Some people find mixing patterns to be a difficult task; but using color to tie the patterns together makes it easier to achieve.

Today's styles and trends include mixes of patterns for effect and interest, this has its roots in the fashion industry. This trend was started by the youth market and spread to high end fashion and then onto the home fashion industry.

To make this work for home interiors the key is using the same color combinations or at least a common color.

This is a simple combination of patterns, each using the same colors or coral, gray and cream to create interest.

This room used a mix of patterned flowers and stripes in the same colors of olive, cream and deep plum with the walls in cream, an upholstered stool in olive and a throw in deep plum, each coordinating with the patterns and making a warm and cozy setting.

Here is a perfect example of mixing patterns, large pink stripes that are repeated with an added green stripe pulled together with a sweet pink and its complement of green.

This textile used a variety of patterns in the same colorways, black, gold, terra cotta, red and brown for an attractive tribal motif.

You can see by these photos that color is the glue that makes the mixing of patterns possible without jarring differences and uncoordinated patterns and colors