Some couples are daring when it comes to mixing decor trends. They’ll choose one trend for the living room and another for the dining room. But is this the best way to go about it? Or will your home look like an assortment of different styles? Here are some tips on mixing decor trends in a way that looks chic and pulled together.
Choose Only A Few Colours
If you use too many colours in one space, each piece in the room will start to stand out and demand attention. As a result, the room is more likely to look chaotic and disorganised than quaint, unique, or eclectic.
Selecting a few colours you like and keeping within those boundaries regardless of the style will help the space feel unified regardless of the design combinations in play. A key strategy to remember is to “spread the wealth”, meaning that the same colours should repeat throughout the furniture, decorations, paint schemes, etc., to make a room more cohesive.
Keep A Constant
One way to make differing decorations work well together is through patterns. A motif that’s used throughout a space with combined styles ensures that there is a sense of balance and connectedness. For example, using mirrors of different styles to present a similar theme or choosing rustic wooden decor with the same stain as your favourite industrial-style coffee table.
A great way to maintain a theme throughout your entire home is to choose a pattern on a sofa, armchair, or another piece of furniture and then subtly (or boldly!) use it in decorations in different rooms.
Draw Attention To The Oddball
Sometimes, we make a design choice or add an unusual decor piece because it reminds us of a favourite person or an unforgettable vacation一or because it’s a Christmas gift that we must display. Often, these oddball items won’t entirely fit in with the rest of the design scheme, and that’s okay!
These unusual items can be great centrepieces or focal points within a room. However, if you want to tie it in more seamlessly with the design of the room, use tips #1 and #2 to make your statement pieces fit in just a little bit better.
Match Your Wood
People often assume that the wooden furniture and decor within a room (or an entire home) should be of the same colour, but it is arguably more important to have items made from wood. It is because the kind of wood affects the grain, the sturdiness, and the overall look of the wooden furniture and decor.
Mixing wood stains is a personal preference, but if you decide to mix, it’s best to keep the number of shades to a minimum to maintain harmony within your home.
Have A Theme
When acting as your interior stylist, it’s essential to identify your theme before diving in with more than one design style. A consistent theme will help you combine different styles more effectively and make your space feel like a completed puzzle instead of a few stray pieces.
When choosing a theme, it can help to think about the mood you want to convey with your unique style or how you want to feel when you’re in your home (or a specific room). Want your home to feel like a cosy nature retreat? You might love the bohemian/rustic look. Do you want to clarify that you live in the modern-day while keeping your pops of colour? A modern/eclectic mix could be right for you.
Flooring
Like white walls, a neutral foundation can help tie everything together for a harmonious feel. Start with a solid off-white rug to help you build a bridge when looking to mix interior design styles with confidence.
Simple neutral flooring will help tie everything together while keeping the eye moving to a home on the various elements housed in a room.
Details Make All The Difference
Even in small doses, mix interior design styles by building a masterful blend of finds that work together on various scales. For example, it could be as easy to overlook a classic key motif edging the top of a table, with similar finishes that veer towards the traditional, stunning and familiar patterns.
This way, you’ll avoid looking random and disorderly while injecting a sense of play from room to room.
Layer Away
By mixing tonal fabrications, a concise colour palette, and no more than three design styles per room, you’ll be able to mix interior design styles with ease.
Note how the room featured above manages just that thanks to a series of small furnishings that keep the feel light yet full of visual interest.
Make Grand Gestures
It could come in the form of a major sculpture, an oversized exotic plant, or architectural elements like the slim columns featured above.
A Concise Palette
Again, keep a rule of three’s and create a layered room tied together with a colour palette of three hues for the ultimate way to mix interior design styles.
And though a juxtaposition of three completely different hues sounds intriguing, our interior designers suggest going tonal and working with shades next to each other on a colour chart to keep the process easier but just as rewarding.
Add Classic Elements
Because everything in a room doesn’t need to look brand new or from the same era, mix interior design styles by bringing in beautiful finds that are antique and new alike.
It could be an Art Deco era console paired with a modern sectional or tablescapes brought to life with a varied mix of antique market finds.
Embrace The Traditional
As we’ve said before, plan on layering away when looking to mix interior design styles by combining the old and the new. For example, any room should have two more traditional furnishings to keep the look grounded while remaining compelling.
Colour Palette
Restrict your colour palette to subtle hues and pastels for fabrics and walls. Light colours always make the room look spacious. According to your furnishings, you can mix and match green, yellow, red, or blue shades to go bold. You can break the monotony of bright hues with shy pastels here and there.
Unifying Pattern
Do not overwhelm the place by piling up the patterns without any restrictions. For example, if you have floral wallpaper, avoid hanging murals or wall pieces as it will give a messy look. Instead, a self-themed wallpaper will do better justice to your wall pieces. Likewise, you should not combine a heavily carved carpet with patterned upholstery.
Furniture
The eclectic interior draws its energy from contrast. It would be best to create a common ground to make the space gel. Contrasting furniture of different periods, like traditional and modern, can be accommodated very well if they have the same wood shade. A simple dining table can be mismatched with varying styles of chairs, hailing from traditional to contemporary. Mismatched wood pieces can be brought closer to the same shade by polishing.
Focal Point
While creating a hybrid design, there could be that one piece of design that may be hard to accommodate. Try to make that piece or a mirrored wall a focal point. Highlight it in such a way that it should stand out. Suppose it is a piece of antique chest box: use it as a centre table piece by putting a glass top. Combining different elements can work wonders if designed aesthetically.
Use A Theme
Select a particular theme while doing your interiors. It could be a simple theme that runs around your house in uniformity. However, a successful hybrid design has innate similarities. Colours are always a safe fallback point when detailing whatever theme or style you combine.
Functional Pieces
Mixing design and style for creating a perfect interior can be flawless when done thoughtfully. However, while incorporating hybrid interiors, avoid going overboard by overcrowding. First, choose the most functional pieces designated for that room. For example, the most practical piece of a bedroom is a bed. Then, incorporate other furniture in the room, keeping in mind the aesthetic of that room.
Break The Rule
‘Don’t mix old with new!’ I think this is the most underrated statement. How boring would it be to stick to a single style or period? Embracing the old with the new should be your character’s trait, but this thumb rule can be applied while doing up your house. An easy way to go eclectic is to consider your room’s architecture.
If you live in a period house, then incorporate some contemporary lighting, accessories, modern artefacts, or drapes to highlight some contemporary features.
If you live in a modern highrise building, choose an antique mirror, a Persian carpet, lantern shades, and an ethenic chandelier. These features will add a touch of royalty to the contemporary backdrop.
If it is a standard house, you can use both modern and traditional pieces to give your house a new dimension. Practicality should be the key when you design a house. Your house should be a reflection of your personality.
An effortless combination of period furniture with contemporary style and accessories is an in-thing. However, if your aesthetic allegiance does not allow you to follow a definite design style, then a mix-and-match interior is your cup of tea.
Go Against The Grain
It’s hard not to love hardwood, but too many styles can start to clash, creating visual confusion. If you’d like to have multiple types of wood furniture in a single space — especially in a room with wooden floors — try to establish a theme or pattern that helps tie individual elements together. For example, you can try repainting old wooden furniture or applying a stain so that your colour palette looks more cohesive.
You should also think carefully about how the new colours could blend (or clash) with the existing scheme in the rest of your home. Our tips on choosing a colour scheme for your home might make it easier to find a palette you love. (Don’t forget about incorporating pastel colours, either!)
Make A Statement
When you mix and match multiple styles, it’s almost inevitable that certain items, possibly even a few that you love, will stick out as “off-theme.” So make that something to celebrate! The black sheep of your furniture collection can also be its star, becoming the focal point for the entire room.
Choose one or two items to highlight as statement pieces, no matter what decor you have. You can place them in prominent positions, draw attention to them with light, or let them speak for themselves!
Decide On A Colour Palette
Deciding on the colour palette should be your next consideration. When mixing old and new and using lots of interesting individual elements, there isn’t such a need to add dramatic colour to your walls, for example, to create added impact. For that reason, a neutral palette is generally the most successful as it allows the pieces within the space to shine.
However, if you want to add a touch of colour, it’s best to think bold, so it doesn’t get lost. It’s also imperative to unify the scheme and create a backdrop to the furnishings by choosing the right flooring. Hardwood is the best way to achieve this, but other solid surfaces can work equally well. Fitted carpet is generally too ‘suburban’ for this genre, although rugs, particularly tribal or geometric designs, anchor the room and bring in warmth unpretentiously.
Mix Old And New In A Successful Combination
A room that cleverly combines old and new is cohesive and calm; there’s no single ‘feature’ item, and the eye travels from one design to another, taking in the style of each. To ensure your rooms are stylish, not chaotic, every item used must be of good quality or beautiful in its own right. Combine and group pieces to allow the individual charm of each to be appreciated, and it’s better to use items that contrast in period or look than those that are simply a ‘bit different. For example, combining a heavily carved armoire with the clean lines of colourful Panton chairs will produce a juxtaposition that allows both to be appreciated individually.
It’s also important to be aware of the scale of each piece within the space, as getting the proportions right is essential to how furnishings relate to one another, particularly when creating an eclectic scheme. Oversized designs are generally better than undersized ones; for example, pendant lighting is some of the most impressive schemes that combine contemporary seating with vintage chandeliers and classical mirrors.
Creating The Right Balance
Mixing different styles within the same scheme works if there is a balance between the numbers of pieces used. For example, one Georgian sideboard thrown in with a few Chinese and contemporary pieces will stand out for the wrong reasons. Instead, distribute designs, so they aren’t grouped in their periods or styles. If you have inherited a vintage piece of furniture, helping it to fit in can be as easy as finding a few accessories from the same era to tie it in.
While the room’s look is important, a successful eclectic space comprises smaller vignettes. For example, imagine taking photographs around the room for a magazine – if you can find several areas that produce exquisite snapshots, you will likely have achieved a stunning final space.
Conclusion
Social media platforms and interior design blogs may cause you to feel like your entire home should conform to one style. However, in reality, many people mix styles to create their own, making a space unique and personalised. Using the tips in this article, you will be able to mix and match different styles more seamlessly by sticking to only a few simple rules.
Remember, your home should feel like it’s yours. It should communicate your personality and sense of style and should be a place you feel comfortable in一you’re the one living there, after all. So take interior design advice with a grain of salt, put your spin on things, and create a space that works just for you!
Faqs
Is It Okay To Mix Design Styles?
You can mix things and play with different styles when choosing furniture, art, and accessories. However, it’s good to keep the architectural elements consistent throughout.
Can You Mix Different Interior Styles?
You can decorate with pieces from more than one period or style as long as you find similarities in colours, wood tones, lines, and scale to pull it all together. When mixing interior design styles, ensure balance by placing pairs of pieces of the same style in a room so that one doesn’t look out of place.
Is It Okay To Have Different Styles In Different Rooms?
You can design any house room in a certain theme or style; for instance, if you want the kitchen to have a rustic look, you can easily do so even if the lounge is more modern or a mix of the two.
How Do You Mix Modern And Farmhouse?
A neutral and cohesive colour palette helps keep the Modern Farmhouse style from feeling too eclectic. You can go with a variety of neutral tones throughout your space for added contrast and warmth, but keeping all the tones in the same colour family grounds the look.
How Do You Combine Aesthetics?
The two different aesthetics should either share a colour palette or contain colours that contrast each other pleasantly.