Is using a motif the best way to make a house feel cohesive?

Often, the thing that makes an interior designer’s work exciting and interesting is the level of cohesion that it achieves. There is some hidden thread that binds every room together, tying up the project neatly. But how do we achieve this in our own homes, without the aid of a professional or a sizeable budget to spend?

Some designers recommend sticking to paints from within a certain family; colours with a certain earthiness, or colours from a tonal group. Others suggest using the same fabric in multiple rooms, incorporating a number of different colourways for a more subtle finish. Lately, though, we’ve been noticing a secret third way: the use of motifs.

Motifs are nothing new in the creative world. Artists, like Gustav Klimt, Keith Haring and Yayoi Kusama have all used various patterns and repeating shapes throughout their work. Here, the message is strengthened with every use. In the words of Damien Hirst, ‘you get meaning through repetition.’

Away from the canvas, former House & Garden features writer, Tom Barrie wrote about the evil eye motif he’d spotted cropping up in designers’ collections and projects. Then, he wrote about the tree of life motif. Both of these symbols carry a deeper meaning, be it warding off dark energy or some lunge towards immortality, yet in their ubiquity their once clear message has become a little cloudy.

A jewel-box apartment by Laura Stephens, which features a diamond motif throughout.

Paul Massey

Whether you are on board with the idea or not, motifs are an inescapable feature of design. One motif lodestar is interior designer Laura Stephens, who employed a diamond motif in an apartment she created for a client. ‘We used a wallpaper in the primary bedroom called ‘Gallier Diamond’ by Brunschwig & Fils. The client loved it so much that it served as an inspiration throughout the flat,’ she says. Yet, rather than extrapolating the colour of the paper as one might predict, Laura and her client chose to pull out the repeating diamond. ‘We got my joiner to replace the doors of this IKEA wardrobe to match,’ she explains.

Paul Massey

The shape can be seen again, on the bespoke kitchen island that Laura had made for the project. This time, the diamond motif has a Gustavian slant. It is subtle, but impactful, subliminal message that creates a sense of calm through familiarity. In the living room, she trimmed an ottoman with a diamond pattern too, adding more to the meaning.