How to Get Inspired with Buffalo Plaid and Decorate your Home Creatively

No matter the season buffalo plaid is always in style. It’s a perennial classic.

No wonder we are drawn to it season after season, year after year.

With its bold black and white palette, it’s at once a neutral as well as a fun statement look. It’s hard to miss.

Welcome to The Design Twins! We’re so glad you made it here…whether it’s your first time or you’ve been with us for years.

We’re Jodie and Julie. Yes, we’re twins. We love to decorate.

We’re a little giddy about it in fact. Let’s talk about one of our favorite styles today: buffalo check.

Whether you choose to call it

• black and white check,

• buffalo plaid,

• buffalo check,

• black and white plaid, we love it all the same.

Buffalo plaid can look at home dressed up or down. It has its origins in the country.

But black and white is such a classy look that it is right at home on Madison Avenue as well. So don’t be afraid to dress it up.

Believe it or not, the cute buffalo plaid pillows above I got on Amazon, and I love them. 

Get Creative: You Get to Decide

Whether your style is subtle, classic, creative, or even whimsical, you can have fun with buffalo plaid as a backdrop or “sounding board” to your decorating style. You can keep it simple or take it to new heights of creativity.

It’s all up to you.

Think of the brands that use signature black and white check like MacKenzie-Childs, for example.

This brand takes traditional influences and creates whimsical, artistic, sophisticated designs.

As they illustrate with their designs, there’s no end to what we can create.

Decorate Outside the Box with Buffalo Plaid

I love to think outside the box and use a pattern I love like buffalo plaid in new ways. In my dining room I decided to add black and white check to my table by using a roll of wrapping paper.

I love using wrapping paper for many reasons:

1. inexpensive
2. recyclable
3. covers more of the table for a dramatic look
4. when spills happen just throw it away
5. endless options

or black and white

Use Buffalo Plaid to Create Cohesion Throughout the Home

It’s easier than you think to create cohesion throughout your home.

You don’t need everything to match. You don’t have to have every room painted the same or matching curtains throughout. If you take one color or one element and carry it through the rooms, it can go a long way to create a cohesive feel.

• For example, a powerful element like buffalo plaid carried through a home can do a great job to create unity.
• You don’t have to go crazy. A piece here. A piece there is enough to carry the theme through.

Simple Ways to Tie Rooms Together

• A pillow on a bench
• A buffalo plaid rug at the entry way
• 1-2 elements per space to tie spaces together
• You don’t want to overdo a theme.

Buffalo Check Makes a Statement

Use a buffalo check tablecloth to make a big statement.

Look how great this table looks covered in classic black and white check.

Round

or square

Black and white is the perfect backdrop for so many color schemes.

It works great in all seasons.

Plaid is Perfect with Fall Decor

For example, buffalo check is great at play here with pumpkins and autumn leaves.

Plaid loves the contrast of bright colors that the seasons bring.

This table was so inexpensive to create. I bought many of the items from Amazon, including the high-quality buffalo plaid cloth napkins. They wash and wear easily, so you can use them without any fuss or worry.

Here are the same ones I purchased.

Buffalo Check Works in All Seasons

Whether you choose spooky accents or colorful fall, buffalo plaid goes well with it all. It is an ideal choice to coordinate with your year-round seasonal decor.

Buffalo Check Christmas

Think about how gorgeous buffalo plaid is at Christmas.

There’s nothing we love more than a Christmas tree decked out in buffalo plaid ribbon. 

In fact, green and red buffalo check ribbon are fabulous at Christmas time. 

Buffalo Plaid Makes a Statement All on Its Own

Buffalo plaid is statement enough to stand on its own. It is a bold, fun statement to be your one and done theme if that’s how you like it. If you want to add more, go ahead. If you don’t, keep it clean and simple. 

Look again.

Imagine this table without the color. I think it would also be beautiful with just black and white details.

You can tell I am a true fan of buffalo plaid. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Enjoy Buffalo Plaid All Year Long

Have fun using buffalo plaid in your home all year long. Use it with a light hand or go big and bold. Make it your signature statement or add little doses here and there. There is no right or wrong way to use this classic pattern. 

As we love to say, it’s your home. You make the rules. If you love it, then it’s right.