How to Mix Furniture Brands Like an Interior Designer
Your home shouldn't look like a furniture showroom.
Yet one of the most common decorating mistakes is purchasing an entire room from a single furniture collection.
The sofa matches the chairs.
The cocktail table matches the end tables.
The dining table matches the chairs, buffet, and cabinet.
Everything coordinates.
And nothing feels particularly personal.
Professional-looking interiors are usually more layered.
Here's how to achieve that look.
Find a Common Thread
Furniture doesn't need to match.
It needs to relate.
That connection might be:
Color.
Scale.
Material.
Shape.
Finish.
Design period.
You might combine furniture from several manufacturers while repeating black metal, warm walnut, or soft curves throughout the room.
Mix Materials
Imagine a living room containing:
An upholstered Vanguard sofa.
A sculptural Theodore Alexander cocktail table.
A Charleston Forge metal console.
A vintage wood chest.
These pieces don't match.
But they can work beautifully together because the differences create interest.
Don't Mix Everything
Contrast needs restraint.
If every piece has a different wood, metal, fabric, pattern, color, and design language, the room can become chaotic.
Repeat several elements.
Perhaps the cocktail table and lighting share a metal tone.
Maybe the sofa fabric relates to the rug.
Perhaps the console's wood tone appears again in accessories.
Those repetitions create cohesion.
Let One Piece Lead
Start with something you love.
A spectacular sofa.
An unusual table.
A beautiful cabinet.
Then build around it.
This is often easier than trying to design the entire room simultaneously.
Don't Be Afraid of Different Brands
Great interior design isn't about brand loyalty.
Baker can live with Vanguard.
Vanguard can live with Theodore Alexander.
Bernhardt can live with Charleston Forge.
Caracole can sit beside an antique.
What matters is the composition.
The Goal Is Collected, Not Coordinated
The most interesting homes feel as though they evolved.
Furniture was discovered.
Art was collected.
Pieces were added over time.
That's a difficult look to achieve when everything comes from one matching collection.
It's also one reason clearance furniture can be so interesting.
At ClearanceRoom.com, the constantly changing assortment encourages you to discover individual pieces rather than simply purchasing a predetermined room.
And sometimes that's exactly how the best rooms begin.