise. Red works in the same way — as a pop of colour that breaks things up and adds vibrancy. In our Penthouse on Park bedroom project, adding pops of red in the cushion fringing and picture frames elevated the space, giving it that extra spark.
Penthouse on Park project, Sherwood, Brisbane. Photographer John Downs.
Texture turns everything to life
Texture is essential for creating a rich, layered space. It’s not just about how things look — it’s also about how they feel. The bedroom in this apartment I designed in Melbourne combines velvet cushions, grasscloth wallpaper, brass lights, a wool bed cover, soft linen curtains and a resin artwork creating a rich and luxurious feeling.
Southbank Apartment Project, Melbourne. Photographer: Tess Kelly Photography
Layer, Layer, Layer
When you fall in love with an interior in a magazine, take a second look — the magic is in the layers. During a recent design trip to California, I stayed at Hotel 850 SVB in West Hollywood, designed by well-known British designer Rita Konig. This room, designed in Rita’s signature style, features a mix of textures, colours, and patterns, with mismatched furniture, interesting side tables, a bright yellow modernist-style coffee table, and fresh lime green walls. The result was a cosy, welcoming space that felt more like a countryside home than a 5-star hotel. It’s the perfect excuse to book a holiday!
Hotel 850 SVB, West Hollywood, California designed by Rita Konig
You Need To Love It
When designing a room, I often present two carefully curated schemes, allowing my clients to connect with the one that truly speaks to them. This collaborative approach ensures they feel involved in the process and can choose a design that resonates with their personal style. After the installation of a recent project, my client said, 'You’ve captured everything I wished for’.
Get in touch if you would like to engage me to help you create a thoughtfully designed home filled with colour, pattern & personality.
