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Pattern Play: Time to Stop Playing it Safe with Ruth Sonnenshein

Designer Spotlight - Ruth Sonnenshein

Denver based interior designer Ruth Sonnenshein started her career in the NYC magazine world where she honed her eye while working for Glamour and Jane. Ruth continued in the magazine and entertainment world as an LA-based wardrobe stylist before moving to Denver to focus solely on interior design after having three kids. Ruth's design company, Wyatt Designs, Inc., creates spaces with a California contemporary vibe focusing on texture and an eclectic mix of high and low, old and new, and materials and patterns derived from anything ranging from marble to grasscloth. Ruth has also worked as a design consultant for Colorado Homes & LIfestyles Magazine.

Ruth Sonnenshein Designer Spotlight Pattern Play Francini Marble

Pattern play - time to stop playing it safe

We've now been living in a pandemic for the better part of a year and I am craving more and more pattern. Using pattern in design can seem overwhelming to people when thinking of their space, but there are more organic ways of doing so other than the obvious use of wallpaper or fabric. Natural and man-made stone is a perfect starting point.

My preference is honed marble but there are plenty of other options that can add a pattern to your home without seeming like it's a huge risk. I recently designed a bathroom and used a mix of calacatta and carrara. I had the walls tiled from top to bottom and the mix of the two stones provided the pattern play that I was craving as well as the serenity that is needed in today's crazy world.

I designed another bathroom and the leathered granite that I chose for the counters served as the jumping off point for the rest of the playful design. Striped penny tile in black and white served as an extension of the bold striations in the stone. The Cole and Son Fornasetti Nuvolette wallpaper that will be installed adds a third layer of the pattern play.

I always have to gauge my client's propensity for pattern and push them a little bit. Think of the pattern in your stone or man-made countertops as more of a neutral to build upon. Like any good animal print, these bold stone countertops really do go with everything and create a space that is unlike any other.

So, continue wearing your masks and go big and bold in your design.