Decorating - Mix or Match

When planning your room arrangements you have many decisions to make. The size of the room, the traffic patterns, locations of the windows and doors will all affect the furniture you select. Once you have determined your spatial boundaries and made a list of the furniture pieces that you require, it's time to add some descriptive details to the words on your list; sofa, love seat, chair, tables, area rugs and lamps.

As you shop for furniture items to fit your needs, notice how may room settings are configured with matching fabrics on the upholstered furniture and that are flanked with identical tables and pairs of lamps. You must decide if the matched set look is for you. Of course there is no possibility of an uncoordinated look when all the pieces are matched.
But remember, variety is the spice of life.

The matched vignette in the store is meant to display the assortment of furniture pieces available in the given style. If you like the shape and style of the sofa, the staged arrangement lets you know there are also smaller versions, the love seat and chair, in the same shape and color. The design of the wood end table is mimicked by that of the cocktail table and sofa table. The lamps are shown in pairs to give a balanced appearance to the display. Various sizes of area rugs may be layered on top of each other to show the available selection.

Sameness is a great way to merchandise a furniture store for the ease of the customer's selection. In your home, that same matched look is too predictable. That's not to say that no two items can be the same fabric or wood finish or size. Just think about adding some variety as you make your selections.

Consider choosing a love seat in a patterned fabric if your sofa is a solid color. Or substitute two chairs, each in different fabrics in place of a love seat. Use one square end table next to the sofa, and place a round, skirted table at the other end of the sofa. There's an opportunity to introduce another fabric or color. Selecting tables with similar heights that work well next to the arm of the sofa is your only consideration.

The cocktail table can be of a totally different material, such as a glass or marble top with a metal base. The shape can be oblong, oval or freeform to fit the space. Lamps need only be of a similar scale, so the lamp bases and shades can have their own personality. Select a unique area rug for the seating area and a different shape or style for the walkway and other areas in the room.

Art work hung in pairs is a pleasant option on the wall, but of course you wouldn't duplicate the same picture twice. Similar frame profiles or finishes on different pieces of art will blend your unique art pieces when displayed together. An assorted collection of grouped accessories is always more interesting than the same three bowls or vases arrayed on a table top. What creates a more visually attractive display on your bookshelf, a matched set of encyclopedias, or a variety of colorful and unique book titles?

Are you concerned the eclectic mixture of furniture pieces and accessories won't look good together? As long as you have chosen a coordinating color pallet and sizes appropriate to you room space, your selections will blend together perfectly.

Instead of a roomful of mirror images, every lovely furniture piece will be unique to your room arrangement. Each carefully selected item will stand on its own.