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Most decorative stitches require a design with some shapes big enough in which to stitch them. In an intricately rendered and shaded floral design or pastoral scene, the only space large enough may be the background. Even just doing the background can turn what could be a tedious single color activity into a more pleasureable one with enhanced results. A decorative stitch done in a single color or closely related colors may exhibit a texture more than a pattern, and this can be used in more subtle ways to give a dimensional quality to the work (for an example, see the background of the Oak Leaf Sampler).
Of course, there are designs that are perfect for decorative stitches. They are the ones with a lot of big shapes and subject matter that cry out for decorative stitches: things that include patterns and textures in real life, like peoples clothing, quilt designs, samplers, houses, animals, etc.
Needlepoint Pattern Series I