Any room can benefit from a jolt of pattern; tap a designer, and they'll reveal that it's one of the most low-lift ways to add pizzazz to an interior. It's personally one of my favorite designer-approved tricks to breathe new life into a space, too.
Of course, you can play it safe with prints like florals, stripes, and checks. But if you want something a little more unexpected? Designers say tortoise is making waves these days.
"Unlike animal patterns like cheetah and leopard, tortoise prints have a subtler, almost tone-on-tone presence that is the essence of quiet chic," says designer Amy Peltier of California-based Peltier Interiors.
Practicing restraint is the way to go with this particular pattern. "The key is to use it in small, strategic doses," Peltier shares. "A small hit of tortoise print has an old-world sense of opulence that whispers cultivate style in both traditional and modern interiors."
Try dressing up your table with a tortoise glass cake dome—which is perfect for hosting holiday parties—or mini glass pumpkins that’ll give your autumn setup a trendy twist. You can also display the season’s best blooms in a tortoise vase (and right now, you can get one for over 40% off). Not to mention, a tortoiseshell mirror will bring a pop of pattern into your home that’s subtle, yet chic. There are endless possibilities.
Ready to give the tortoise trend a whirl? Ballard Designs is stocked with stylish picks that are worth adding to your cart, and most of them are discounted.
