Creating the Collected Look in 3 Steps

A home is a reflection of the person living there. It’s not just a home, it’s a story that tells the uniqueness of our tastes and styles. Think about this, what do your favorite photos of rooms have in common? They all appear to have been collected – put together and evolved over time. Great rooms aren’t collected overnight. Or are they?

The best way to create a collected look is to of course, actually collect items in your home over time. Because our tastes, interests, and style changes, history alone creates a collected look. We create this look in all of our projects, regardless of whether or not our client’s have things they have collected or not.

We live by these 3 things to help us create a collected look…

1. Mix and Match

Mixing and matching furniture styles, finishes, textures, etc. is one of the easiest ways to help a room look as if it’s evolved over time. Say no to matching sets!!! It might seem convenient to buy an entire set of matching furniture, but it’s a dead giveaway that you just walked into a showroom and bought the first thing you saw.  Instead, pick pieces with different wood tones, finishes, and styles. Be sure to mix the elements consistently through the room to create a cohesive look – collected doesn’t mean eclectic.

2. Create a Consistency

If you’re thinking that the idea of using a variety of furniture styles, wood finishes, etc. sounds daunting, you’re not alone. Many of our clients encounter this. The key is to look for consistency among items in terms of color, shape, and visual balance. These things ensure pieces will compliment each other – not match.

3. Combine New & Old

We love antiques and family heirlooms. Sometimes these things get overlooked because they conjure up images of dusty old pieces that are hidden away in the basement. Not true! A huge part of our design process is creating an inventory of items the clients have that are family pieces or antiques that they feel they have been “stuck with”. Mixing these pieces alongside new things give the room history and adds instant interest to the space!

Keep these three things in mind to turn your home from a showroom nightmare into a story as rich as the people you share it with.