This week I had a call from a previous client about their home office. My client just moved into a rental with their partner and it’s not working. “Mish mash” is the word she used to describe the style. The combined furniture doesn’t work. So how can couples mix furniture with success in their new pad?
Mixing interior styles
Technically mixing interior styles aim to achieve an Eclectic style goal. Which in truth is hard to get right. Eclectic interior style mixes pieces and sometimes opposing design elements cohesively through carefully selecting items with intention and attention.
Which is why bringing a couple’s furniture together doesn’t work, because it’s not done with intention or attention. It’s just brought and dumped together.
For example, if one of you likes Scandi and brings a Scandi dining table to the new home how will that work if the other one likes French Provincial and brings a French Provincial dining chair to the mix?
It’s not that it can’t work, it can, but repetition is key. For example, in this in the case the sofa might be Scandi but the coffee table might be French Provincial.
Essentially you’re trying to balance out the number of pieces to repeat the interior design elements of each interior style.
First step for couples mixing furniture
The first step for couples moving in together is to be clear about their own individual interior style preferences.
I understand that this is probably not a priority when you’re moving but when you’re in your new pad this is a good thing to work out.
Identifying your individual style preferences will help you make your furniture work. As you will be able to identify which style each piece is and work out how to balance the mix in styles.
Next step for couples mixing furniture
The next step for couples moving in together is to choose a colour scheme. A colour scheme that ideally includes colours you both like.
Remember a good colour scheme starts with 3 colours but you can add accents if you need to. The key with colour, just like with furniture is balance.
You want to aim to have the right colour balance applied into the space of the colours you have selected.
Too much of one colour and not enough of another colour will look and feel odd and will make one you feel left out or feel that the space isn’t representative of you both.
How couples can mix furniture right
I have often worked with couples for this very reason. It’s hard to create a beautiful space that reflects two people’s individual interior style preferences. Even more difficult if there are existing and cherished pieces that are brought to the mix.
The solution is unpicking what design features appeal to you and finding a way to highlight those features in a seamless way. Which is easy for an interior designer but not so easy for the average person.
So my suggestion would be to apply a one for one strategy as per the example above. If for example one of you likes Hamptons interior style and the other Industrial interior style, try having a Hamptons sofa but Industrial coffee table. Or Hamptons coffee table with an Industrial tan leather sofa.
The one for one approach is how couples can mix furniture with success in their new pad.
