Mastering the Mix

The Patterns

It's not evident, at first, just how many patterns and prints Toby West used in this master bedroom. But that, says the Atlanta designer, is part of the charm; the secret is to use contrasting patterns while staying within the same color palette.

"I typically keep things tone-on-tone so no particular pattern stands out," he explains. In fact, he adds, to keep things on an even keel, it's best to carry a single color scheme throughout an entire house. "When you change a color theme from room to room, it also creates a change of mood."

The room that Toby West designed for a recent Cashiers Show House in North Carolina is typical, he says. "People are building larger mountain homes today, often losing a lot of charm and intimacy in the process." But this designer built those elements right back in, using color and pattern as his tools.

To make it seem less cavernous, West first addressed the backdrop of the vaulted space. "I wanted to make it cozy and more intimate, to visually bring the ceiling down," he explains. "We upholstered the walls and the ceiling, not only visually shrinking the space but also padding—and softening—the walls in the process." And the addition of a print—a red-and-cream Cowtan & Tout, in this case—spreads a certain warmth throughout the room. "The color red is very warm and inviting, especially when used with creams or whites," the designer adds. "And by using a lot of red, you create a happy compromise between 'summer' and 'winter' looks. The interior design of mountain homes is more geared to being pleasing during the winter months; after all, winter lasts eight or nine months." But this color combination, he points out, is equally appealing all year long.

DESIGN BOOK Interior Design Toby West, Toby West Ltd., Atlanta, GA, 404-233-7425

The Bedroom

THE MASTER BEDROOM measures 30 feet long and 22 feet high at its peak. But that didn’t stop the designer from making it seem cozy and comfortable. Using a warm mix of red-and cream-colored patterns, he made the space feel smaller than its actual dimensions. Much of the credit goes to the Cowtan & Tout pattern used on the walls and ceiling, then repeated in the skirt of the English oak four-poster. But the fabric’s counterpart plays an equally important role; the Jane Churchill plaid—used for window dressings, armchairs, even seating pieces on the adjoining porch—balances the more delicate print, lest the room become too feminine.

Beyond that, red-and-cream elements are repeated sparingly, showing up in bed linens, an antique quilt and ruffle-shaded lamps throughout the room. And the floor coverings? Both the oval-shaped rug and the wall-to-wall flooring were intentionally kept low key, in neutral hues that don’t detract from the main color scheme but still add an element of warmth.

A glance toward this room’s sleeping spot gives an instant snapshot of how West masters the mix of multiple patterns. Atop the barley-twist cannonball bed, creamy pique linens are embroidered—in red, of course—with a twig motif borrowed from the wall covering. At the foot of the bed, an antique quilt looks like it’s just been waiting to pair up with the bed’s dust skirt; their color palettes are so closely matched that it’s hard to believe one is years old and the other brand new. And, on either side of the bed, curtains accented with hand-sewn ruffles repeat the Jane Churchill plaid found on the fireside chairs. It all works because the fabrics have colors in common and, true to West’s form, no one pattern stands out.

This “sophisticated rustic” look is West’s trademark, a reflection of how he balances his designs beautifully. “I like to mirror masculine and feminine elements,” he says. “In this case, I combined English oak—in the form of the heavier furniture—with lighter fabrics and soft goods.”

It’s a successful merger, all around.