Most of us do it. And many of us struggle with how to do it right. I’m talking about mixing decor styles. There are a few tips for mixing decorating styles that will help you mix things up in your home and do it brilliantly! Today let’s chat about mixing decor style and doing it right!
Mixing decor style is a good thing to do! It make a room look interesting and unique. With a few savvy and sensible tips, you can be confident about using different styles in your home.
THE 80/20 RULE
Our living room is what I like to call “relaxed elegance”. The mood is relaxed and comfortable. But as a bit of formality and upscale pieces. And it is a mix of three styles. All those styles in one little room? Yes, I’ll show you why…
Many things in this room would be considered Transitional Style. The sofa, the curtains, the spindle chairs, the rug, and the coffee table.
There is also a bit of Farmhouse style too! The white buffet, baskets, tray on the coffee table, and lamp on the buffet
The table next to the sofa is distinctly french. But it’s more of a provincial piece that works well with the rest of the decor in our living room.
Here’s a rule that I use to make the styles in this room work together..
THE 80/20 RULE
The ratio of 80/20 should always be kept in mind when mixing styles in your home. 80% should be one style type, and 20% make up of the rest of the style (s) you lean towards.
Most of us love more than one style and celebrate these styles in the way we decorate our homes. But just like all things, we need to think about a balanced approach to mixing those styles.
Here’s an easy formula that works every time because it has been tried and use for so long with amazing success…
Choose one style to be the predominant style and then add in other styles you love in small doses.
The 80/20 rule is a great rule of thumb and an easy way to remember that about 80 percent of a room should be in one style and 20 percent in others.
You can change the percentages but only a bit! If you want to incorporate three different styles in a room try 70-20-10. Seventy percent the dominant style. 20 percent another style and 10 percent another.
And here’s a great tip…
It is easier to mix decor styles if most of your furniture is updated classics. Choose larger or big-ticket items that are classic and accessorize with other decor styles.
CONSISTENT COLOR PALETTE
Using a color palette that is tight will help a space looks more put together and cohesive even when the styles aren’t.
Too many colors and too many decor styles can be a distracting cacophony. Remember it’s all about mixing decorating styles and you want the styles to play nicely together!
The tighter the color palette the further apart on the decor spectrum your style can stray. Yes, you can have a mid-century modern room with bohemian and farmhouse accents if your room has a very cohesive color palette of three or four colors.
BALANCE
Balance is a keyword when mixing decorating styles in your home. The styles you choose for a room should be distributed throughout the space.
Triangulate, or use an accent style in three different areas of a room.
Who knew decorating was truly a balancing act?
You can read all about the DECOR ELEMENT OF BALANCE AND HOW IT WILL HELP YOU BE A BETTER DECORATOR HERE.
Balance should be carried to the floor and the walls as well. Use rugs, flooring, wall decor, and shelving to balance the styles in the room.
FOCAL POINT
Every room needs a focal point. It’s the first thing that our eyes rest on when we come into a room. A focal point sets the tone for the entire room!
Use a wow factor item, the largest piece of furniture in the room or an unusual item be the focal point in the space. By establishing the focus, you can easily place other complementary pieces throughout the room to create a perfect mix of decor styles.
Yes, this really works… and works like a charm. If you have an outlier piece of furniture it can be the focus of a room and the rest of the room built around it.
I have a friend who had a huge Italian stone mantel and wanted to bring it into her living room. At a glance, it did not look like it belonged alongside her mix of traditional classics and French country. But when it was placed in her living room on her longest wall it created a focal point for the rest of the furniture to be built out from.
BUDDY UP WHEN MIXING DECORATING STYLES
Accent decor pieces should have a “buddy” so the space in a room feels balanced and cohesive. They can be matched based on color, shape, size, or the overall style. Feel free to play around with the placement of decor and smaller pieces until you see the space fitting of your personal style.
SAME VIBE
Nothing will throw a room into confusion like mixing the mood of a room. If the room is casual keep the elements in it casual. Juxtaposition has its place in decor and does work successfully in a room with different styles. But for a less than seasoned decorator, it might be hard to pull off.
If you want a no-fail approach to mixing decorating styles keep the mood of the furnishings the same.
If your room is beachy and breezy keep things beachy or neutral. No moose heads and seashells. Got the idea?
PILLOWS BRIDGE DECOR STYLES
Pillows are your friend when mixing decorating styles! They are everyone’s favorite and can not only add style but color to a room. And it’s so much easier to mix in pillows with a different style than furniture!
Pillows can get away with breaking a whole lot of decor rules. And they can also bring together many styles too! Make sure to incorporate pillows into every room!
THE LAST WORD
Most of us have homes that share more than one or two decor styles. And guess what? That makes our rooms and homes so much more interesting and personalized!
Just follow these simple rules when mixing decorating style that works together and look fabulous!
You might like these decorating posts…
- THE RULE OF THREE
- HOW TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT FOR A BEAUTIFUL ROOM
- 5 BIG DECORATING MISTAKES AND HOW TO FIX THEM
- VISUAL WEIGHT IN DECORATING
You might like this ebook 50 (MORE LIKE 100) INSPIRATIONAL DECORATING IDEAS…
I recently did a lot of updates to our 27 year old colonial. Our primary wood pieces range from formal cherry in the living room to light cherry casual in our family room. We do have a common paint color throughout the house along with all creamy white lined sheer draperies with the same simple rods throughout. To add a more transitional look throughout I either reframed artwork in simple brushed gold frames, or eliminated some pieces entirely. Then we bought all new lighting throughout including dining area, lamps, etc. It made such a nice change and everything works together. Next purchase is a new transitional sofa for the family room – but our granddaughters love our current sofa and they love to have popcorn parties and snacks so we’ll just wait a bit until they are a little older. We want them to have wonderful memories of spending time with us and not remember fussy old grandparents always nagging about spills. It’s a light neutral color than I can spot clean if I need to.
You are so right about memories being so much more important than an updated sofa! Good for your and your family!
Yvonne, I just love your pillows. Through the years I’ve purchased a few when you’ve supplied the information. Please let us know where you purchased that gorgeous floral pillow that looks like a watercolor! Hopefully it’s within my budget! Thank you
Hi Susan, see them here:https://rstyle.me/+r2LvCwl9aIKDDkDYiMYWyQ They are so well made and they are reasonably priced!
Thank you for the source for your new pillows, Yvonne. I have been looking high and low for a print like this one and boom, there you are! These are lovely in your great room. I ordered mine this evening 🙂
I think you will be so happy with it!
Where did you get the blue and green floral pillows?
Hi Elizabeth you can see them here:https://rstyle.me/+r2LvCwl9aIKDDkDYiMYWyQ They are beautifully made and reasonably priced.
Can’t help but notice those fern leaf prints on your walls. Are those new? Would love to know the source. Thank you
Hi Susan, they are new. I found them locally but I am working on getting a link for them.
Thank you for the great decorating tips. Your home is just stunning.
Thanks, Kim! So nice of you!
Where did your get the pillow on the white chair ? You have the picture under the heading of 7 tips on mixing decorating styles ???
This is a popular pillow! You can see it here:https://rstyle.me/+r2LvCwl9aIKDDkDYiMYWyQ
Where did you get your curtains and rug?
Hi Lauren, the curtains came from Ballard designs and you can see the source for the rug at the end of the post. Happy Summer!
I, too, am interested in your rug but unable to see the rug info at the end of the post. Would you mind directly posting info here?
Happy to help, Cher. Here you go:https://rstyle.me/+HsiXMInJqK-c2O1OPmRoUw
Hello! I tried getting the 50 Inspirational Home Ideas book and when trying to confirm only got a 404 error. Would you please send me the book? Your ideas are great and so easy to follow. Thank you. Carol
I have a lot of dark wood furniture. I have an antique buffet cabinet that I would never paint or alter, so I cant paint my dark wood and my current furniture is med-dark. I would love to see some decor revolving around the dark wood. I would like to brighten it up.
Thank you,
Heather
Hi Heather, I think StoneGable might not be the right blog for this need. There is no way I can do posts about dark furniture since my whole color palette is neutral. So sorry! However, there are so many other posts that would be helpful!
Hi Yvonne I loved this blog it dealt with the isues Ihave with mixing style so well .Ihave a question could you in the future do a blog on doing master bedroom Itend to lean to wards very girly and Iam not sure if it is to much and what your take is on that as Itrust your expert advice and taste thankyou.
I have many posts about our master bedroom. Just type the words master bedroom in the little search box at the top righthand corner of the blog. I have so many ideas for every season, and bedding and nightstands and headboards and more. Look around!
I am in love with your chairs… where did you get them if I may ask? Thank you!!
The spindle chairs are a classic! You can choose the finish and fabric of these chairs. See them here:https://rstyle.me/+t80cR9AUMdIlTLZ0OUoNFw
I always love your way of designing, explaining and overall helping us, your followers, how to decorate and make our homes not just a home, but a beautiful yet comfortable place to love and smile a we sit down and appreciate the improvements made. Thanks to you for being the fabulous designer you are. Thank you. Thank you.
I am struggling with deciding on a shade of white for my walls of a very bright room. What is the paint color in this room? And do you recommend using a flat paint for walls and then the same shade in a semi gloss or satin for the trim? Thank you!
Yes, use flat paint on the walls. You can touch them up and they look freshly painted. We used semi-gloss on all the trim. Hope this helps.
Everything is a delight to the eye and welcoming. Can you share the color of your white walls?
Hi Julie, my walls are Simply White by Benjamin Moore.
I love your pillows and I use them as well. I need a little help with pillow etiquette. Do I take them out before guests arrive or let them figure out what to do with a pillow in the chair? If I’m the guest what should I do with the pillow so that I can sit?
I don’t take them off. I’m not sure about pillow etiquette. When someone wants to sit down I just say. You can either enjoy leaning your back on the pillow or toss it on the floor. Hope this helps.