Having sets of furniture is a great way to add cohesion to your rooms. However, recent trends have shown that mixing and matching pieces from different sets, styles, materials, and more can be chic and still look put together. Here’s a few tips on how to mix and match pieces of furniture without looking overloaded or messy.

Focus on Your Faves

Figure out what piece or pieces you’re in love with and base your room design after that. You’ll want to stick around a central motif or theme so your style doesn’t get too out of hand. Even the classic boho styles tend to focus on a few strong elements to tie the room together.

An easy theme to stick with is a central color palette. Choose pastels, cool tones, or whatever color inspires you to center your concept. It may also make it easier to find pieces when you know what you're looking for.

Repeat Yourself

When it comes to mixing and matching, repetition is your best friend. Solid aesthetic threads that tie the room together make a world of difference. Match aspects like table lamps or pillows, or try to find common fabric patterns that you can bring to multiple pieces. An adorable pouf with the same fabric of your chair can create a feeling of symmetry without being too matchy.

Along with fabrics, pick a particular accent color to bring throughout the entire room. If you use neutrals, this can be particularly helpful. A bright green ottoman matched with a similarly shaded vase and art piece will add a feeling of unity and draw the eye around the room naturally.

Additionally, make sure you’re matching the scale of your pieces of furniture in the room so you don’t unbalance anything. Try to keep your kitchen chairs all at similar heights so you don’t risk drawing the eye in a weird or uncomfortable way. This isn’t a steadfast rule, but make sure what you do has symmetry to it. For example, you could have smaller chairs on the sides and a set of taller, upholstered chairs at the head of the table. You could also use a bench for one side of the table’s seating as well to create a functional yet interesting design.

As for scale, make the sure perceived weight of the furniture is balanced, even if it doesn’t match exactly. If you have a particularly heavy farmhouse table that you’re basing a room around, lightweight chairs may look a little strange next to it. The same can be said with plopping a massively heavy armchair in a room furnished entirely with slight, modernized furniture.

Change it Up

Now onto completely different advice: variety. Play with different styles of furniture without worrying if they’re in the same century. A well-loved leather couch may pair wonderfully with a modern looking end table with clean lines. Try different arrangements and try to figure out the piece you need and space you think needs filling. Then see if the styles that intrigue you may work to suit your needs.

When mixing patterns, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First, mix the size of the pattern. A tight and small floral ends up working really well with large patterns like a chevron. This way they complement each other without battling it out. It’s also helpful to pick one pattern to “dominate” the space while the other merely accents it. Try mixing different textures as well. A beaded pillow may end up looking great on a plush suede couch with a soft, faux fur blanket.

Would You Like to Try it With Wood?

Of all materials, wood may be the most feared to mix and match. But it can be done! And easily too. One thing to watch out for is the undertones in the wood. You’ll want to match those together so you don’t create a clash in tone. Mix cool undertones with cool ones, and warm undertones with warm ones.

Create a buffer between your two wood pieces in order to give the eye a break. Putting a rug underneath your wood table so your eye stops before it hits your hardwood floor is a good idea. Plus, now you get to play with more patterns!

When in doubt, get the white out. Pairing wood with white is a classic design technique that you can definitely utilize in your mixed and matched space. Mix your wooden pieces next to white furniture, or paint problem wood pieces that you’re afraid to use white. This works on several fronts as it can stop your space from seeming overwhelmed with pattern, wood type, and color.

There’s really no right way to mix and match different types of furniture. Find some strong pieces, play around with the styling, and make sure you pay attention to detail. You’re sure to find yourself with an effortless-looking, eclectic room.