Gingham, the classic check pattern, never truly goes out of style, but lately, it is appearing everywhere in both personal and home fashion. Gingham evokes a timeless but stylish aesthetic that complements cottage and farmhouse styles, but it is versatile enough to be used in more contemporary room designs.
Decorating your house with gingham offers a versatile pattern that blends seamlessly with other looks. Its enduring popularity stems from its ability to evoke nostalgia and modern chic, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to update their space with a touch of warmth and nostalgia.
What is Gingham?
Gingham is a fabric pattern that is characterized by its simple checkered design. This fabric is typically made of white and another color, though modern versions frequently incorporate two distinct color checks. These checks are the same size and evenly spaced, but different fabrics have a wide range of check sizes, from large to small. The pattern is associated with a homey and rustic style, and this simplicity makes it versatile and easy to combine with other interior styles and patterns.
Patterns That Pair Well With Gingham
Gingham works well with a wide range of other patterns and solid colors. Gingham’s versatility stems from its simplicity. Pairing gingham with other patterns elevates its appearance while also adding a hint of humility to the overall design.
- Florals: The soft, organic shape of florals adds lightness and whimsy to gingham’s highly structured look.
- Stripes: Combining stripes with gingham creates a bold look. Ensure the colors are complementary to ensure a cohesive look.
- Polka Dots: The playful nature of polka dots pairs naturally with gingham’s simple style, creating a simple but dynamic design.
- Plaids: Combining gingham and plaids is similar to pairing variations on the same theme. Gingham can add a more open look to a variety of tight plaid patterns.
- Solid Colors: Solid colors provide a stable surface and backdrop for gingham patterns to shine, allowing gingham to function as a prominent focal point rather than a background pattern.
- Toile: The intricate and scenic patterns known as toile contrast beautifully with the simple gingham pattern, creating a classic, elegant look.
- Chevron: The zig-zag pattern of chevron introduces a dynamic energy when paired with gingham that is modern and fresh.
How Designers Use Gingham in the Home
Interior designers use gingham to enhance a wide range of home styles, rooms, and surfaces. Consider the variety of colors and square sizes of gingham being used in today’s interiors.
Gingham to Create Coastal Style
This bedroom design pairs large and small blue-checked gingham with simple florals and solids to evoke the casual and relaxed style of the beach. The large-checked blue and white pattern of the Roman shade captures immediate attention and gives the room a modern flavor that keeps the decor fresh and relevant.
Pair Gingham With Plaids
Ginghams and plaids work well together because of their complementary qualities. Both gingham and plaid are based on a grid-like pattern with intersecting lines. Ginghams have a simpler pattern and color scheme than plaids, so they are useful for streamlining the look of the patterns. In this design, Janine Dowling utilized a simple plaid for the carpet and paired it with a variety of small and large-checked ginghams and simple floral patterns.
Gingham in a Child’s Bedroom
Gingham is a natural choice for a child’s bedroom. The classic pattern creates a look that is both familiar and welcoming. Gingham can be incorporated into a child’s bedroom in a variety of ways, including bedding, curtains, rugs, and small accents. Choose bright, cheerful colors such as red, blue, green, and yellow, which naturally appeal to children’s playful nature.
Gingham for Adults
Gingham can also be surprisingly sophisticated, but even in muted hues, it has a certain charm that gives an adult bedroom a look of clean simplicity. Designers for adult bedrooms often opt for muted gingham patterns like beige, gray, or light blue. Incorporating gingham in small ways like a folded duvet cover or a set of throw pillows to more overt usages like the bed canopy in this design.
Gingham in Traditional Dining Rooms
The gingham pattern is over 400 years old, so it is no wonder that it is a classic. The beige gingham chair covers in this traditional London dining room look even more timeless when paired with the chic wall mural, crystal chandelier, and covered button backs.
Incorporate Gingham Accessories
Anderson & Rogers Construction combined gingham throw pillows with navy blue pillows featuring textured designs to create a laid-back, modern farmhouse look. The gingham serves a dual purpose in the room, echoing simple farmhouse style while also increasing the visual variety thanks to the large check pattern.
Gingham With Multiple Patterns
Gingham accents can work well when paired with a variety of patterns, including toiles, florals, and solids. The designer used light blue shades to coordinate the patterns throughout the design. This is a simple but effective method for creating cohesion by combining disparate patterns. It is also beneficial to use a neutral tone to contrast and balance the monochromatic elements.
Gingham in Contemporary Design
When incorporating gingham into a contemporary design, it can be beneficial to keep the other design elements simple. This designer combined a large-checked blue gingham pattern with a clean-lined modern bed in striking lime green. This contrast creates a look that is inviting and comfortable while also being stylish and chic.
Gingham Flooring
Gingham, similar to checkerboard flooring, has become a viable pattern for flooring. Look for gingham patterns in both tile and carpet options.
Subtle Use of Gingham
For the most understated use of gingham, choose a pattern with small checks and a light color scheme. This allows the gingham to function as a solid rather than a pattern, making it easier to blend with other patterns and colors.
Tips for Using Gingham in Your Home
Bringing gingham into your home is a delightful way to add a new look to your space. Because gingham is so versatile, it is a good option for adding to your existing decor or using it to create an entirely new design.
Start Small
Begin with small, removable accessories like throw pillows, table linens, and blankets if you are just getting started on your gingham journey. This allows you to experiment with different check sizes and color schemes before making a more permanent decision.
Choose the Right Scale
Consider the size of the gingham checks and how they will look in your space. Large checks are bold and eye-catching, dominating the room and giving it a more modern appearance. Smaller checks behave more like a solid pattern, providing background texture rather than an obvious pattern; these have a more classic and timeless style than large checks.
Coordinate Colors
Modern ginghams are available in both classic and vibrant colorways. Choose gingham that matches or complements your existing decor for the most cohesive look. The most versatile colors for gingham are neutrals like black, beige, and gray, as well as classics like navy.
Mix and Match
It is completely acceptable to combine ginghams with other patterns, such as plaids, florals, and toiles. Ginghans can modernize and simplify a design that uses these patterns, making it more approachable and inviting.
Create Focal Points
Large-checked gingham is a visually striking pattern, so you can use it to create effective focal points in the design. A gingham upholstered headboard, a gingham wallpapered accent wall, or a bold gingham rug will all draw attention and add visual interest.
Consider Different Rooms
Gingham works well in a variety of rooms, including kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, and living rooms. Gingham is so versatile that it is easy to tailor the pattern to any surface or room.
Use it Outdoors
Extend the use of gingham to the outdoors. Its simple, straightforward design works well on picnic blankets, doormats, outdoor cushions, and tablecloths.
Balance it With Solids
Pair ginghams and other patterns with solid colors to avoid making the room look overly busy or cluttered. Combining solid-colored furniture, bedding, walls, and larger decor items with patterns will result in a more balanced look.
