Making a Room Match Isn’t As Easy As it Seems
Scrolling through Instagram and seeing perfectly staged living rooms and bedrooms make it seem like buying the right furniture and tchotchkes will be a breeze. But sometimes it’s just an impossible chess game. Don’t forget pillows and bookshelves may add style to your room.
If you’re in the same boat, you have come to the right place. Ahead are tips on how to fix a room that doesn’t match, straight from interior designers.
1. Create a Cohesive Color Story
You can tie together a hodge-podge room by pulling recurring colors in the space.
“The best trick to fix a room that doesn’t match is to work backward and figure out what colors you have most of, then find either a large piece of art that incorporates these colors or a rug that has the majority of the colors within the design,” Monika Ross, founder of Monika Ross Design LLC, says. “This will make the space feel cohesive, and having a wide range of items you love in a room adds so much personality and creates an eclectic layered look”
Sara Bengur of Sara Bengur Interiors agrees with this point, and says righting a mismatched room takes layering and editing.
2. Pick Your Pillows
Have you ever felt like a room felt empty without a few throw pillows sprucing up the place? That’s because those decorative accents help to anchor a room. So if your space is feeling off-balance, invest in a few pillows that can help pull it back on even ground.
“Consider finding a ‘wow’ fabric that has all of the room’s colors as a starting point. Then, add in a few animal prints as an accent, paired with a few solid ones, too. I find that pillows, throws, and statement art seem to always make the room feel more polished,” Maggie Griffin, founder and principal designer at Maggie Griffin Design, says.
3. Rely on Your Rug and Pillows
If you don’t think investing in a rug with color is right for you, another option is to get an earthy rug.
“Consider a large natural fiber rug to ground the room. And you can take it one step further by layering another on top!” Griffin says. “My favorites are vintage Dhurrie, animal hide, or antique Oushank.”
4. Have Fun With Hardware
If a piece of furniture is throwing off the space, try swapping out the hardware.
By tweaking that one detail, you can make the furniture look more like the “theme” of the room, whether that’s boho or country.
5. Take Your Bookshelf Above and Beyond
If you’re a fan of random odds and ends and have an eclectic style, a shelving unit can help ground your mismatched theme.
Your books will act as a neutral and help tie in all of your tchotchkes.
