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  3. How to Mix Graphic Patterns on Your Tabletops and Throughout Your Entertaining Spaces

How to Mix Graphic Patterns on Your Tabletops and Throughout Your Entertaining Spaces

By Elyse Moody
May 21, 2020
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
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Four place settings with patterned napkins and placemats
Credit: Lennart Weibull

To dine in chic style all season, work this angle: Invite graphic patterns—checks, plaids, windowpanes, and basket weaves—to the table. The more you layer them, the lovelier.

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Four place settings with patterned napkins and placemats
Credit: Lennart Weibull

Thought bold, graphic patterns were reserved for tablescape accent pieces? Think again. It's absolutely possible to curate a nuanced, textural setup that mixes and matches a myriad of your favorite colors and prints. You just need to know how to create a vignette that's upbeat and dynamic, but not visually overwhelming. Luckily, that's where we come in—we'll help you do just that.

For a table that looks cool and eclectic, stick to a soft palette, and add neutrals—or look to this balanced scene, which demonstrates how to meld both. Martha Stewart Living home editor Lorna Aragon used these woven place mats in navy, peach, pinks, and subtle gold as a jumping-off point, then punctuated the scene with pops of yellow (note the lemons and the forsythia). Enlist your white or solid-colored dishware as a backdrop to patterned plates; this will give the eye a quiet spot to rest, as will bone-colored flatware that's the same color as the table. Thanks to a backdrop of neutrals, a collection of distinct patterns, from pointillist-inspired dots and diagonal strips to modern grids, simultaneously act as respective focal points and work together in unexpected harmony. The pièce de résistance? The napkin holders (which we'll teach you how to make shortly!).

Ahead, we share everything you need—from the mismatched dessert plates to the neutral salt cellars—to recreate this tablescape at home. Plus, you'll also discover a few more ways to play with pattern throughout the rest of your entertaining space; integrate stripes, checks, polka dots and more graphic prints through a vibrant chair (which will elevate your porch) or unique pillow (add them to your outdoor dining set for flair). Or take your own approach—how you style these pieces is entirely up to you.

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DIY Napkin Rings

Four patterned napkins on table cloth
Credit: Lennart Weibull

Spirally, textured donut knots make nice napkin holders. Grab some bright paracord—you'll need 10 feet for each one. First, shape the ring. Hold the paracord in your palm, with the short end (the standing end) pointing up. Wrap it loosely around your palm three times, leaving the long end (the working end) pointing up.

Then, secure one end. Slide off the loops and hold them so the working end is in front of the standing end. Wrap the working end behind and around the standing end, encircling it, then put it through to the back. Moving clockwise, make tight coils over the loops, going through the center to the back each time. When you reach the standing end, pull the working end through the circle around it. Trim the ends.

Shop Now: Paracord Planet 550-pound Type III Paracord Crafting Kit in Blues, $18.49, paracordplanet.com.

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Multi-Colored Placemats

multi-colored chilewich placemat
Credit: Courtesy of Chilewich

Made in the United States (and entirely by hand), these woven vinyl placemats are eco-friendly and reversible for double the wear.

Shop Now: Chilewich "Heddle" Place Mats in Parade, $25 each, williams-sonoma.com. 

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Staple Dinner Plates

off-white ikea plates
Credit: Courtesy of IKEA

You'll turn to these glazed, classic plates every night—they elevate every meal (and help ground your more colorful, visually intriguing pieces).

Shop Now: IKEA "Gladelig" Dinner Plates in Gray, $13 for four, ikea.com.

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Dessert Plates

blue grid print terrafirma plates
Credit: Courtesy of Terrafirma

Go ahead and mix and match these dessert (or salad!) plates—we're partial to the Pebble, Braid, Taj, and Rattan iterations. A unified cobalt color scheme keeps the "set" cohesive.

Shop Now: Terrafirma Cobalt Dessert Plates, $42 each, laterrinedirect.com.

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Ivory Flatware

silver mepra flatware
Credit: Courtesy of Mepra

Here's another grounding moment with a bit of edge: Scoop up this resin-handled flatware set in "China," which is neutral, but still impactful—plus, they feel so good in your hands.

Shop Now: Mepra "Fantasia Color" Flatware in China, $78 for a five-piece setting, food52.com.

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Rainbow Wine Glasses

various colored oka glasses
Credit: Courtesy of OKA

Each of these glasses feature the same swirled pattern in a different color. Together, they make a playful addition to your place settings.

Shop Now: OKA "Arlecchino" Glasses in Multi, $90 for four, oka.com.

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Tiny Bowls

gray ceramic east fork bowls
Credit: Courtesy of East Fork

We use these tiny ceramic bowls (they're true to their name!) as salt cellars.

Shop Now: East Fork Bitty Bowls, $10 each, eastfork.com.

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Grid Napkins

peach minna napkins
Credit: Courtesy of Minna

The finishing touch? A peach napkin—which picks up the pink in the placemat!—with a streamlined grid stripe.

Shop Now: Minna Grid Napkins in Peach, $80 for four, minna-goods.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Textural Chairs

Terrain Havana Wicker & Teak Armless Chair
Credit: Courtesy of Terrain

Take this laid-back, loosely geometric motif beyond your table. Energize your porch or back patio with a vibrant rattan chair in a bold colorway, like this one.

Shop Now: Terrain Havana Wicker & Teak Armless Chair, $448, shopterrain.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Pillows

Sunbrella Hanbel Fringed Diamonds Lumbar-Pillow Cover in Rust/Natural
Credit: Courtesy of Restoration Hardware

A bold throw pillow adds color and texture to an outdoor dining space—and ups the cozy factor.

Shop Now: Sunbrella Hanbel Fringed Diamonds Lumbar-Pillow Cover in Rust/Natural, $205, restorationhardware.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Dinner Napkins

Crate & Barrel Blue Suits Dinner Napkins
Credit: Courtesy of Crate & Barrel

Mismatched never looked so good. A unified color palette keeps this striped, checked, and plaid set looking cohesive, so go ahead and set the table with all four at once.

Shop Now: Crate & Barrel Blue Suits Dinner Napkins, $40 for four, crateandbarrel.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Platter

Wonki Ware South African Long Platter in Washed Blue
Credit: Courtesy of West Elm

Keep this platter on your table or kitchen island—it's too pretty to store in a cabinet.

Shop Now: Wonki Ware South African Long Platter in Washed Blue, $79, westelm.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Dinner Plates

OKA "Herrinko" Patterned Stoneware Dinner Plates in Multi
Credit: Courtesy of OKA

This bold, multi-colored plate set will energize weeknight dinners.

Shop Now: OKA "Herrinko" Patterned Stoneware Dinner Plates in Multi, $80 for four, oka.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Wine Glasses

DuraClear "Tritan Osteria" Bordeaux Glasses in Multicolored
Credit: Courtesy of DuraClear

The same goes for this multi-colored wine glass set—you'll have trouble choosing which shade, from the dramatic amber to soothing sage, is your favorite.

Shop Now: DuraClear "Tritan Osteria" Bordeaux Glasses in Multicolored, $90 for six, williams-sonoma.com.

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Embrace the Idea: Place Mats

Serena & Lily "Catalonia" Place Mats in Round Navy
Credit: Courtesy of Serena & Lily

Bring beachy, nautical texture to your tabletops with these round jute placemats, ringed in pom poms.

Shop Now: Serena & Lily "Catalonia" Place Mats in Round Navy, $28 each, serenaandlily.com.

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1 of 16
2 of 16 DIY Napkin Rings
3 of 16 Multi-Colored Placemats
4 of 16 Staple Dinner Plates
5 of 16 Dessert Plates
6 of 16 Ivory Flatware
7 of 16 Rainbow Wine Glasses
8 of 16 Tiny Bowls
9 of 16 Grid Napkins
10 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Textural Chairs
11 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Pillows
12 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Dinner Napkins
13 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Platter
14 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Dinner Plates
15 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Wine Glasses
16 of 16 Embrace the Idea: Place Mats

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How to Mix Graphic Patterns on Your Tabletops and Throughout Your Entertaining Spaces
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