Most of us have furniture pieces that are a mix of styles but often our rooms end up looking like a mish-mash rather than the eclectic look we want. Mixing traditional and contemporary styles can be a little tricky, but it’s also a fun way to experiment with contrasts. By being aware of proportion and having an element that links the different styles, you can achieve a unique design scheme to suit your taste.
Emphasize the contrast of the difference of shapes, materials, textures or decorative details. For example, the smoothness of an acrylic chair contrasted with the roughness of a rustic table. Mix the sleek, straight lines of a Mid-Century Modern dresser with ornately patterned wallpaper. Pair a traditional English wood cocktail table with clear acrylic end tables or a reclaimed wood table with chrome chairs upholstered in soft leather. Highlighting one or two major contrasts in a room, but keeping the rest of the decor neutral or tied together with a cohesive color palette or recurring motif will make your room look pulled together and not thrown together.
Anchoring a room with a traditional rug, furniture and accessories, and then juxtaposing them with modern art for a surprising and interesting combination. Using similar colors in the rug and the painting can be the link that ties the two styles together.
Emphasize contrasts in everything except size. Keep pieces of different styles in proportion to maintain a sense of scale, and so that none of the pieces get lost or overwhelmed. Balance a long sofa with a long coffee table or a small nightstand with a proportionately small lamp. Use size to help coordinate items of different styles; two chairs from different periods won’t look out of place if they are the same size.
To help control collection clutter, limit your groupings of accessories to one or two interesting pieces that can help tie in different styles with a common detail. If you place a traditional vase on a modern end table, find another accessory, such as a lamp or picture frame that echoes the style of the table but picks up on the color of the vase. Or use the colors of fresh flowers to link the pieces together. Use them to complement the colors in a vintage rug or piece of drapery, or to tie in similarly colored fabrics of different periods or styles.
Furniture that has been accumulated over the years sometimes includes a mixture of styles, which tends to create a cluttered look. Try creating groupings with similar styles. Or reupholstering chairs in the same or complementary fabrics. This will coordinate various style and sizes, and help you create some design uniformity.
For a piece that just doesn’t seem to fit no matter what you do, maybe updating it will do the trick. Reupholster an antique chair in a modern color, like tangerine or cobalt blue in a fun patterned fabric, such as a colorful ikat or suzani print. Paint a traditional piece of woodwork in a fresh sky blue or fun metallic. Even a simple update such as adding a tassel to a drawer pull, or replacing a traditional doorknob with a sleek contemporary one can help a dated design element fit in with the rest of your decor.
Mixing traditional and contemporary styles to achieve an interesting eclectic look may be a little tricky, but the results are a unique design that is all yours!
