Posts Tagged ‘eclectic design’

Remember those matching furniture sets from the 80s and 90s that came with an identical sofa, loveseat, and chair? I wish I could forget them too. It’s time for a breakup – no more matching furniture sets! Here’s what to do with a matching furniture set to update it and make it your own.

Can’t view the embedded video above? Click here. Prefer to read? Transcript is below.

Hey everyone, Lesley Myrick here – I’m an interior stylist and I transform boring beige spaces into kickass colorful homes with an offbeat edge that are livable, delightful, and unexpected.

Today, we’re going to talk about break ups. I’m not talking romantic break ups – I am talking breaking up that matchy-matchy set of living room furniture with a sofa, and loveseat, and chair that all matches and coordinates perfectly. These were super popular in the 80s and 90s and even a little bit into the 2000s, and I’m sad to say that I still see them today, and they are not a good idea.

It’s a total no-no to do too much matching in your home.

Sure, you want things to make sense, have something visual that ties them together and have a cohesive look – but, I think that’s better accomplished through mixing and matching the right pieces than just sticking with a pre-made set that some retailer has decided goes together.

So, if you have one of those living room sets, you’ve invested good money in it, what do you do? Well, friend, it’s time for a breakup. The pieces on their own are probably great. It’s together when they’re all matching, that’s when things get a little bit stale.

So why not repurpose some of those pieces in other parts of your home?

A loveseat or a settee can be a great fit in a master bedroom, and I love the idea of using an accent chair in an office or on a landing – somewhere where you want a little somewhere to perch, sit, maybe read a book, but you don’t need a full living room setup.

Alternatively, if the pieces have good bones, but it’s just the fact that they’re all upholstered in the same boring fabric that’s kind of becoming a snoozefest, you could look at re-upholstering one or more of the pieces. The fact that the frames tend to be similar and the proportions are good together means that with some change of fabrics you could totally transform the look without buying all new pieces of furniture.

If you do decide to keep your matching set together all in one room, there are a lot of little ways you can make each piece feel unique, even though they are all the same. Different pillows, throws, slipcovers. You can mix and match different soft textiles and decorative accessories to really give each piece its own personality but still have it work together as a whole.

So, never fear if you are stuck in the 80s with your matching sofa, chair, and loveseat set – there is hope for you.

If you do like it all as a set, you can personalize each piece and make it work in one space. However, if you’re kind of over the matching look, break it up, spread it throughout your home, and give each piece new life.

If you liked this video, be sure to share it with a friend and spread the love. And if you want more inspiration to help transform your home, hop on over to my website at lesleymyrick.com where you can download my free guide, Bring Personality to a Boring Space.

First things first, since I know you’re gonna notice as soon as you watch the video – I cut my hair! Bye bye, bun. 💇

Now, let’s get to the good stuff: a design project tour of the colorful, family-friendly great room I recently completed here in Waco, Texas. I’ve shared the progress and the after photos previously but dive a little deeper in today’s video:

Can’t view the embedded video above? Click here. Prefer to read? Transcript is below.

Hey everyone, Lesley Myrick here. I’m an interior stylist, and I transform boring beige spaces into pretty kickass colorful homes with an offbeat edge that are livable, delightful, and unexpected. Today I’m going to walk you through one of my recently completed design projects from start to finish.

So, this space was a great room for a family here in Waco, Texas. They have young kids, and they needed a space that felt grown up, they could relax in together, and hang out as a family.

Everything had to be stylish and colorful and accessible, but nothing so precious that a toddler could ruin it.

Here’s a peek at the space before. It totally has good bones, great high ceilings, cool architecture – but really stuck in the 60s and not at all in line with the rest of the couple’s home. They had a mix of French traditional, and kind of a softer, more contemporary look, so this really hard retro style was totally not them. They wanted to merge their tastes but still respect the architecture of the home.

Here’s a look at the Pinterest board I put together with design selections initially, and a moodboard showing what the space was going to look like completed. This is my favorite part – to get to pull this together visually and show a client what we’re going to create. But even cooler than that is seeing the end result!

I am so thrilled with how this room turned out. I think it works perfectly for the couple and for their young family. There’s a really adorable play space for their daughter; everything feels chic and grown-up and colorful; there’s some Mid-Century elements to tie in the retro feel of the room; but there’s also some prettier, more feminine elements that work really, really well with the rest of the couple’s home. I love being able to transform spaces from something nobody really wanted to spend time in into a place that the family cannot wait to be together in.

That’s why I do what I do – to empower homeowners to make confident design decisions and create homes that they love.

Whether or not you’re in Waco I would love to work with you on your design project. If you’re looking for a rad “design partner in crime” reach out to me – you can get in touch via my website.

If you liked this video, I’d so appreciate if you’d share it with someone who would find value in it. And leave a comment on YouTube below this video – I would love to hear from you.