The Beauty of Mismatched Rooms
To truly show off the glorious personality of your rooms, practice the art of mismatching
I believe in mismatching. It’s practically my motto.
Bedroom sets kind of give me the willies. I just can’t stand anything that looks like it came right out of a catalog or, worse yet, off the showroom floor. All that matchy-matchy stuff lacks a personal touch. And it usually has the personality of an earthworm (meaning blah).
I much prefer a room with lots of quirky personality. And it’s not so difficult to achieve. You can make a room full of ragtag patterns, colours and styles work; all you need is a single unifying principle, something that brings everything together so the room doesn’t look like a thrift store.
Obviously, an eclectic room works well with this philosophy. But you can also have a more formal setting. Behold, 12 mismatched beauties.
Bedroom sets kind of give me the willies. I just can’t stand anything that looks like it came right out of a catalog or, worse yet, off the showroom floor. All that matchy-matchy stuff lacks a personal touch. And it usually has the personality of an earthworm (meaning blah).
I much prefer a room with lots of quirky personality. And it’s not so difficult to achieve. You can make a room full of ragtag patterns, colours and styles work; all you need is a single unifying principle, something that brings everything together so the room doesn’t look like a thrift store.
Obviously, an eclectic room works well with this philosophy. But you can also have a more formal setting. Behold, 12 mismatched beauties.
Bright white unifies this jumble of dining chairs, giving the set a modern Scandinavian farmhouse look.
Check out these killer table and chair combinations
Check out these killer table and chair combinations
This mixes colour and pattern. But it also mixes feeling or, as I like to say, vibe. The ikat has an ethnic, boho thing going for it, while the pillows are more traditional. Mixing it up keeps the area from looking too themed.
Oh, I just love this. It’s like cottage shabby chic with all sorts of patterns and colours thrown in (check out that bright red wall). A neutral focal point (in this case, the white sofa) allows you to play around. What brings it all together is warm hues.
What can I say? It just works. Mostly because the exuberant pattern is kept to three places, and the rest has a really low profile.
See these extraordinary wallpaper looks
See these extraordinary wallpaper looks
Colour, pattern, era – it’s all a mishmash. And yet it’s all warm, welcoming and well put together.
Big, wide-open architecture, a dainty footed sofa, a modern red chair, patterned curtains and a bold striped rug. The matching things in this room are those two white table lamps.
I love the look of layered rugs. As long as they are the same basic weight, you can go crazy. They give a room that lux, boho, exploring-Medina feel.
It's all mixed up, but it sure is elegant.
The closest this comes to matching are the two lamps and the colour yellow. Otherwise, it’s an exuberant mashup of iconic (Andy Warhol) and personal (the wall of snapshots) with a lot of citrus colours thrown in against an aqua backdrop. Amen.
Isn’t this lovely? Something about black walls really adds gravitas to a room. But the decor itself is a mixture of traditional, ethnic, formal and modern. Plus, there’s that tongue-in-cheek Union Jack pillow.
Read more:
20 Fabulous Colourful, Eclectic Indian Homes
Tell us:
Have you experimented with the magic of mismatched interiors? Share images and your ideas in the Comments below.
Read more:
20 Fabulous Colourful, Eclectic Indian Homes
Tell us:
Have you experimented with the magic of mismatched interiors? Share images and your ideas in the Comments below.