Mastering the art of the “mix” is an important lesson this season. With so many luscious prints popping up on everything from pillows to slingbacks- the task of creating the right combo can be daunting- so when I saw this I took note:

Today the Washington Post ran an interview with famed interior designer Mario Buatta, a.k.a ” the Prince of Chintz”. The interview, which took place last month while he was in town giving a lecture to benefit the Georgetown House Tour, touched base with the designer on his famous Americanized “English Country” style and his ability to mix colors and patterns to create rooms that have a sense of balance, warmth and what he likes to call an “undecorated” look.

The “Prince” and his patterns

With all of the beautiful floral fabrics we’re seeing this season in home and fashion ( and with even more on the way for Fall, plus a buzz brewing that chintz is “back” ) I thought it would be fun to investigate into Mr. Buatta’s formula for mixing…

In an interview with HGTV Mr. Buatta gives some insight into his style:

“When we went to Paris with the professors from Parsons School, they took us through the great museums of Paris, and our professor told us that if we did not understand these paintings we would never be a good interior designer. It was then that I saw paintings en masse by Edouard Vuillard, Matisse and the like and I was just crazy about the use of color by these great painters. The pattern and the texture of their paintings and how they put it all together simply intrigued me.

What I usually do is create a floor plan with the seating areas first, then do all the hard goods—tables, end tables, chests and the like. Afterwards I will take fabrics and place them around the room. We will put a particular fabric in an area and then repeat it on the other side of the room, so that the fabrics are in balance.

Then we will, off of this basic start, put a plaid here, a stripe over there, a checkered pattern, a smaller figured pattern and little by little it all comes together. It’s the easiest way to do it, create the floor plan, start with a particular fabric and then surround it with a variety of other fabrics and patterns. I usually start with a biggest pattern first and then add all the other elements based off of the colors in the largest pattern chosen.“

Mr. Buatta formula is a great for mixing prints in fashion as well. Incorporating a bold floral, or any other print for that matter into your wardrobe is easy if you let the colors from your print be your guide. Adding textures and other smaller prints balance out the look, much like this example from Boden’s summer catalog:

If you don’t want to start from scratch- take a look at the colors of the fabrics in your existing home and wardrobe and pick a floral that will complement them. Then to each outfit or room add a texture piece, a smaller print piece, a bold solid piece and viola- you’ve mastered the mix!   

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