Matching the Pattern – Horizontally or Vertically?

See that funny jut-out near the top of the photo? That is the underside of a stair, cutting into the sloped ceiling of this powder room.

As I hung wallpaper around this room, at first I thought I would match the pattern of this 10″ high stair-area to the pattern on its left.

But then I realized that the vertical (striped) element of this design was pretty noticeable. And that it would look better if the stripes below the stair area lined up with the stripes on the stair area.

This caused a slight pattern mis-match in the corner to the left. But I think it looks much better to have the vertical foliage elements line up, as well as to maintain the sequence of birds and leaves.

Also, instead of matching the bird motif to the bird under the stair, (which no one would see), I chose to line up the bird figures so they would be continguous as you viewed them from standing-height as you entered the room.

As for the slight pattern mis-match to the left … I took a part of a bird that matched the design, and appliquéd it over the corner. Now all you see is a bird, and no one notices that a few leaves don’t match up perfectly.

Wallpaper jargon, and too complicated, I know. Just look and note that the pattern continues vertically from floor to ceiling. This didn’t just “happen.” It all was planned out and engineered.

Tags: bird, engineered, mis-match, pattern, stair, wallpaper