Mix & Match Dining

Now that I’m thinking about yet another house move (see last post) the wheels have started turning regarding how I’m going to decorate. As I mentioned last time, my taste has changed a bit, calmed down I guess in the last year or so. But that doesn’t mean I like ordinary (FYI I do not like ordinary). I still love an eclectic mix, and no better place to exercise my right to mix and match than in the dining room. Whether you have a separate dining area or, like me, your kitchen does double duty, one of the most freeing realizations is that it doesn’t all have to match.

The brilliant owners of this insanely stylish home in The Netherlands – styled here by me for my second book Bohemian Modern – have got it so right. Start with a good solid table, add a petite love seat and then mix in an odd collection of dining chairs and stools. (If you have room for the love seat idea, don’t forget to check the seat height as a sofa is often lower than a dining chair. You could always plump it up with extra cushions for added height). The trio of glossy copper pendants and the concrete floors give this vintage look a more contemporary edge.

Taking inspiration from this seriously cool room, I put together a little moodboard using a mix of vintage, contemporary, wood, metallic, painted and upholstered pieces. Even though none of it technically matches – in other words, it’s not part of a set –  and there aren’t multiples of any chair, the look feels unified.  I’ve used a multicolored Moroccan rug to link the various colors and I’ve repeated a warm wood with the table and a couple of the chairs. I’ve never been able to resist collecting chairs – everyone has a thing right? So for me this is an excuse to indulge my impulse to buy any chair any time!

1. Anthropologie pendant lights, 2. Sofa.com loveseat, 3. Tom Dixon stool, 4. Chairish dining table, 5. Chairish Paul McCobb chair, 6. Abigail Ahern faux plants, 7&8. Abigail Ahern vases, 9. Abigail Ahern votives, 10. Beldi Rugs Boucherouite kilim, 11. Chairish Captain’s chair, 12. Chairish Paul McCobb Captain’s chair.