Fashion Meets Interior Design: Check’er Out!

The checker pattern has been used for many years in a variety of ways. Of course when we think of this pattern, we think of the game of Chess, the checker flag used in car races, or maybe the floor in your grandmother’s 1950s kitchen. Although it has been used for many years, this old pattern is not as old-fashioned as we think. It has come a long way and has made its way into contemporary room designs and fashion pieces. Whether it’s on a piece of fabric, a soft or hard material, this repetitive pattern always seems to make a bold statement.

When using a repetitive pattern like the checker pattern in a room's décor or outfit, I like to keep everything clean and simple by using mostly black and white.  I then select an area of focus where the checker pattern will be placed, and for the final touch, I like to add a pop of color. Using a bright color against the black and white gives the room or outfit some pizzaz.

For this outfit that I styled, I was inspired by this very cool and contemporary living room designed by Jeff Andrews. This is a good example of a black and white room design with a pop of color and a subtle mix of texture and prints. He used the checker pattern on the floor around the perimeter of the room and kept everything else pretty neutral throughout using black and white and some tan and brown. The chartreuse green curtains and accent pillows brighten up this room and break away from all of the black and white. This minimal use color gives this room a soft and comfortable appearance. He also added some natural earth tones with the tan carpet in the center and the natural plants. Jeff Andrews is a renowned Interior Designer who designs for celebrities including reality stars like the Kardashians.

Living Room Designed by: Jeff Andrews

 If you walk into any store in the mall right now, you can’t miss all the black and white outfits on their displays.  Black and white is so on trend this season. I happened to run into this cute checker pattern turtle neck crop top and knew I had to have it. I saw checker print leggings, dresses, and skirts, but I found this top was much more appealing. I styled it with this puffed black skirt to give it a soft feminine look. The shoes were also a great find being that they too have some square shapes on the design of the straps. I have an obsession with pretty much any shade of green and yellow. I used neon green as my pop of color for this black and white outfit. Since it is a bright color, I used it only on my nail color and my clutch. The rest of my accessories include silver hoop earring and a black and silver beaded necklace. The necklace is very special to me because it belonged to a dear friend (jewelry designer) who passed away. This necklace complements this outfit beautifully and adds a bit of contrast with the mix of square and round shapes.

Black and Silver Beaded Necklace: C/O Jule's Jewels   

Checker Pattern Crop Top: Easy Pickins | Skirt: Charlotte Russe | Jessica Simpson Clutch: TJ Maxx | Merona Heels: Target

 

Check out the location of my photo shoot! I grew up down the street from this great location in downtown Trenton. The dome shaped building is the planetarium, which is part of the NJ State Museum where you can find old artifacts of the native American Indians that settled in this region many years ago. If you're ever in Trenton, be sure to stop by the museum and planetarium for a fun learning experience.