How To: Mix It Up

Yesterday, we asked if you mix up styles in your home. We were excited to discover that a bunch of you do mix it up (and seriously, we'd love to see some pictures!). But, if you're newer to the decorating game and not sure where to start, we have a few tips to help you mix it up successfully in your home...

Start with the backdrop: white or simple walls are a good start if your home has good bones. Otherwise, set the stage with wallpaper or paint.
Begin with one piece: often this is the biggest piece. A couch in the living room, a bed in the bedroom, the table in the dining room.
Balance out the big piece with another piece (or two) of furniture that plays off the characteristics of the first piece: In this picture, a heavy and masculine black leather chesterfield is balanced out by the curvaceous femininity of the more modern white sofa that faces it. Keep one thing similar. In this case, both sofas have similar curves.
Add something to tie the pieces together: A fluffy white rug softens the black leather sofa but, because it's white, and the same color as the smaller sofa, it makes that sofa appear bigger.
Add a third note with accessories: Colour in the paintings, the pillows and the ottoman keep your eye dancing around and not resting too long on any one element. Notice how the stitching in the ottoman reflects the stitching in the black sofa but because it's pink and round, it feels feminine.

Related Decorating Posts

[Image: Living, etc.]

Comments (19)

I recognize that pic from LivingEtc - I loved that place and stashed that issue away.

that pic plus others from the apartment is featured in the latest Canadian House & Home. the owners are two guys - with deliciously feminine taste.

I love that leaning mirror! Anyone have details?

Anyone know what's in that glass box on the coffee table? are they postage envelopes? paperback books?

I have seen that mirror at TJMaxx. I guess that doesn't help. I wanted it bad, but my DH said absolutely not.

verano - love letters

nothing like putting pillows on a leather sofa to make it look tack.

Griffin....check out ballard designs...they have really similar mirrors

I've always loved those tufted leather men's club sofas.

I think the secret to mixing styles is to have one predominant style and mix in pieces from other styles. Unless there is a clearly dominant style, eclectic will almost always just look junky. Or as some would prefer to call it, funky.

anyone know where I can get these larger rectangular style pillows?

Tacky? Uh oh, I was looking for throw pillows for our leather sofa...

We just moved into a new house and have to combine two couches from two seperate rooms:
a large sectional that is microfiber sage green and a chocolate brown leather love seat. The wall colors will be grey and we are looking for an area rug to tie the room together. Any suggestions on how to tie 2 seperate textures together.

I think the key to mixing is to look for quality pieces that have some relationship to one another. Even if those relationships may not be obvious - i.e. my grandmother's blanket chest, with my contemporary sofa. I clearly love modern pieces, but the blanket chest has a lot of memories.

alisonlynne, i think those pillows are Designers Guild.

We are proud owners of a chesterfield sofa. I tried putting pillows on it, but it did look a bit odd - it is such a showpiece for us (being our other pieces are like WAY cheaper and not as chic). and the cheap pillows (mine are cheap, anyway!) just made it look like a dorm.

My endlesss battle to design with it, for it, around it is challenging. Yet..chesterfield sofas go with everything. Ours is a lighter brown.

It's kind of hard to do pillows on leather chesterfields. I usually put them on the (non leather) chair(s) instead.

The beauty of these sofas is that you don't need to adjust pillows all the time. :D

Quiltmaster - not entirely true... you do need some sort of theme but I don't think it needs to be style or period. Color schemes can work really well. I think if you played off the the light in the space - putting pieces where they complemented the 'bones' - you wouldn't need a terribly strict color scheme, even.

But it is very easy to slide into a motley miscellany of junkiness.