We’ve all been there – inherited hand-me-down furniture that doesn’t seem to go together, an eclectic mix of styles from different periods, or impulse buys that looked great in the store but seem mismatched at home. While matching living room sets used to be the trend, designers now suggest taking a more creative approach to coordinating spaces. With some designer tips and tricks, it’s completely possible to make mismatched living room furniture work together in harmony.
Why Matching Furniture is Out
Interior design has moved away from the days of stiff, overly matchy-matchy decor. Buying identically matched sofas, loveseats and chairs can make a space feel generic, impersonal and frankly…a little boring. Instead, mixing colors, textures, styles and periods is in. This blending of furniture allows you to add personality and visual interest to your living room.
Strict uniformity feels stale. An artful mix of pieces makes a space feel curated, collected and layered over time. It’s the difference between a showroom and a home. Designers encourage this eclecticism because expressing your unique style should be the priority when decorating your own space.
The Case for Thoughtfully Mismatched Furniture
Embracing mismatched furniture unlocks new possibilities for self-expression. You can reimagine family heirlooms or flea market finds in a new light, repurposing items you already own. Mixing old and new is more budget-friendly than buying a completely new matched living room set. It allows you to add special vintage or antique discoveries into the mix.
Thoughtfully mismatched furniture has an effortless, collected look. It feels like your pieces were acquired gradually over time, each with its own story. This layered look gives a space depth and character. Don’t be afraid to break free from “rules” about everything matching – with some designer guidance, you can confidently bring together all sorts of unique pieces into a cohesive living room.
Tips for Tying Mismatched Furniture Together
It’s all about creating balance. Follow these interior design techniques to thoughtfully tie together your mismatched furniture:
Complementary Color Scheme
Pick a cohesive color palette for your largest furniture pieces like sofas, sectionals and chairs. Neutral linens and warm wood finishes are easy to mix and match. Then repeat accent colors from that main palette throughout the space – throw pillows, area rugs, artwork and accessories are great ways to do this.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with deep, bold accent colors that pop against neutral foundations. Just be sure to echo them intentionally in other elements like decorative objects and pillows. Keeping an overall color balance is key.
Texture Mix
Vary the textures in your living room furniture and decor. Combine the smoothness of leather or linen upholstery on sofas with the cozy softness of wool knit pillows and throws. Layer in organic textures like rustic jute rugs and live edge wooden coffee tables.
Mixing materials like woods, metals, glass, ceramics, and rattans can also add visual interest. Just be sure to repeat textures purposefully, so they feel harmonious rather than haphazard.
Style Bridging
Blending furniture of different styles can feel daring, but pairing contrasting pieces can create real excitement in a space. Try juxtaposing streamlined modern sofa shapes with ornately carved vintage chairs. Or mix farmhouse whitewashed wood furniture with sleek metallic tables and lamps.
The key is finding common design threads to bridge disparate styles. Whether it’s complementary colors, shared geometric shapes, or natural wood elements, use transitional touches to pull styles together into a collected look.
Repeating Elements
Echo design details throughout the space to create cohesion. If your coffee table has curved solid wood legs, bring in end tables or accent tables with similar wooden cabriole legs. Or if your sofa has tufted buttons, find an armchair with that same upholstery detail.
Using the same hardware finishes on lighting, tables, and decorative objects is another subtle way to pull the look together. The repetition doesn’t need to match exactly – just keep common finishes and details consistent.
Living Room Layouts that Work with Mismatched Furniture
Furniture placement is key to making a mismatched living room flow. Try these living room layouts to optimize your space:
- A U-shaped sectional is very versatile for defining spaces in an open floor plan. It creates an inviting seating area for conversation.
- Face sofas towards the TV, then float accent chairs nearby to create a viewing area. Ottoman trays can unite mismatched coffee tables.
- Cluster seating in a modular way around an area rug to divide seating areas. Repeated colors in the rug can tie furniture together.
In general, break furniture groupings into defined zones rather than scattering pieces randomly. Floating furniture away from walls makes the space feel more open and cohesive.
Style Your Space
Use coordinating accessories to tie mismatched living room furniture together:
Pillows and Throws
Layer pillows and throws in complementary colors and patterns onto mismatched sofas and chairs. This creates harmony and softens hard edges. Solid tassel pillows can contrast with patterned embroidered ones.
Rugs
An area rug visually defines a seating area, and offers the opportunity to pull in accent colors that complement your furniture. Layering a sisal natural fiber rug under a wool one can blend textures beautifully.
Lighting
Overhead pendant lights, table and floor lamps create ambient light throughout the space. Repeating brass finishes or geometric shapes makes lighting feel cohesive.
Artwork
Curate a gallery wall that picks up accent colors from mismatched furniture below. Mixing frame styles can complement an eclectic furniture mix.
Case Study: A Mismatched Living Room Makeover
To see these tips in action, let’s walk through a living room makeover:
Before
Julie loved thrifting and estate sales, so she had accumulated quite the hodgepodge of hand-me-down and secondhand furniture. While each piece had character she adored, her living room felt cluttered and chaotic rather than curated. A brown floral sofa clashed with green patterned accent chairs. Meanwhile, an ornate glass coffee table competed with a rustic wood trunk serving as a makeshift side table.
After
To create cohesion, Julie kept furniture placements loose and floated away from the walls. This opened up floor space. She layered sisal and wool rugs to zone spaces, and tucked a tufted ottoman between mismatched sofas to unite the seating area.
Cushions in harmonious hues of blue, green and ivory repeated across seating. A wooden tray on the trunk echoed coffee table elements. Gallery wall art reinforced the color scheme. Julie’s once disjointed room now felt serene and put-together, with each beloved piece enhanced by the whole.
With a little planning and stylistic finesse, you can create living room harmony using mismatched furniture. Keep these tips in mind:
- Pick a cohesive color palette and repeat it intentionally throughout the space
- Blend complementary textures like smooth linens and nubby knits
- Bridge disparate styles by echoing shapes, frames and finishes
- Use rugs and lighting to define and connect furniture groupings
- Pull together seating areas with coordinated pillows and accessories
Next time you feel stumped by inherited furniture that doesn’t seem to match, take a deep breath and embrace the challenge. Part of the beauty of mismatched furniture is working thoughtfully with pieces to give them new life in a space. Experiment, take risks and most importantly, have fun putting together your own unique look. The results will have so much more heart and character than a store bought matchy-matchy set. Don’t be afraid to shake up conventions and decorate with your one-of-a-kind style on display.
