Mixing fabrics and wallpapers is one of the most effective ways to give a room personality, depth, and a curated designer feel. Yet many homeowners hesitate—worried patterns will clash, or bold choices will overwhelm. The truth is: once you understand a few guiding principles, pairing fabrics and wallpapers can feel effortless.
Whether you're refreshing a single room or designing an entire home, this guide will show you exactly how interior designers create harmonious, magazine-worthy combinations using textiles and wallcoverings—especially those from Quadrille Fabrics.
Every room needs a “hero” pattern—the one that sets the tone for everything else.
Often, designers choose a signature wallpaper or a standout fabric as the lead. This becomes your color anchor and style reference.
Select a pattern you genuinely love—you’ll build the room around it.
Large-scale motifs work beautifully as wallpaper or drapery.
Smaller-scale patterns often function best as upholstery or pillows.
Pro Tip: Quadrille’s iconic prints—like China Seas, Quadrille, and Alan Campbell—make perfect lead patterns because their colorways are consistent and pair well with other designs.
Once you’ve chosen your lead pattern, pull out its core colors to create a palette.
Identify one dominant color, one secondary color, and one accent tone.
Repeat these tones across upholstery, drapery, pillows, and wallpapers.
Keep undertones consistent (warm with warm, cool with cool).
Why it works: Repeating colors ties diverse patterns together so the room looks intentionally layered, not chaotic.
A room full of large prints can feel overwhelming, while too many tiny ones feel busy. The solution is balance.
1 large-scale pattern (e.g., wallpaper or drapery)
1 medium-scale pattern (e.g., accent chair or bedspread)
1 small-scale pattern (e.g., pillows or ottoman)
1 solid or textured fabric for grounding
This layered approach ensures visual interest without sensory overload.
Great combinations come from contrast.
A floral or organic wallpaper with geometric pillows
A geometric wallpaper with hand-printed block fabrics
A textured solid (linen, grasscloth) with a bold print
A classic stripe with a small repeating motif
Designers rarely use all florals or all geometrics—they create tension and harmony by blending styles.
Quadrille prints shine here because their collections include organic, geometric, and novelty motifs that complement one another.
Neutrals aren’t just beige—they include white, navy, charcoal, and soft earth tones.
Use them to:
Calm a busy pattern mix
Create contrast
Draw attention to your lead print
Examples:
A bold Quadrille wallpaper + neutral linen sofa
Patterned drapery + solid-color headboard
Busy upholstery + crisp white bedding
Neutrals keep the space balanced and breathable.
The secret to a designer look isn’t matching—it’s coordinating.
Echo a curve from a wallpaper in a different fabric pattern
Mirror geometric angles across pillows and upholstery
Use similar line weights or spacing between prints
This creates subtle unity without feeling “matchy-matchy.”
Texture is a designer’s cheat code—it makes every pattern pairing feel richer.
Linen
Woven grasscloth
Embroidery
Velvet
Outdoor performance weaves
Texture also enhances Quadrille’s hand-printed textiles, which already have a tactile, artisanal quality.
Designers always create sample boards before finalizing a room.
Order memo samples of fabrics and wallpapers.
Place them together in natural daylight.
Check them against flooring, rug tones, and wood finishes.
Seeing patterns together reveals harmony—or clashes—you might not catch online.
Every finished room should reflect a narrative: coastal calm, global eclectic, Palm Beach chic, or modern classic.
Ask yourself:
What feeling should the space give?
Which Quadrille print tells that story best?
Do the supporting fabrics and wallpapers reinforce the mood?
When everything aligns with the story, the mix feels seamless.
Quadrille’s collections are designed to mix effortlessly. Shared colorways, hand-printed textures, and timeless patterns make layering simple.
Whether you’re pairing:
Quadrille wallpaper + China Seas fabric,
Alan Campbell geometric + a Quadrille floral, or
Neutral linens with a signature statement motif,
The result is always elevated, cohesive, and designer-level.
Mixing fabrics and wallpapers like a designer comes down to:
Choosing a hero pattern
Building a consistent color palette
Layering different scales and styles
Including texture and neutrals
Testing combinations before committing
With these principles—and the right textiles—any space can feel curated, confident, and beautifully Quadrille.