Mixing modern furniture with more traditional styles is easy if you follow a few simple rules.
Today's style is all about finding your own look. No one wants a room that looks like it came off a furniture showroom floor. You want to infuse it with your own personality. But with blending of households, gifts from well-meaning friends, inherited furniture, and impulse buying, it's hard to combine all those assorted styles into one cohesive unit. Finding the right balance is the key. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Go through magazines and pull out the furniture photos that appeal to you.
Go through magazines and start collecting pictures of furniture that appeal to you. Pay attention to what draws you to that piece. You will either be driven by color, texture, or line. Once you determine what your basic style is, you can embellish it with other styles that either create harmony or contrast.
2. Keep the style of your house in mind when selecting your furniture.
Keep in mind the style of the house. If you live in a classic Victorian or an Art Deco house, you're probably in love with that look anyway, so your basic style is a given. Use the house's style as your starting point to assemble a collection of furniture.
3. Follow the 80/20 rule when decorating.
Follow the 80/20 rule. Mixing styles can easily become chaotic unless you let one style dominate the others. Once you figure out your style, let 80 percent of the furniture and fixtures be in that style. The other 20 percent can be given over to the different style or styles that you also enjoy. You can create harmony by using similar woods or colors, or you can create contrast by adding a totally different color to the mix.
4. Understand that some styles just won't go together. For instance, Victorian works with Edwardian, Asian, formal English, and French but not with contemporary; Arts & Crafts style blends well with contemporary or country but not with formal English.
5. Add accessories. If your style is contemporary, 80 percent of your furniture and accessories should be solid colors and 20 percent should add in multiple hues or patterns. If you're more traditional, patterns should dominate, and the solids should add visual breathing space to your decor. Include some decorative lighting to create interest. Choose rugs that complement each other, not ones that match each other.
Tags: basic style, create harmony, each other, Follow rule, formal English