When a room’s interesting architecture merits full attention, geometric prints over florals are the pattern of choice to ensure that the lines of the room itself won’t be diluted. Keep the backdrop ­ walls and ceiling ­ pattern-free, then ground the space in rhythm underfoot with a geometric-motif area rug. When the dominant pattern is checked, as on the rug shown here, choose other geometric forms as accents, especially stripes of varying widths. Confining the pattern mix to only two colors, especially neutrals, is further insurance that the effect will be crisp, not cluttered.
