A Tried-and-True Design Recipe

Written by: Lindsay Webster

Our Recipe for Success

This is not my yummy banana pudding recipe, but nonetheless, if you're looking for a delicious design tip, you're in the right spot!  

​Some would argue that all your furniture fabrics should match.  A few might even say your furniture should all be from one collection. But we're not convinced that this is the best method for an elevated design. We are here to say you can ABSOLUTELY MIX AND MATCH your furniture!

​We actually encourage it here at SBD, so we decided that it's time to share our recipe for success when building a room design that feels cohesive with mix and matched fabrics. 

First, you need to FIND YOUR COLOR SCHEME INSPIRATION PIECE.  This will determine what colors you will pull to create your palette,  thus reducing future choices, which in turn helps reduce overwhelm.  
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Here are some ideas for your color scheme inspiration piece:​

• ​Rugs
• Drapery
• Artwork
• Wallpaper
• Existing Interior Feature

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At this point you've got the room,  your inspiration piece, and your color palette.  Now you can START TO LAYER fabrics.  Let's say you're working with a living room, for example, so you may need two sofas and a couple of accent chairs.  We suggest the BIGGER furniture pieces be your solid fabrics since you likely won't want to replace those often.  

​HAVE NO FEAR, we use "solid" as a loose term.  It can be a leather, a textured solid, a boldly toned solid or even a small pattern. The goal is that from far away the bigger pieces look more solid. The choice is yours—use a color from your inspiration piece or keep it neutral. JUST HAVE FUN AND MAKE IT YOU!

Next, small furniture pieces like accent chairs or ottomans can be a great option for the patterned element.  A patterned fabric can TIE EVERYTHING TOGETHER and act like bridge between your "solid" fabrics and the inspiration piece. Remember to pull colors from your inspiration piece. This will help you stay cohesive. 

Finally, once you have your furniture pieces figured out, you can add all of the perfect touches with pillows, throw blankets, drapery and decor.  Sprinkle in the bolder tones in these pieces because they are easy to switch out in the future. Also consider mixing pattern sizes. If you chose a large scale fabric for the chairs, consider a smaller scale pattern for the pillows or drapes. JUST KEEP LAYERING. 

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Additional things to consider when selecting furniture fabric: 

• Warmth of existing wood
• Metals/mixing metals
• Wall paint 
• Flooring
• Lighting
• Architectural features 

​When it comes to mixing and matching fabrics, this is our recommended way to get started if you've been feeling stuck.  Do what works for you and trust your instincts!  We hope this tip gets you thinking outside of the box.  If you want to see an example of how to do this in real time, visit our Instagram to see how Sonia puts a living room together using a rug for inspiration.

Visit our Instagram @soniabarneydesign
​to follow and get more tips like this one.

Pattern Mixing Video - Instagram