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Fabric Pattern Reference
If you know the look you want but not the name for it, this visual guide will help you recognise many of the most common fabric patterns used in interiors.
Some terms describe the look of a pattern, while others refer to a weave, decorative style or motif. Use the image and definition together as a practical identification guide, then compare a physical fabric sample before making a final choice.
A plain fabric gives the appearance of a single, almost uniform colour. A semi-plain still reads largely as one colour from normal viewing distance, but close up you may see texture, weave or a small-scale design. Patterned fabrics make the design itself a more obvious part of the room.
Pattern categories overlap. A floral can also be a trail, a motif can sit within a trellis, and a geometric fabric might use a chevron, fret or check. This guide is designed to help with recognition rather than force every fabric into one rigid category.
Animal print fabrics imitate markings associated with animal skins or coats. Familiar examples include leopard, tiger, zebra and cow patterns, alongside designs inspired by giraffe, snakeskin, crocodile and shagreen. They can be realistic or highly stylised.
Animal print fabric: Mona Zebra by Kravet.
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Animal motif fabrics depict the animal itself rather than copying its markings. Birds, butterflies and bees are long-standing decorative motifs, while children's fabrics may feature jungle animals, dinosaurs, marine creatures, unicorns and other illustrated subjects.
Animal motif fabric: Butterfly Embroidery from Sanderson.
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Argyle is based on elongated diamonds in alternating colours, usually overlaid with finer diagonal lines that create a second diamond grid. It is visually related to harlequin, but the additional line work makes the two easy to distinguish.
Argyle fabric in Amethyst from Ashley Wilde.
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Basketweave creates an overlapping square or rectangular effect reminiscent of a woven basket. The look can be printed, but it is especially effective when the texture is created by the construction of the cloth itself.
Rustic Basketweave fabric from Schumacher.
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Bird's-eye is a tiny, intricate pattern that often appears as small lighter marks or dots against a darker ground. At normal viewing distance it can read almost like a semi-plain, with the detail becoming clearer as you move closer.
Bird's-eye fabric: Mystic from Jim Dickens.
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Botanical patterns tend to give a more studied or naturalistic depiction of plants. They often include foliage, stems and leaves as well as flowers, and some resemble individual botanical studies. This is a useful distinction from florals, which usually place more emphasis on the bloom itself.
Botanical fabric: Woodland Ferns from Sanderson.
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Camouflage patterns use irregular, interlocking shapes that break up the surface of the design. Interior fabrics range from recognisable military-inspired camouflage to softer, abstract interpretations of the same visual idea.
Camouflage fabric: Chameleon by Kieffer.
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A simple check divides the surface into repeating squares, often using alternating colours in a checkerboard arrangement. The wider check family also includes more specific patterns such as gingham, graph check and windowpane.
Checkerboard fabric: Damier by Le Manach.
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Chevron is a continuous zig-zag made from straight lines meeting at sharp angles. Designs may be as simple as alternating coloured bands or much more layered, textured and multi-coloured.
Chevron fabric: Mardi-Gras by Nina Campbell.
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Chinoiserie is better understood as a decorative style than one fixed pattern. Fabrics may combine pagodas, dragons, bamboo, birds, flowers, figures or other motifs in compositions ranging from trails and florals to scenic designs.
Chinoiserie fabric: Mindoro from Lee Jofa.
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Coastal fabrics take their cues from the seaside and relaxed beach interiors. Motifs may include boats, lighthouses, beach huts, deckchairs, shells and other maritime subjects. The category overlaps heavily with nautical design, so the distinction is not always clear-cut when shopping.
Coastal fabric: Sailor from Sanderson.
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Damask originally describes a woven fabric in which the design is created through contrasting surface effects in the weave. In interiors, the word is also widely used for ornate, symmetrical repeating motifs with stylised foliage and floral forms. Damask designs can be large and elaborate or relatively small in scale.
Damask fabric: Bestegui from Rubelli.
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Ditsy describes a small-scale, busy pattern made from individual motifs arranged in a scattered rather than rigid geometric layout. Tiny flowers are especially common, although the style is not limited to floral subjects.
Ditsy fabric: Posy Floral from Sanderson.
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Spotted fabrics are built around dots or spots. The marks may be one colour or many, uniform or varied in size, and regularly spaced or much more freely arranged. Polka dot is one particular, highly regular form within this wider group.
Spotted fabric: Calypso by James Hare.
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Flame stitch patterns are formed from elongated vertical marks arranged into undulating chevrons, peaks and troughs. Changes in colour, stitch length and height create the characteristic rising-and-falling effect that gives the pattern its flame-like appearance.
Flame stitch fabric: Florentine Bargello by Watts of Westminster.
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The fleur-de-lis is a stylised lily motif with petals that fan out from a narrow base. It is a long-established decorative emblem and is often used as a repeating motif in traditional and classically influenced fabrics.
Fleur-de-lis fabric: Lis by Schumacher.
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Floral is one of the broadest pattern categories in interiors. Designs range from small traditional blooms to oversized contemporary flowers and can be printed, woven or embroidered. Compared with botanical designs, florals generally place more visual emphasis on the flower in bloom.
Floral fabric: Yulan by Designers Guild.
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Geometric patterns use shapes such as circles, squares, diamonds and triangles as the basis of the design. Many repeat in an ordered grid, while others use the same geometric language in looser, more abstract arrangements.
Geometric fabric: Majestic Smokey Quartz from Jim Dickens.
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Gingham is a check formed by intersecting coloured and white or cream stripes. Where the coloured bands cross, they create a third, deeper tone. Traditional gingham is often small in scale, although larger versions are also used in interiors.
Gingham fabric: Whitby by Sanderson.
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Graph check uses fine horizontal and vertical lines to create a regular grid of small squares. The overall appearance is similar to graph paper and is usually lighter and more linear than a filled checkerboard.
Graph check fabric: Recheck from Kvadrat.
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Greek key, also called fret, is built from a continuous line repeatedly turning at right angles. Traditionally used as a border, it is also repeated across fabrics to create a strong, interlocking geometric pattern.
Greek key fabric: Mykonos from Thibaut.
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Harlequin is a repeating pattern of contrasting elongated diamonds standing on end. Unlike argyle, the diamonds are normally the main feature without the secondary diagonal line network.
Large-scale harlequin fabric from Zimmer & Rohde.
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Herringbone forms a V-shaped arrangement, but unlike a continuous chevron the lines break and offset at each change in direction. That broken zig-zag is the key visual feature to look for.
Herringbone fabric: Chika from Sanderson.
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Houndstooth uses two contrasting colours to create a broken check with pointed, tooth-like corners. Scale can vary considerably, but the repeated jagged form remains recognisable.
Houndstooth fabric: Brigitte from Pierre Frey.
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A plain fabric has an almost uniform colour across its surface. A semi-plain still reads as one colour from normal viewing distance, but texture, weave or a subtle small-scale pattern becomes visible close up. Semi-plains are useful when you want colour without a completely flat surface, especially across larger areas such as curtains or upholstery.
Plain and semi-plain fabric examples from Designers Guild.
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Ikat patterns are recognised by softened or blurred edges around the motifs, reflecting the appearance associated with resist-dyed yarns before weaving. Modern printed and woven fabrics often recreate this characteristic slightly irregular look.
Ikat fabric: Cuzco Jade from William Yeoward.
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Indienne is a decorative style associated with European interpretations of Indian printed textiles. Fabrics commonly use stylised flowers, foliage and scrolling botanical motifs with the character of block-printed or hand-decorated cloth.
Indienne fabric: Indienne Hazel by Anna French.
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Kilim-inspired patterns borrow the angular geometry associated with flat-woven rugs. Diamonds, stepped forms, stripes, fret-like shapes and other abstract motifs are often combined in richly patterned, multi-coloured designs.
Kilim fabric: Rio Grande from Thibaut.
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Medallion patterns are arranged around distinct decorative centres, often circular, oval or diamond-shaped. The medallions may contain florals and foliage and are frequently repeated in rows across the fabric.
Medallion fabric: Heydon from Jim Dickens.
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Moroccan trellis is a particular lattice form in which the repeating cell combines rounded and pointed sides. The result is more curvaceous than a simple diamond trellis while retaining a strong repeating geometry.
Moroccan trellis fabric: Horse Trellis from Barneby Gates.
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Moire has a rippled, watery or woodgrain-like appearance. The visual effect may come from the finish, weave or contrast between matt and lustrous areas, producing the familiar 'watered' look.
Moire fabric: Jacopo by Zinc.
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Motif fabric uses a recognisable object, figure or symbol as a main component of the repeat. The subject can be almost anything, from pineapples and bees to cars, animals or decorative emblems.
Motif fabric: Pineapple Royale by Sanderson.
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Ogee is based on a flowing double curve, often described as a pair of opposing S-shapes. When repeated, the outline can form pointed oval or onion-like cells across the fabric.
Ogee fabric: Juniper Ogee from Thibaut.
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Ombre describes a gradual transition in colour or tone, moving from dark to light or from one colour into another. Unlike a stripe, the change is blended rather than sharply divided.
Ombre fabric from Etamine.
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Paisley is built around the curved teardrop-shaped boteh motif. The shapes may stand separately or be woven into a dense, flowing pattern with additional decorative detail.
Paisley fabric: Beverley Paisley from Ian Mankin.
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Plaid and tartan both use coloured bands crossing at right angles to create a checked pattern. In interiors the terms are sometimes used loosely, so the most useful visual cue is the layered network of horizontal and vertical stripes.
Tartan fabrics from The Isle Mill.
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Polka dot is a regular form of spotted fabric in which dots of the same size are evenly spaced across the ground. This regularity separates it from more freely arranged spot patterns.
Polka dot fabric: Georgette Dot by Ralph Lauren.
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Quatrefoil is a four-lobed shape resembling four partially overlapping circles or a four-leaf clover. Repeated across a fabric, it commonly forms a decorative lattice.
Quatrefoil fabric: Rosaline Lace by Osborne & Little.
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Scale patterns use overlapping arcs arranged like fish scales. The same basic design is also described as clamshell or fish-scale and can appear as a simple graphic repeat or a more richly decorated surface.
Scale fabric: Esther Velvet from Schumacher.
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Scroll patterns use spirals, S-shapes and flowing curves. They can be simple and widely spaced or combined into more intricate decorative swirls.
Scroll fabric: Zephyr by Weitzner.
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Striped fabrics are formed from repeated bands running across the cloth. Variations include equal-width two-colour stripes, very fine pinstripes and more complex arrangements of different widths, colours and textures.
Striped fabric: Alto Stripe from Watts of Westminster.
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Toile patterns typically depict detailed scenic or figurative subjects in a single colour against a pale ground. Traditional-looking countryside and pastoral scenes are common, although contemporary designs may reinterpret the format with very different subject matter.
Toile fabric: Cheng Toile by Thibaut.
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Trailing patterns use a branch, stem or other continuous element that flows through the design. Floral trails commonly combine blossoms, leaves and sometimes birds or other wildlife along the moving branch.
Trailing fabric: Copes Trail from Zoffany.
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Trellis is a broad family of lattice designs. The repeat may be a simple diamond framework or a more elaborate curved structure, and other motifs are sometimes woven through or placed inside the spaces created by the lattice.
Trellis fabric: Baroque Trellis in Indigo from Sanderson.
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Windowpane check is a simple grid made from widely spaced horizontal and vertical lines. The large open squares resemble window panes, which gives the pattern its name.
Windowpane check fabric: Chatham from Villa Nova.
Back to top ↑Animal print imitates markings such as zebra stripes or leopard spots. An animal motif shows the animal itself, for example a bird, butterfly, bee or illustrated jungle animal.
Botanical designs tend to show the plant more fully, often including stems, leaves and foliage. Floral patterns generally put greater emphasis on flowers and blooms. In practice there can be plenty of overlap.
Chevron creates a continuous zig-zag with the points meeting cleanly. Herringbone also forms a V-shaped rhythm, but the lines are broken and offset rather than meeting as one continuous zig-zag.
Yes. A fabric might be floral and trailing, geometric and trellis-based, or use a motif inside another repeat. These labels are best used as practical ways to describe and recognise designs.
For a final purchase decision, a physical sample is much more useful. Screen colour, scale, texture, sheen and handle can all look different in person, and suitability also depends on how the fabric will be used.
Use the pattern name as a starting point, then compare colour, scale, texture and suitability against your own room and project.
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