Guest Picks: Different Strokes for All Kinds of Folks

From bold brushstrokes to watery washes to speckles and splatters, these painterly patterns on furnishings and finishes can transform a room and set a scene. — Marni from StyleCarrot

Crescent Wallpaper, Lake/Cream - $250 Few people are bolder than Kelly Wearstler, especially when it comes to graphic walls. This wallpaper pattern, called Crescent, is an architecturally inspired rendering of arcs (a shape I’m seeing a lot of lately), with scratchy brushstrokes, as though a comb has been pulled through the ink.


Feline Wallpaper, Lake/Slate - $196 Wearstler gets catty with this Feline wallpaper pattern, an updated version of leopard with a hint of ikat. Again, the hand is evident, with the feathering around and through the spots. It’s practically sweet enough for a kids’ room.


Channels Wallpaper, Ebony/Ivory - $396 Perhaps one of Wearstler’s most well-known wall coverings, this one is said to combine the maximalist designer’s interest in graphic street art with stripes. The unplanned geometric pattern edgily contrasts the refined color palette.


Saddle Office Chair, Brushstroke, Navy/Flax - $349 I actually own this Danish modern swivel desk chair. Although I considered the navy and taupe upholstery shown here — I adore the easy, freehand swirls — I opted for the more geometric charcoal pattern.


Brushstroke Lamp - $950 This extra-large, double-gourd ceramic lamp by design maven Bunny Williams is adorned with bold, painterly brushstrokes (hand done) in dark Chinese blue, which is a lovely color against the hand-carved gilt base. The whole thing is elegant but not expected.


Splatter Bowls, Set of 2 - $32 Blue and white is forever classic, but this paint-splatter design gives the bowls an of-the-moment update. They’re great for serving nuts on the coffee table if you’re entertaining, or for holding jewelry on the dresser. Or you can just eat out of them — they even come with chopsticks.


Thomas Plate, Pearl - $140 This place setting, called Thomas, was designed by Michael Devine, who studied both cooking and art history. (Check out his new book, An Invitation to the Garden.) The pattern is perhaps more faux bois than impressionistic, but it still has a hand-painted quality.


Canvas Print, Watercolor Landscape - $229 This framed watercolor landscape print done on canvas reminds me of college, where chill students hung batik fabrics on cinder block walls. But this specimen is more composed and devoid of rough edges.


Upstate Floor Pillow, Kelp Grid - $173 These tie-dye-like pillows by Astrid Chastka and Kalen Kaminski of Upstate are inspired by shibori, a Japanese tradition of dyeing cloth. Each piece is hand dyed, so no two items are exactly alike. The small ones could spice up a solid sofa, and the larger ones are meant to be scattered on the floor.


Metallic Ikat Stripe Pillow Cover, Silver - $34 Metallics might not be new, but this silver stripe on linen has a hand-applied feel, with its subtle striations. The design is based on artwork by British designer Sarah Campbell.


Magical Thinking Drop Cloth Dinner Plate - $12 This ceramic dinner plate by Magical Thinking is available in a handful of colors, and the pattern comes on bowls and mugs as well. It’s as though Jackson Pollack got a hold of them but limited his palette to one color per piece.


Oscar de la Renta Brushstroke Dinnerware - $40 These octagonal plates by Oscar de la Renta have a bold painted brushstroke pattern. The style marries bohemian casualness with Park Avenue panache. This dinnerware would look equally at home on a proper hemstitched linen tablecloth as on a carelessly draped suzani.


Sääpäiväkirja Coffee Cup - $24 Marimekko recently introduced its Weather Diary tableware collection, which is inspired by the splendor of Finnish sunlight, snowfall and everything in between. The pattern on this mug combines watery inkblots with harder-edged etchings.


Sääpäiväkirja Dinner Plate - $45 The simple shape of this plate is true to Marimekko’s midcentury modern roots. It’s another pattern from the company’s Weather Diary collection, which is meant to be mixed and matched. This one evokes a moody sky.


Daisy Pillow, Gray - $90 If I took a magic marker to a pillow, this is just what I’d do. This pillow, with its soft, graphic loops on off-white pure linen, would complement a neutral, modern space.


Como Splash Dessert Plate - $12.95 Crate & Barrel tapped Italian architect and designer Paola Navone to create a collection of classic blue and white tableware. The palette is inspired by her life by the sea, from Turkey to Greece. I love the organic shapes of the white porcelain and the variety of patterns, from splashed spots to freeform squiggles to bold strokes.


Mallorca Blue Rug - $249 The Mallorca collection, dedicated to fluid forms, was also designed by Paola Navone. Putting a freestyle pattern such as this one on the floor would certainly mix things up — and fast. It’s printed on a slubby, textural cotton, meaning your coastal retreat is screaming for this rug.


Cuffhome Blue Brushstrokes Wallpaper - $250 Custom wallpaper company Black Crow Studios created this Abstract Brushstroke design; the strokes are soft blue on a cream background. I could see it in a child’s room, from babyhood to the teen years. Or if you’re innovative, take to the walls with a paintbrush yourself. You could even invite the kids to help.


HP Chevron Blue Pillow - AUD 145 Australian company Bonnie and Neil, helmed by New Zealand–born life partners Bonnie Ashley and Neil Downie, has made waves in Melbourne’s thriving textile industry with their bold patterns. This linen cushion is hand screen-printed with a hand-painted chevron design in blue, and then finished with pink piping. The relaxed preppy vibe is perfect for Newport, Cape Cod or the like.


Oscar de la Renta Ikat Dinner Napkin - $20 These ikat dots look as though they were created by an artisan who carefully (and patiently) let paint drip onto the pristine white linen. They’re by the king of chic, Oscar de la Renta.

Next: Brush Up on Painterly Patterns

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