What’s wrong with matchy-matchy, you ask? Well, looking at the room above may not answer your question, but it should certainly make you see why it doesn’t work. Still not convinced? Let’s show you a more modern interpretation.

Are you smelling what I’m cooking now? Yes, one of the many elements of design is repetition. No, that doesn’t mean you repeat the same two patterns over and over again throughout the same room. It’s too much. In fact, it ends up giving you that bed-in-a-bag look. Like so:

We talked about being too literal in a recent post. So far you’ve learned that repetition of the same pattern repeatedly throughout a space is one reason why matchy-matchy doesn’t work. When pattern is repeated too much, it makes the design seem forced. It’s the same with bed-in-a-bag bedding. Everything is pre-selected for you, and it all matches: bedspreads, sheets, pillow shams, accent pillows and sometimes even window treatments. It’s. all. too. much.

In addition, buying a “set” of furniture from your local furniture showroom makes you just as guilty of being too matchy-matchy. Let’s take a look at an example of this below:

In this example, it’s glaringly obvious that all of these pieces are part of a set of furniture. Congratulations! You have successfully placed a furniture showroom vignette inside your home. There’s a reason furniture showrooms setup vignettes, for people who would prefer to just grab a package that’s already put together for them and get out of the furniture showroom with as little effort as possible.

Buying a set of furniture is a safe bet. There is nothing left to chance in regards to making a design decision. Yes, everything you buy in the set will go with everything else in that set; but, you won’t likely be winning any style points soon. Rather than purchasing an entire set, browse around the store and select a mix of pieces from different collections within the showroom. Better yet, purchase your bed from a showroom and select other items, like nightstands, at another, completely different store.

The above photo is yet another example of how matchy-matchy can go so wrong. In this case, repetition of color is taken to the extreme – along with repetition of pattern…again. You’ll want to include both design elements in your design, but with a bit more restraint than this example.

Here’s a first-rate example of the right way to incorporate repetitive patterns into your next room design. As you can see, all of the patterns are not exact replication, but are patterns of a similar nature – with similar shapes and, in most cases, color. The scale of pattern is also played with in this space, with both small and large-scale patterns being used. The bright pop of orange helps finish off the look. This is an example of interior design done right and you can do it, too.

Here’s another great example, applied to a whole room scheme, of how the concept of matchy-matchy can be applied without actually matching everything in the room. In this case, the colors, patterns and textures are all cohesive without being exact copies of each other. Let’s go over the elements that make this concept room work.

1. The dark finish on the desk (#6), pulls the darker tones in the striping of the rug (#9) and the bedspread (#4). It’s subtle, which makes it work even better.
2. The colors in the window treatments (#8) are present in the rug (#9) and the bedspread (#4).
3. The pop of yellow in the flowers (#2) are a more vibrant tone of the yellow in the bedspread (#4).
4. The silver in the pendant light fixture (#5) works off the silver in the desk lamp (#3). In addition, the pattern in the pendant is a variation similar to the pattern in the bedspread (#4).
5. The detailing in the ironwork on the bed (#4) is similar to the detailing in the desk lamp (#3).
6. The color palette (#1) is just a composition of all the major color elements in the space that are working together in the design. Designer Tip: This may be helpful for those of you that have trouble putting colors together. You can select three or four paint swatches (be sure to include a swatch to represent the wood tones in your room) and put them together. Keep this with you in your wallet or purse and you will also have your room’s color scheme with you when you come across something that might work in the space. They don’t have to be exact matches, close enough will work just fine.

Our final example shows a cohesive design in a completed space. This room has very classic design features. My only words of wisdom regarding this space are that it might be a little too safe. They’ve used elements we’ve talked about: repetition of pattern and color, without it being matchy-matchy; however, it’s just safe…..and beige. The only real pop of color in the space is the artwork over the fireplace.

I can say that the space plan is spot on. Pulling furniture away from the walls is a great way to arrange furniture and change things up; but, alas, that’s for another post. Notice how they have pulled colors together from the artwork, walls, furniture, rug, table and the design detailing using the black trim on the leading edge of the window treatments.

I hope this post has helped you see the errors of matchy-matchy and instead see how you can borrow some of its elements to create a design-worthy space in your own home.

If you have any questions about how to take this concept even further, or you’d like some help from an interior designer, contact us here. If you’ve got any other helpful tips, or an idea for a future blog post, get in touch with us on Facebook.

1. Pinterest
2. Pinterest
3. Pinterest
4. Pinterest
5. Pinterest
6. Pinterest
7. Pinterest
8. Pinterest