Design Notebook: Matchy-Matchy No More

When working on an interior decorating plan, professional designers pull from many sources to create a beautiful and harmonious look. Having the confidence to pull furnishings and accessories from many different sources is the hallmark of a good design professional. Each project we work on should be unique and appropriate for the clients, yet also represent our own viewpoint and style. After all, our client’s usually find us because they’ve seen our work, either in person or in a photo, and like what they see. 

Avoid the Pitfall of Comparing Your Home to a Retail Showroom

If you are not planning on hiring a design professional to create a beautiful living space in your home, there are still many resources at your disposal.  And while this is great news, there are some design pitfalls to avoid. One of the most powerful influences on home decoration over the past decade, in my opinion, has been the Pottery Barn catalogue. Pottery Barn managed to pull together a broadly appealing product list and present it in an attractive manner. From the wall colors to the furnishings and accessories, the mass appeal of the PB catalogue is undeniable. In the past, I’ve even had clients tell me that they love the Pottery Barn look and would love to have that style recreated for them. My response, don’t waste your money on me, simply pick a page you like and order everything in it. Of course, I’m being a bit facetious, but the bottom line is that it’s perfectly acceptable to basically do just that. PB and other home stores have spent a lot of money creating these designs, to make it easy for you to make decisions and purchases.  As I said, it’s acceptable, but it’s not particularly creative or personal to you.  After all, do you really want your living room to like exactly like your next door neighbors? Probably not.

How to Mix and Match Furnishings

So, the trick is to learn to mix and match your furnishings and accessories to create a truly personal space, while still taking inspiration from our favorite retail stores. One of the principal mistakes one can make is to order a matched set of furnishings. Look at any shelter magazine on the market today and the one thing you will never see in a space is a grouping of matched furniture. The matching sofa, side chair and ottoman collection is overused and completely lacking in creativity and design interest. Likewise, the matching side table and coffee table. The trick to creating a unique and attractive space is not matching furnishings, but coordinating size and proportion, while mixing up the styles, fabrics and finishes. Here’s a quick tips list for creating a personalized look that is coordinated but not dull.

The Keys to Developing Your Own Aesthetic

1)      Select the sofa or side chair that is most appealing to you. If these pieces are part of a set, take note of the dimensions of the other pieces in the set and use this as your blueprint for choosing coordinating furnishings from other lines or other stores. This way, you know the sizes will work, while breaking out of the matchy-matchy rut.

2)      When it comes to tables and chairs, matching woods and finishes is great, but there is no need to match the styles as well. As with the upholstered furnishings, take note of the dimensions of the matching pieces in a collection and use that as a guide to the size furnishings you should be looking for.

3)      Include at least one patterned or highly textural fabric in your plan. It could be a stripe on a sofa, a corduroy covered ottoman or flowers on the rug.

4)      Mix and match lamp bases, but use all white or off-white shades to maintain a well-coordinated, but not too matchy, look.

5)      Add pops of color with throw pillows, chair cushions, decorative accessories and fresh flowers.

Break out of the mold and have the confidence make great selections from a wide array of choices, it’s fun and the results can be personal and beautiful!

This is the third blog in a series of interior design blogs by Boston interior designer Linda Merrill, of Linda Merrill Decorative Surroundings.