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What is pattern drenching?
Pattern trends for 2026
Bold, Beautiful and Unexpected
In 2026, design will be a continued celebration of pattern, and of its ability to imbue a room with visual delights that can’t be created with color or texture alone.
Pattern introduces a graphic element, it mimics shapes and fluidity in a space, it reflects rich traditions, and it tells a story. And with that, there are five pattern trends for 2026 we are particularly excited to see: some of them specific designs, others fresh and interesting ways to use this versatile tool in a scheme.
First, we see the rise of pattern splicing, a decorative technique of interrupting a pattern on a surface with a plain.
As a 2026 pattern trend, pattern slicing has been talked about largely related to tiles (Delft tiles, with pretty motifs interspersed with plains, are a popular reference point), but there’s plenty of potential to use it in fabrics and wallpaper, too. MINDTHEGAP’s MINUANO striped wallpaper, from the dynamic JAZZ LIVE collection, is one example, interspersing fluid red lines with bold strips of yellow, green or charcoal.
Why use the technique?
Well, it’s a way of creating rhythm in a scheme, a gentle dum-da-dum that gives the eye something to follow. Plus, thanks to the ‘break’ in pattern that comes with the plain, it’s a rather approachable way to introduce a pattern if you’re not confident using one, helping to tamp down the boldness of something like a check or stripe.
Perhaps the most playful kind of stripe to try? It has to be a mixed stripe: a pattern that integrates wide and narrow stripes will always capture the imagination more than something uniform.
The brand new NOCHRICH table runner from the ENCHANTED TRANSYLVANIA collection captures the mood for pattern in 2026 brilliantly. Integrating red pinstripes into strips of white of varying widths, contrasted with ribbons of sky blue and finished with a delightful squiggle border, it’s lively and playful. The pattern is available across all of MINDTHEGAP’s kitchen linens collection – the perfect way to try out the stripes trend one piece at a time.
Did it ever go away? Maybe not, but we’re happy to see it again either way. The trend for cowboy-inspired fashion has seen cow print come into style, but leopard and zebra print feel more elevated: both patterns having been seen on catwalks and in designer homes for decades.
Not one for the bold, animal print is better when you go big! The ZEBRATO wallpaper from the LA DOLCE VITA collection is a shortcut to a maximalist scheme, but you can also try leopard and zebra patterns on upholstery, from footstools to headboards to sofas, as a way of injecting a little glamor into a scheme. And speaking of sofas…
The floral sofa is back!
Florals for spring might not be groundbreaking, but the way big floral prints are being used in 2026 certainly is. It’s the return of the divisive ‘90s trend: patterned sofas are officially big news again. As well as simply being fun, they play an important role in a living room scheme, helping to ground the space and create a focal point around which you can place quieter pieces.
The best way to keep the look timeless (after all, reupholstering is an investment), choose earthy tones, and make sure that a good amount of the background color is on show. Bonus points if the material is luxurious, like a velvet or chenille: the VENICE sofa in LA VOLIERE velvet shown here ticks all the right boxes.
And finally, who could forget the minimalist’s pattern choice: the small-scale print?
This design staple is always around, but as a pattern trend for 2026, smaller, ‘ditsy’ prints are leaning towards the traditional, with floral and leafy motifs particularly popular. Best used in hallways, powder rooms and children’s rooms, a design with a gentle color palette – like the delicate BACKYARD FLOWERING wallpaper from the TRANSYLVANIAN ROOTS collection – will never go out of style. And what better pattern trend than that?