Home and Apartment by Marc

Face it; no one likes to be told what goes together, especially when it comes to expressing yourself with your clothing or home design. True style comes from mixing and matching and finding your own unique aesthetic, which we believe, if done right can make your home look and feel very cozy. Besides, who likes a room that looks as if it can be brought right out of a catalog?

Here are our 5 tips to Mixing & Matching Furniture:

1) Mixing & Matching Wood Finishes:

Known for its’sleek, streamlined lines with wood finishes that are simple, elegant and well defined, Mid- Century Modern Furniture mixes with about any style decor you already have. Because of its simplicity and the use of  materials such as metal and plastic, it's easy to  incorporate a single piece without disrupting the balance of the room. The piece below is a great way to add modern to a traditional room: our very own Mid-Century Basic Witz Credenza ($485)

2) Try not to get stuck in a time period:

If you inherited your grandmother’s antique lamp and several of her other pieces don’t feel like all of your decor has to stay in that semblance. Adhering to a single style is rarely the way to go. Be sure to combine the past with the present to keep your decor looking fresh. This allows you to pick up a classic style with a new twist. You can’t miss if you mix new with antique, rustic with refined, traditional with modern. The key is balance and knowing it's ok to express and find your style. For example, take a look at how the room below mixes the old with the new:



Photo:  Rome designed by Kipps Bay designer Richard Mishaan

3) Stay away from Sets:

Not to say anything against coordination, but if you really want to stand apart and still stay within budget, mixing and matching is the way to go. We totally understand that not everyone has a knack for design. However, we feel that limiting yourself to a single style can make your home look like a museum and stifle your creativity. For example, mixing traditional furniture design with contemporary can create a more vibrant, interesting and relaxed environment.

4) Take in consideration the weight of the furniture and your accessories:

In order to keep your room balanced  try to accessorize with lighter pieces. For example, if you have a heavy dining room table and chairs, try to lighten up on the lamps, vases, paintings etc in the room. This allows for your room to not have such a heavy feeling. According to stylist, Peter Frank, “it all comes down to contrasts: mix hard with soft, square with round, blocky with leggy. The below picture mixes traditional with mid-century pieces."

Photo: Room Designed by Darryl Carter

 
5) Some things probably should match:


Not to totally contradict ourselves, but we do think it's ok to get a little matchy match with your dinnerware. We do think it's cool to choose distinct dinnerware that adds to your kitchen's/dining overall appearance.