It is a truth universally acknowledged (is that the best and most adaptable line ever written?) that most of us don’t buy all our furniture in one go. Even in a newly built, newly renovated, house there will always be pieces that have come from previous homes or previous lives (not always just our own). This means that most of us will be dealing with a mash up of styles and periods and that’s before we get into contrasting tastes and shared dislikes. Now I have spoken about the so-called red thread before, but today I thought I would give you nine tips for mixing furniture styles together.
Find Common Elements Between Different Styles Of Furniture
Try to find a connection between them – that can be the color of wood or the shape of the piece. For example, a modern glass topped coffee table might have brass legs that go with something else brass in the room but is in contrast to the heavy wooden media unit – that might also have a glass door. If you have a marble clock then try to make sure there is something else marble in the room. If you have a brass lamps then perhaps you have brass legs on the coffee table, or a gold picture frame.
A beautiful coastal kitchen with modern concrete and wood cabinets, a rustic dining table, mismatching vintage chairs and a blue lamp.
A beautiful living room that includes a creamy modern sofa, a rustic vintage stained coffee table and an elegant vintage midnight blue credenza.
A bold dining room with a black credenza, a mid-century modern dining table, modern and vintage chairs, a catchy pendant lamp.
A bold dining room with a modern sleek white dining table and vintage chairs with mismatched upholstery that blend perfectly creating a mood.
A bold living room with elegant and stylish decor, with a vintage fireplace and a console table, a mid-century modern sofa, vintage grey chairs.
A bright dining space with a vintage wooden table, bright mismatching modern and contemporary chairs, acrylic chairs, colorful printed rugs.
Stick To One Main Piece
If you fell in love with a fab oversized chandelier, you may choose the rest of the furniture to somehow echo with it and don’t give it anything to compete with. Instead use it as the starting point and try and echo its shapes and materials around the room. Surround your centerpiece with simpler styles and items to make it stand out – these items will create a neutral backdrop for your unique item.
A bright living room with a bookcase with bright lining, a vintage blue credenza, a bright checked chair with a matching footrest and a mirror with a pretty frame.
A chic living room with a modern grey sofa, black leather chairs, a mustard chair, a wooden coffee table and an inlay side table.
A creative dining room with a faux fireplace, an industrial dining table, mid-century modern and industrial chairs and industrial lamps.
A dining space with paneling, with a large vintage rustic dining table, stylish taupe benches and mid-century modern chairs plus an industrial meets rustic chandelier.
A gorgeous vintage home office with a vintage bureau, a modern metal chair with pink upholstery, tiles on the floor and vintage lamps is wow.
A home office with a grey storage unit, a large rustic table and vintage black chairs and black pendant lamps is amazing.
A light-filled breakfast nook with a modern built-in bench with pillows, a vintage round table and rustic woven chairs plus a pendant lamp.
Consider The Scale
A large lamp on a small table doesn’t always look cool and you really need to be confident in what you are doing to pull that off. A massive modern modular sofa will look ridiculous next to a pair of small vintage chairs so keep the proportions similar until you feel more confident in breaking the rules. Easier instead to contrast a curvy sofa with two square wooden side chairs that are different periods rather than different sizes.
A lively dining room with a wooden bench and printed upholstery, a rustic dining table, mismatching retro, vintage and industrial chairs.
A lovely dining room with a vintage table and vintage mixed upholstery chairs, a mid-century modern loveseat and a vintage poster gallery wall.
A moody attic bedroom with dark floral wallpaper, a chic mid-century modern to art deco upholstered bed with bright bedding, a vintage console table.
A neutral living room with a white sofa, a rustic stained coffee table and woven pendant lamps, a gallery wall is small yet welcoming.
A rustic neutral dining room with a stained storage unit, a stained wooden dining table, white industrial chairs, a neutral vintage chair and a series of glam chandeliers.
A Scandinavian dining space with a wooden bench and table of mid-century modern style, stained and painted chairs and a black pendant lamp.
A small dining space with an aqua dining table, mismatching vintage and industrial chairs, a wooden stool and a bright gallery wall.
A stylish farmhouse living room with a modern brown leather sofa, a rustic living edge table with hairpin legs, rattan chairs and a mirror in a wooden frame plus a boho rug.
Link The Elements Of The Room
Make sure there are small connections between all the pieces in the room. To check it out, find out if everything connects to at least two things in the room to give it a reason for being there. Try making lists of furniture and doing that kids’ quiz game when you have to draw lines to find the pairs and link the objects. Not everything has to link to everything but you should be able to zig zag between the main elements.
A stylish living room with a creamy modern sofa, graphite grey chairs, a living edge coffee table and a mid-century modern side table.
A vintage neutral living room with a non-working, a black leather sofa and a brown chair in vintage style, a modern coffee table and leather woven stools.
A vivacious living room featuring mid-century modern seating furniture, a bright boho pouf and a round rustic coffee table looks very organic.
A vivacious sunroom with a mid-century modern pink loveseat, a vintage bright daybed, a modern built-in windowsill daybed with bright pillows.
Mix Up Textures To Create Interest
You should do this in any room regardless of how many different styles you are trying to marry but it’s also relevant here. Try and incorporate linen, velvet and cotton or woven fabrics into your soft furnishings. Consider glossy black picture frames with matt black elsewhere. If you have patterned stripes on one chair then you might want to echo that with corduroy on another chair or even black metal legs on the coffee table. These are all the tips concerning mixing furniture styles, how to make your space stylish and add interest to it, take a look at the ideas to get inspired and mix and match your furniture!
An eclectic dining room with a vintage stained dining table, white Scandinavian chairs, a vintage black chair and a bright gallery wall.
An eclectic dining space with a rustic trestle dining table, mismatching vintage and modern chairs, hanging bulbs.
An eclectic home office with a shabby navy desk, a plywood chair, a gallery wall and a swirl pendant lamp and lots of natural light.
An eclectic space with a vintage non-working fireplace, a large industrial dining table, a vintage stained file cabinet, layered rugs, artworks and books.
An elegant dining room with a large oval dining table, vintage stained chairs, an arched mirror in a black frame and blooms.