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Layering patterns into any room will create a characterful space, but in a bedroom, it鈥檚 vital that the result is restful and harmonious, says interiors editor Lucy Searle.

I grew up in a house bedecked with pattern, and when I bought my first home back in the early nineties, the somewhat maximalist bedroom had been decorated in Owl & Willow wallpaper and curtains. I鈥檓 ashamed to say that I鈥檇 reached pattern saturation point by then, so I took the curtains down and painted over the wallpaper. Since then, I鈥檝e fallen firmly back in love with pattern but, in a bedroom, I still use it with restraint.

Pattern, after all, is as integral to your 产别诲谤辞辞尘鈥檚 mood as its colour palette. For a textured, calming space, I find that a small-to-mid-scale hero pattern in low-contrast tones 鈥� as shown on Neptune鈥檚 Clemmie headboard in Fermoie鈥檚 Shell Grotto fabric 鈥� is ideal. Large-scale, high contrast patterns bring energy, so are better limited to lampshades, cushions or a headboard for interest.

Light levels and room proportions are a factor, too. Busy patterns over large areas 鈥� wallpaper, window treatments, rugs and bedding 鈥� will make your bedroom feel cosier but smaller. This might be perfect in a light, lofty bedroom, but if your aim is a bigger, brighter-looking room, I would pick out a one-colour pattern that your eye translates as soothing texture, or choose a light-coloured hero pattern with plenty of space between motifs.

Stripes, whether classic or abstract, can perform proportion-fixing tricks. Used vertically, in either wallpaper, curtain fabric or a tall headboard, they lift a low-ceilinged 产别诲谤辞辞尘鈥檚 height. Or, used horizontally, they鈥檒l exaggerate a small 产别诲谤辞辞尘鈥檚 width or length. Or try laying an understated diagonal-checked rug to make a room feel both wider and longer.

I always find the hero pattern to be the best starting point for other pattern choices and the room鈥檚 colour scheme, since it will likely cover the largest proportion of the space, whether the headboard, floor, or walls. Whatever the hero鈥檚 scale, a successful combination of patterns usually includes one large and three to four small to-mid-sized motifs, united by a toning colour palette.

Use your favourite colour from the hero pattern in the greatest proportion as a plain, perhaps as a wall, wardrobe or carpet colour, and two or three low-contrast, toning accent colours from the hero pattern in smaller measures 鈥� picked out in bedding, a window seat fabric, in the border on a rug or the piping on upholstery.

Combining pattern styles and themes is vital for interest 鈥� aim for three to five. For example, if your hero is a trailing floral curtain fabric, you can layer in depth with geometrics, perhaps a subtle stripe for blinds or the headboard, and abstracts, such as a just-discernible textured-look wallpaper, all against a plain hero colour carpet. Of course, most brands group their fabrics and wallpapers in coordinating collections, which makes narrowing your choice 鈥� and planning a restful scheme 鈥� so much easier.