How to Mix Match Living Room Furniture and Love it
Everyone seems to be obsessing about home decor these days. I mean, we are spending more time in our homes though, aren’t we? So let’s chat about how to mix match living room furniture and love it! No more stressing about needing everything perfect.
Do you have to match furniture?
I get asked this question a lot. And I truly love the answer, which is a resounding NO! No, you do not need to have matching furniture. In fact, I believe rooms are more interesting and cozy when you mix furniture styles and furniture pieces.
Let’s back up a second to trends. Looking at trends at this moment in 2023, not only is mix and match furniture styles on the rise, but so is taking it back to a different time period. People are loving that mid century style of lots of visual interest, different materials, and lots of color. I’m not saying I’m ready to go back to avocado green and orange, but mixing furniture styles is on trend, and I’m here for it.
So, NO you don’t need to match your furniture. And frankly, forget about trends. Your overall theme should just be AUTHENTIC YOU for a truly beautiful space!
Is it okay to have mismatched wood furniture?
Once again, this is an easy answer with a ‘shout from the rooftops’ YES! It is okay to have different styles and wood finishes. Light woods can mesh with dark ones, and painted furniture styles can go with any color palette. The rules of decorating are that there are no rules. But of course, there is always a way to create an overall design that is pleasing to the eye.
A mix of design style can definitely have common ground, and visual weight and visual balance are always key things to consider. But whether you love neutral shades, or something more striking, mixing furniture styles and woods should be a reflection of what you truly love.
How do you mix and match living/family room furniture?
Let’s chat about mixing furniture in one of the busiest rooms of the house, the living/family room. The living space in a home needs different pieces for all the activities it hosts. The sofa, side tables and more, chairs, cabinets, and accessories all should add visual interest at first glance. And mixing styles and textures will achieve that in the room.
Let’s take a close look at each example, and cover some tips for getting it right.
The sofa or sofas
This usually ends up being the largest piece in most living spaces, and will probably get the most wear. I love to have a slipcovered sofa, so I don’t have to worry about keeping the piece looking good, especially with kids or pets around. And frankly, husbands. The sofa should be the proper scale for your room, and the coffee table should match the scale. If presented with the dilemma, I would rather go bigger scale on the table versus too small.
The style of the sofa does not need to match furniture styles in the rest of the room. Eclectic mixes are creative and most pleasing to the eye. For me, allowing the different styles of furniture to tell the story of the many facets of you is creative and appealing. With the sofa being the largest furniture, you can quick match the tone or shade to other elements like rugs or accent fabric. However, don’t stress too much, as an exact match is not necessary.
Chairs
Let’s say you have a sofa with clean lines. Yes, matching pieces will create a calming space, but if you want to mix and match, say goodbye to furniture sets. To mix furniture styles, choose chairs that have a different arm or possess a different shape all together. Add texture with a wicker chair, or a wood frame. These elements will provide that eclectic style that makes rooms so inviting.
Chairs also don’t have to be purchased in a pair. You can mix and match the styles that best suit your space for balance and function. And a chair is a great place to add patterns.
Tables
Within a living space, there might be many tables. From a dining room table that may be viewed from the room, to a coffee table, side table, or a sofa table, these come in all shapes and sizes. These should create function for the room, and are the best place to mix styles in a space.
In my space, no two are matching. They are all a mix of scale, style, shapes, and even color palette all mixed into one room. The thing that works about it mostly, is that they are all pieces that we love. This is the most important feature of any interior design.
The dining room can be seen from our living space and is where we mix furniture styles even around the table. There are a pair of upholstered chairs at the ends, a bench on one side, a set of side chairs to use as needed, and 4 chairs on the other. All the furniture pieces are a variety of woods. All these elements work harmoniously in the room, and create a casual mood that we love.
Cabinets and cupboards
Cabinets and cupboards provide extra storage in living spaces. These are best when they don’t match furniture in the room, yet enhance the look. Open cupboards will allow a place for mixing décor, showcasing frames with photos, or beloved collections. For more tips about collecting vintage, read this post.
These storage spaces are also a great place to add a pop of color. As an example, this blue cabinet in our living space stands in the center of the room. It brings a nod to the patterns of blue found on the sofa on one side of the room, and a wink to the pattern on the wall on the other side. Having a consistent color thread through a space allows you to play with patterns, mixing styles and shades to tie the space together. A variety of shades are interesting to the eye, without being too much.
Accessories and extras
I believe every room needs a bit of fun! In my living room, the piece that gets the raised eyebrow is this bust of David. I won this years ago at a White Elephant Christmas Party where it started out terracotta and looked like a giant Chia Pet. After a bit of paint, he became a conversation piece that sits atop a pedestal that is a family heirloom. He definitely creates a certain mood.
All the accessories in this room have meaning. Many are family pieces, or items I have found while out searching for vintage, but each tells a story. Choose items to create collections, a mood, or a focal point. The interest is all in the mixing of styles and textures, and creating the vibe you are looking for.
Should the coffee table match the dining table?
Whether these items are in the same room, or open to each other in neighboring rooms, they do not need to match. Frankly, the seating doesn’t even need to match the wood on the main piece. However, they should harmonize, and create balance in the space.
The look of mix and match furniture will give you freedom to embrace inherited pieces that you love. Look for things to tie the pieces together so they mesh, without competing with one another.
Should all my furniture be the same color?
May I just answer this question, absolutely not! Even if you want an all white space. A variety of tones and shades will keep your eye moving around the space. Textures and mixed wood tones will keep things interesting in the décor as well. Create balance with colors and features in the pieces for a living area you will truly love to live in.
Mixing furniture styles
Gone are the days of the matching dresser, full furniture suite, and boring spaces. It’s time to let your living areas become a true reflection of those people who use it and live there. When you see something you love on Pinterest, seek to use it as an example of vibe and glean tips of how things are put together. Don’t copy, just get inspired and make your living rooms speak to you and provide an example of memories you’ve shared with family and friends.
I hope these tips have inspired you to create a living area that you love, and that is a reflection of those who live there. For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest.
