I created this post back in 2014. I continue to favor a collected look in my own designs and those of others. I thought this post deserved to be resurrected and updated.
#1 No Matchy Matchy
Anyone can decorate a room with “sets”. Don’t be afraid to mix woods and painted finishes and to mix the high and the low.
Here my friend Annie from Most Lovely Things has mixed inexpensive industrial Ikea shelves with a vintage coffee table. Sometimes the most disparate elements work well together.
#3 Mix and Match Furniture Styles
In modern spaces, play off the clean architectural lines by mixing in antique pieces throughout that feel worn and lived in. Here Nancy Braithwaite mixes modern upholstery with a pair of antique windsors and a round antique table.
#4 Combine the Old with the New
While I prefer old to new, we don’t want our houses to look like a museum either. Here the uber talented Lauren Liess mixed a lucite coffee table with vintage art and artifacts, and two sofas of different genres. Lauren is a master at achieving the collected look.
Note the vintage bowl under the modern lucite coffee table.
William McClure designs beautifully curated spaces mixing periods and styles effortlessly and combines them with his striking abstract art. Love everything he does
William McClure’s light and art filled Birmingham home is filled with seemingly mismatched elements that work perfectly together.
The owners of RT Facts Conneticut home is filled with art and artifacts from their shop that create interest in every corner.
#5 Add Treasures and Artifacts from your Travels
Take a look around this gorgeous sitting room by Beth Webb. She really knows how to work collections.
I love how this space by Glen Bann for The Maryn has a monochromatic textural look. The only colors are black and brown mixed in with tons of texture.
All of Ellen DeGeneres’s homes are filled with interesting artifacts. Her Beverly Hills dining room, seen here in Architectural Digest blends Andy Warhol art and 17th century french antiques.
#6 Mix and Match furniture shapes
My pal Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home beautifully combines different shapes, textures, and eras of furniture in her beautiful San Francisco apartment living room. Note the rolled arm sofa, the modern (barely seen) leather chairs, round side table, and textural ottomans.
Designer Betsy Brown mixes modern upholstery with antique furniture and collected art for a congruous blend.
Steve and I have collected antiques since we were in college (he doesn’t like anything new). We have tons of beautiful accessories which is both a blessing and a curse. The main floor of our home is beginning to become more of a mixture of styles and cultures (Steve is a purist with a passion for American Antiques) as Steve becomes a little looser with his taste.
Do you like or have a collected look in your own home? If you would like more inspiration check out my new Pinterest Board Collected Living Spaces I would love to hear how you achieve it in your own home.
Get the Collected Look
Definitely! And love your tips here Cindy!!!! Have a great weekend!
Thanks Vel!!
what a great post and such great eye candy! your guest room looks divine…i wouldnt change a thing but i cant wait to see what you have in mind. terrific tease…i'm staying tuned. please post more pics.
This room was not photographed for the magazine. Maryann will post on her blog!!
I love your guest room as is – wouldn't change a thing! And I'm all for mix and match. I do like more of a "contained clutter in a sparse room" look. Orderly and collected!!
I agree with the contained clutter theory! Less is more in my book!!
Wow, love your guest room…it could easily stay as is in my book. The only thing I would consider doing is fabric headboards in a modern fabric.
Great suggestion…I have thought about that…I have two large mirrors that cannot be seen in the picture there at present! I have the most talented readers!!
Thanks Kim!
I agree with Loi, I think that room looks great and I love all your treasures. This is a great post and some super ideas here about being more eclectic and not so matched. Some fabulous rooms!
Cindy,
I love this post! The collections, no matter what they are, seem to bring a home to life. I have to cycle my various collections throughout the year in different spots. It gives me such pleasure to remember where I got this or that. I love your guest room display and don't think it looks too museum like at all.
Karen
You have put into words what has always been my design mantra and you didn't even use the word "eclectic". Well done!
I am all about mix and match with old and new and anything that truly stirs your heart! Love all these fabulous rooms! Have a great weekend!!
Karolyn
Candy your home is absolutely gorgeous!! I love how you have decorated. It is very classy.
home-decor-ideas
Hi Cindy, love this topic. I just read another interview with Nate Berkus who is a big believer in decorating with items that have meaning and tell a story. A collected room looks so much more interesting too, although it takes patience. Your guest room is absolutely gorgeous and I don't think it looks like a museum at all but if you did want an easy change you could switch out your pillows for a bold animal print….just a thought. Hope you're having a relaxing weekend. We're finally coming up for air after our last trip to the storage unit. It's definitely time for a garage sale. 🙂
xo
Leslie
Oh Leslie you know I love a great animal print! I have been thinking about adding the Peter Dunham gattopardo on the chairs in that room! I love that Nate Berkus book…well I just love him in general…loved the post on your house!
Hi Cindy, I agree with your husband, with having only things of old and collected through time, nothing hurried over here.
Love a room with mixed pieces, never a room with matching pieces. One has to feel the life of a room with the history that it has gathered along the way, keeping it in its era, clean and organized.
Your guest room is perfect, not sure how you could improve on perfection.
I just added a little side table to my daughters room after I had posted it, it's a family piece that just had to be, and I adore the sweetness it brought with it to her room. A perfect piece next to her French iron bed.
Thank you for this beautiful share.
Xx
Dore
Dore you have such beautiful style!!
Great post Cindy…I love a collected look…its interesting and creative..
What a joy to see your home in person, Cindy! You are the master at mixing antiques with a streamlined, fresh approach…and love your fabrics! You are so talented!
You are so sweet…love you!
Great blog! I'm now going to go thru your older posts. Love your taste!
Thanks Katie and so glad you stopped by! I hope my other posts don't dissapoint!!
I love to walk in any room that has a collected over time look. MIxing a few contemporary pieces in gives an instant update. Some abstract artwork or contemporary fabrics for new pillows would be great for your guest bedroom; although it looks super right now!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Pretty room!
If you wanted to change the feel, I'd add shine. The beautiful old patinas on the table are all light-absorbing, so go the other way with a smooth glass vase (colored? clear?) or a mirror leaned on the table that overlaps the bottom of the art slightly (maybe make it a contrasting upright rectangle or something, not a shape that echoes the art).
I thought the idea of contemporary fabric headboards was great.
karin
Karin your suggestions are wonderful! I love the clear vase idea. What you couldn't see in the photograph is that the two beds have mirrors above them. There is always room for change however. Keep those great suggestions coming!!
Very good advice Cindy!
Definitely love a collected look. We used to have the matchy bedroom furniture, but not anymore. I love your guest room and saw the pics Mary Ann shared. Gorgeous!
Oh hell yes! You know I like all things old….collected….and found! No sets for this gal:)
I'd add a red shag rug between the beds.
Cindy,
This is the look I’ve always preferred over all brand new things. Especially accessories, I believe they are the scrapbook of your home. Treasures you’ve collected and obtained over time.
Great post.
xo,
Karen
Your home has always appealed to me Karen. I miss seeing it. We are on the same page! Thanks for stopping by!
Great tips, Cindy. Definitely makes a home feel more personal!
Shelley
So true Shelley! Thanks for stopping by!
Yes it does Shelley. That is why I love the look so much. It says so much about ourselves!
My best tip for a layered look: live longer! My decorating has evolved with time. As a bride in 1975, I was influenced by the bicentennial focus on Americana. My beloved MIL died at the horribly young age of 59 and then many of her treasured antiques came to us. She had inherited from her very wealthy uncle who loved European antiques. We have some of those pieces, too. For me it’s not so much about being eclectic, it’s making a space to honor things that family have loved, that have stories to tell. Everyone seem to have loved to collect mirrors…mirrors are us around here. I have always loved fabrics and textiles. I have always loved leopard, red, big jolts of industrial, books, blue and white porcelain, ethnic art, framed floral prints and open kitchens that celebrate tools. When we moved into our house over 30 years ago, I painted every wall white…now I am in the process of painting most walls black. Most of the black walls are either walls of books or walls of art, so the black isn’t depressing. At night it is glorious. I’m afraid my house would be on many people’s hideous “Before” shots. It’s not that I am trapped in time, it’s just that I often prefer some other time that today’s overly the same look often jammed with too many “artifacts” from places like Target, Home Goods that have no meaning except for a brief trendy moment. Sorry about the soap box!!! Apparently, I’m working on my last nerve on this subject! Love your living room and that Steve is loosing up after over 40 years. That’s a good sign! Evolution not revolution usually wears better.
Oh my we have so much in common it is scary! I too was a bride in 1975. My house was all white, then that awful glazed look, now white. I wouldn’t be afraid to do a dark room either! Your comments are always so inspiring. We collect because we love things with history and provenance. Most of my furniture I have had for at least 30 years. Have a great weekend!
Cindy and Steve,
Love your room and taste!
We have always loved that Braothwaite room!
Do we have any collections in our home? None — and if you believe that!! Ha.
Love,
J & B
Hi Judy & Bill
She really has it doesn’t she? I love her spotted bedroom with the heavy linen drapes too. She is a master at less is more…I am working on that!
Hi Cindy — Always love your posts! Your tips here are great. I too am a fan of the collected — as opposed to cluttered — look. It’s such a fine line between museum and personal, but done right I think our homes evolve. To me a room is never “finished.” (I’m not even sure what that means!)
Thanks for always challenging my thinking!
I am so glad to hear that Janet. Always pleased to read your comments!
I agree with you so much about not having it all matching! Mixing wood with painted finishes…and I like how you added a metal based coffee table in your living room. (Your living room is perfection).
You do a great job of explaining how to achieve this beautiful look.
Mary Ann
Thanks for the comment on my living room. It still needs a few tweaks! You do the layered look so well Mary Ann. I always learn from you!
Hi Cindy! I had to read this post a couple of times to make sure I got all the tips! Thanks so much for including me in this wonderful group of designers. I have been guilty of the “one of everthing” trend and now have a more pared back look that I like so much better. Pairs and groupings of similar items seems to work best for me now. Also more washed out colors and less furniture in a room. Always love stopping by your blog ;))
xxoo Kel
I agree with you Kelley. The older I get the simpler and cleaner look appeals more to me. You have such an amazing sense of style and you take the most beautiful photographs. I need a lesson!
ditto, ditto, ditto!! Absolutely agree with every word Cindy. Such a lovely post and great seeing your beautiful home again. I was enthralled admiring your collections, the stories…..always love the stories, your relaxed way everything was stylized and, well I could go on forever. you are a very talented designer whom I admire.
from another bride of 1975!
xo
Debra
As an Image Consultant, I focus mostly on the art of my outfits. I haven’t spent time on my home decor for quite a while, other than changing accessories and art spring and fall in simple arrangements, 3’s or 5’s, symmetrical or offset. With this post and your ethnic chic posts, I am being drawn to playing with more complex arrangements of accessories and art. I have so much to play with. I have been on a busman’s holiday having Image Consultant Brenda Kinsel over to create new outfits out of what I already own, so now I can focus on enriching my home design. I love your guest room arrangement. There is color! I love color! You have inspired me. Mille grazie!! I loved meeting you in San Francisco. I hope we meet again.
Cindy–this was such a fun post to read, but even more so, informative. I’ve scrolled through a few times. Sometimes I feel that the rooms in my home(s) are always in some sort of limbo, like when you find the time to scour your bathrooms but the other rooms are a mess! We all want the whole darn house to be clean at once (hence a great cleaning girl!). I do feel I tend to put together a room over time because I select pieces I love rather than what ‘works’. Opposing textures, materials, and style make a room so interesting and pleases our taste in many varied styles.
I am certainly going to check out your Pinterest pages.
Jane x
Interesting how people mix and match not only with clothes but also with their furnishing. I like that style and have brought some interesting old furniture and accessories from my travel around the world which I combined with some modern ones. It makes me happy every time I step into the
rooms and remember those wonderful moments I purchased it.
You said it well. Why buy something meaningless that you don’t care if you keep or heave. I too would much rather collect and reflect on where I purchased it or who originally owned it.
Are you kidding? You are the master at mixing the high and low, knowing when to edit, and the collected look in general.
Hi Mumbai
I love the way our collections tell our own stories. I am sure you have many from your travels. I am sure your home is lovely!
I agree with you Kelley. The older I get the simpler and cleaner look appeals more to me. You have such an amazing sense of style and you take the most beautiful photographs. I need a lesson!
Cindy!
I love this post and a big fan of the layered look and mix of styles. I’m so honored that you included me!! What a lovely surprise! Thank you!
Are you kidding? You are the master at mixing the high and low, knowing when to edit, and the collected look in general.
I’m crazy for every image! You’re definitely addressing my aspirational design sense. I’ve wondered how I’d describe the way I like to decorate and now I have the words: a collected look.
Just how you dress! Collectively!
What a great post! I get my inspiration from you! And May Ann @ classiccasuallhome.com. And Kelley @ thepolishedpebble.com. And Kim @ northerncaliforniastyle.com And Elizabeth @ edbdesigns. All California Women! All with the good taste to come to the most beautiful state in the union. Hail Hail California! 💙💛💙
You inspire us as well Holly! I so enjoy following you on Instagram. You make me smile everyday!