apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

OK, others might disagree, but I think these two styles will not go together harmoniously. I think they are too opposite to play off each other.

Since you already own the sofa, I would forget about the shabby chic chairs and look for vintage or new pieces that share the same clean, streamlined look.

I'm all for mixing styles but I do think these two are too extreme to work. I try to keep things like this in separate rooms but it sounds like you're wondering about them living closer together at your place. I'm decorating a new place and I'm finding it hard to settle on one style, too. I think your place will be more successful (and less risky) if you try to limit the styles a bit more. Maybe a sofa with clean lines but not the sharp angles? If you do decide to go for it, it will probably turn out anyway though. I've seen lots of examples here and in the new book with different styles mixed together that looked great.

Modern and Vintage do go well together - but vintage chairs needs to be cleanly-tailored in bold patterns or solids, not in loose-fitting tea-stained slipcovers with ditsy flowers.

If by "shabby chic" you really mean the kind of pastel, slip-covered thing, I agree that it would be a really tough combination to pull off--one is all about straight, clean lines, while the other one is all about puffiness and wrinkles. As bepsf says, you could definitely get chairs that are not super-modern, but they should be in the same general ballpark, i.e., tailored.

Perhaps this is the drawback of having enough money to pick out a couch when you are only on your first apartment and are not settled in your design taste. I had hand-me-downs and random garage sale items for many years, so by the time I could buy my own couch I had a better idea of what I liked and didn't.

I'm thinking no, unless you're extremely talented decor-wise.

I agree that it would be tough unless you've got a natural knack for decorating, however, I'm going to be the odd man out and say ABSOLUTELY GO FOR IT.

I've seen this trick done in BHG all the time. What they do, when they have two completely mismatched pieces of furniture, is to play upon the ACCESSORIES to tie them together. Example: You have a neutral, modern couch, and a neutral, shabby chic chair. Add a punch of color to both, such as pink throw pillows on both, or a pink throw pillow on the chair coupled with a nice pink throw on the back of the couch.

It absolutely can be done. You just have to tie two completely different pieces together with something similar. Good luck, and maybe AT will let you post pictures of the room when it's done!

You might be able to pull it off, but pieces too disparate can create a sense of confusion if you're not careful. I personally might use the modern sofa if the rest of the room were shabby chic, but not vice versa. Do you remember Fraiser's dad's green recliner?

No. If you have to ask if it goes -it doesn't.

I think an eclectic mixture of furniture is often more amazing in a room than a bunch of matching furniture. However, to pull it off I think one has to have some sort of innate design sense and also an abundant amount of confidence in one's vision. When you have to ask a design blog if a couch will work with a chair you probably have neither of these.

no.

Do you already own all of these pieces or do you need to purchase them?

Don't buy that chair with the slip cover because it's ugly. But if you already own it, you should totally rock it out.
Make it awesome.

Here's my philosophy: don't play it safe! it's your house, it's your space! experiment! if something doesn't work, change it later. I purposely try to put the craziest stupidest pieces colors and textures together in the same room. it's all intentional and i think it's awesome.

i don't have a problem with people who stick to one style but if you want to put those 2 pieces together you should do it. i can see many ways that they can work together.

if you want to go antiqueish on the chairs, try midcentury modern instead (it might be overused lately but it will definitely be easier to work in with that sofa).

alternatively, if you are really set on both, you can slip-cover the sofa in the same fabric as the armchairs (make sure the slipcovers are long enough to cover the metal legs). this way, you still have the clean lines, but it's a lot easier to mix the different styles.

my last word of advice is to be extremely picky about the coffe table that you throw in the mix. even if you get the sofa and the arm chairs working together, the wrong coffee table can easily throw this room off.

good luck!

with all due respect to svetla, I would absolutely NOT slip cover that sofa with anything, especially not the same exact fabric as the chairs. let the sofa be its own thing.

i think the problem with the chair you have pictured is the slipcovers themselves. take off the slipcovers and what's underneath is probably better.

yes.



As Janel said, keep in mind scale, texture, color and shape -- scale and color being the two organizing principles I would use. Look at European design magazines for inspiration -- they do this all the time, and are better at it.

re: Frasier's dad's recliner

good design marries well with good design; bad doesn't

If you had a larger country space I would say you may be able to pull it off using some of the tips above. But - since you're in such a small space you run the risk of looking cluttered at best, unfocused & random at worst.

Modern is a great solution for small spaces. The clean lines and restrained material expand the sense of space and lessen heavy volumes. A couch with a slipcover will feel 100 times heavier than a couch up on legs.

You can still bring in some elements of vintage style - lots of midcentury and scandinavian pieces can be had on craigslist and ebay - usually for not much money unless they are by big name designers. Find pieces that have character, speak to you, and maybe have a few stories to tell.

Let the furniture tell the story of you. If you love this and you love that and dare to do whatever you want, eventually this should work. Choosing this one and that one and stopping will be too little and weird. If you love this and you love that and then deliberately choose things because they're safe or immediately available, it will weaken your strategy and design overall. You got too scared of making a mistake and it will show. Investing a lot in furniture pieces you aren't sure about is not recommended. Letting a lot of people tell you to conform to one or the other strictly will inhibit you, and it will show. Maybe you don't love the chair, but don't let the sofa tell your room how it has to look.

I'd say no way, but then I'm not a fan of shabby chic (usually means junk as far as I can see) and only "mcm" is getting more than a little tired as a style (though I love some modern pieces, which I think are classic).

The couch seems too boxy for the curves on the chairs.

Maybe soften the couch with throw pillows.

Otherwise, I'd say thumbs down to that couch.

Straight clean lines will work, but that couch is very, very square.

A bit off, but I think that Scandinavian style is a perfect example at what "shabby Chic" SHOULD be.

My opinion of course.

Devils advocate, why come up with shabby chic if scandinavian is perfect.


I am tired of people marring good furniture to make it look old. Making poor quality furniture to make it look old and giving it a poor paint job all in the name of shabby chic.

I see old furniture with peeling paint and I think of Lead paint, I need to strip it and re-stain/seal/paint.
Even the old roof trim shown here (called porch railing) to sort mail was shedding paint. I wouldn't want that mess.
I can't do links here, y'all have to remember on your own.
It was recent.

I don't like the couch with the chair because the couch is so very , very square.

Straight clean lines will work, but that couch is hard to match with any thing that isn't square and sparse.

no, no, no, no, no, please, no, no !

Not necessarily the items pictured. But there are ways of mixing pieces. Here's an example:
http://casasugar.com/1568569

Look here, scroll down to When White Works:
http://www.funkyutopia.blogspot.com/

And this one:
http://www.bhg.com/app/decoratinggallery/item.jsp?itemid=/templatedata/bhg/dg-room/data/LR_modernvintagelivingroom_12052003.xml

There are bits and pieces from many styles in each of those photos. The last one, there are sharp edges, modern, and vintage. Which is probably why they call it Modern Vintage living room. Ha!

The image in the Funky Utopia blog from Domino is very modern, but they have what appear to be twin white fitted sheets on the sofa, totally softening the look.

The image that Funky Utopia has from BHG, you could replace several items in that room, and still have harmony, so that you could have the white Barcelona instead of the current armless love seat.

And a more modern or more vintage looking coffee table.

You could have a lot of fun with this idea. Notice how at Funky Utopia, that bottom picture, the sofa is quite angular. What softens it? The throws folded on the chaise portion. The softy throw pillows that look very extra squishy. And that table that does have a vintage appeal.

Other things could be rolling tea carts, that can appear both vintage or modern depending on the finish and what you put on them, like these:
http://woodsgood.ca/teacarts.htm

That would make for awesome end tables, and they could be moved if you get the casters. You could use a pair for end tables and if you get an urge to rearrange the furniture, use the pair as a coffee table, together.

Are you seeing what you like? Are you feeling it? Do you know what I mean? These mixes will outlast fads, because the rooms aren't all of any one style. No one will walk into your home and say "Oh, it's THAT look, that's so last year." Because it's a smattering of many styles.

Here's another page, mostly to read, and there are some links to other pages here:
http://designtalk.homevisions.com/2007/04/16/modern-furniture-traditional-style-mark-cutler/

A lot of that is too "formal" for my liking, but there are a few ideas to snag! Like checking out each one of these renovations in the portfolio:
http://www.markcutlerdesign.com/

One idea that is snaggable, the use of bountiful soft draperies in image 4 of the New Asian Villa.

That gives the whole room a softness, without which that fireplace opening would be very angular. You see?

You like?

I think you can mix the two styles:mod shabby chic. But, I think you're going to end up with something totally different alltogether. But, I think that's ok. So, get rid of the labels.

Personally, I do not think that particular chair will work with that sofa. A tighter fitting slipcover would work better. I think you need to make one of the styles your "bones" and easily incorporate the second style.

Make a list for yourself of what each of the styles stand for (colors, textures, patterns, types of furniture, lighting, window treatments, etc.) and cross reference them.

Go for it. My boyfriend and I just moved in together and my apartment was shabby chic and his was all clean lines. Add to that that my colors were muted and his bright. Here is our combined living room. Still a work in progress and lots to do, but I think it's working out ok. The key was accessorizing to bring the two together.

http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x37/dhorlivy/apt/?action=view¤t=Picture009-1.jpg

Provided that the scale of the two pieces is similar, I think it could look great. I do think that the idea of having both pieces in white is a bit much though; I would cover the chair in something bold and floral, but in a vintage-y Hawaiian barkcloth or something similar, not a girly print. Have fun with it.