Design Guide: How To Mix Different Styles In One Home

Mixing styles, eras and trends can result in clutter, clashes and incoherence. But it’s possible to get great pieces to harmonize by using simple rules. Patty Flauto, owner of Houseworks Design in Rocky River, offers tips.

Don’t work with what you don’t love
Eclectic design’s most forgiving feature is that it’s built on mixing things that aren’t conventionally regarded as going together. But that’s not permission to hold onto a piece that’s holding you down. Instead, get rid of pieces that don’t connect with you. “Call the furniture bank, drive it to Goodwill and have some courage,” Flauto says. “The things that get to stay shine like stars, because they aren’t being crowded out by other lost toys.”

Don’t go color crazy
A consistent color palette can anchor furniture and accessories that otherwise vary visually. By grouping pieces with similar shades, Flauto has seamlessly placed ancient Chinese pieces next to modern art next to ceramics by living artists. “Inform your collection and your decision-making by taking a look at everything and thinking about if you can group things by color,” she says.

Edit yourself
To avoid having your space look more like a storage unit than a well-curated home, you need to limit what you use. Flauto suggests furniture groupings and playing close attention to the size of individual pieces, varying them to bring in repetition and harmony. “Take a look at the scale and say, ‘OK, this is one really nice large piece. Let me work around that.’”