Mixing patterns in home decor: Love it or hate it?

Today we're talking risks.

Skydiving.

Moving to a foreign country.

Opening up a cupcake store.

Ok, I'm not talking about those kinds of risks. Although, any of those sound pretty scary to me. But scary can be good sometimes, right?

I've been working on actually decorating the new place, and for the most part I've stuck with what I know. Colors, materials, patterns, or whatever that I've used and loved before. Of course whenever you move you take with you stuff that you used in your last place, and now you just have to figure out how to make it work in the new space. So stuff that used to be hanging in the old living room is now in the master bathroom, and the rug we used to love is now... being stored in the garage.

That's a bad example.

In planning the "design" for our living room, I decided on a gray, navy, brown, and white color scheme. It was fairly neutral and classic, masculine enough that my husband wouldn't feel like he lived in single woman's house, and it allowed me to use some pops of color if I ever felt like it. I had some really pretty navy and white chevron curtains custom made from a great seller on etsy, and during the four or five weeks of waiting for them to come in, I had to find a rug. I found one that made my heart go pitter patter on Rugs USA. If you're friends with me on facebook you might have seen a picture. It's called a trellis pattern, and I got it in charcoal and white.

So now I have curtains that I love, and a rug that I love, and they both have very bold, geometric patterns. The issue at hand is this:

Am I cool enough to mix patterns in my house?

Is it too busy...or is it fun and interesting?

Will my husband ever trust me with decorating the house again??



I have searched the interwebs for pictures of mixing patterns in home decor and tips on how to do it the right way. Here's some examples that made me feel braver:

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At the end of the day, I sort of love it, even though it makes me nervous and my mother for sure hates it. I think it makes the space so interesting. I plan on keeping pillows and art very simple, so I don't believe it will be too "busy".

We're having our furniture delivered today so as soon as I get the room together I'll share pics and you can give me your verdict! Just please...be nice.

So... What do you think? Mixed patterns: love them or hate them?