Polka dots are playful, quirky and capricious. And they are not just for kids’ rooms, as many people seem to think. They have the power to infuse your home with offbeat quirkiness, and go with just about any décor theme there is.
We bring you inspired and joyous dotty ideas for every room. Here’s to decorating with polka dots!
A Dash of Playfulness
Time to get cozy! In this contemporary living room, the staid grey sofa gets a dose of playfulness with a bold polka dotted woollen throw. We’d love to add a pile of dotted cushions too!
Dotted Terrazzo
A statement wall in terrazzo-styled dotted wallpaper livens up this quirky seating corner, all done up in pastel shades of peach. The pretty cushions mimic the theme.
Quick Upgrade with Cushions
These cushions get it just right, with bold designs worked around a polka dot theme! The solid mustard cushions inject bold colour to the black and white palette.
Graphic Makeover
Give your teenager’s room a graphic makeover, with a peppy black and white printed duvet and matching pillows. The simple decal on the wall does duty as a headboard, even as it livens up the décor.
Accessorize Your Table
Polka dotted patterns in robin blue take centre stage in this pretty-as-a-picture dining table set. Add a set of dotted spoons and mugs, and you’re all set for a lively brunch party!
Teddy Loves It Too!
It’s a given that kids love polka dots, and this teddy bear certainly looks happy in this polka-dotted room! Extending the theme, gorgeous gold polka dots on white are repeated in the toy carry-all as well. While this room is done up in a two-tone palette, splotches of colours would liven up the décor too.
Size Does Matter!
Whatever anyone may tell you, size does matter, and how! This 3-dimensional graphic pattern adds a quirky touch to your child’s playroom, with large shiny red balls embedded in the POP wall.
Add Style to Your Home Office
Polka dots are lively, colourful and loads of fun! Dotted cushions and a dotted table lamp spice up boring workdays, animating this work-at-home setting.
Brighten Up Your Dining Table
Meal times can be fun times, too! Replace your dreary, tired table mats with this energetic set of table runners and mats, and see the difference.
Take It in Small Doses
Love dots, but scared to take the plunge? Start small, with these restrained, elegant dots embellishing a side cabinet. We love the way the black and white dots playoff against silken shades of pale pink.
Garden-Fresh Polka Dots
You can never go wrong with polka dots! Fresh-cut blooms sit pretty in a charming dotted teapot that’s doing double duty as a vase.
A Whiff of Whimsy
A bedroom corner goes from plain to stylish in an instant, with the addition of floor-to-ceiling curtains in playful dots!
Barely There
Bold or subtle, big or small, there is a polka-dotted theme for everyone. Tiny dots set the mood in a bedroom linen set that garners just enough attention, while the polka-dotted headboard emphasizes the pattern.
Dots in Your Bathroom
Here’s a super quick retro upgrade to your bathroom décor! Circles and dots dominate this smart bathroom interior, both in the wallpaper and the shower curtains.
A Walk Down the Polka Dot Memory Lane!
While polka dots are a much-loved décor trend today, there was a time when they represented unpleasant taboos. Hard to believe? In medieval Europe, polka dots were shunned as they reminded people of skin blemishes and blood spots, signalling diseases such as tuberculosis and smallpox, which were very prevalent at that time.
Way back in 1857 was when this notion changed, and for the first time ever, polka dots were celebrated in an American women’s lifestyle magazine called Godey’s Lady’s Book. A few decades later, Miss America, Norma Smallwood, was photographed in a polka dot swimsuit and started the polka dot trend in the fashion industry. The world fell in love with polka dots when Walt Disney dressed Minnie Mouse in a red polka dot dress with a matching bow.
Pretty soon Hollywood took over the polka dot craze and Elizabeth Taylor, Lucille Ball, and Marilyn Monroe were seen in flamboyant polka dots. And then, of course, Brian Hyland took the world by storm with his peppy song “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” The rest, as they say, is history!
We’ve had fun collating these pretty polka dot ideas, and we’re sure you loved them too! Ready to inject some whimsy into your home? Do check out the HomeLane experience centre, and meet with our amazing designers. Get started with the home of your dreams!
