Among the trends that the design world is all too happy to declare dead, the matching bedroom set, or suite as it’s sometimes called, is right up there with flush-mount “boob” lights and . “Conceptually, it’s very dated,” San-Francisco-based interior designer says. “When every piece of furniture looks exactly the same, it feels a little lazy and makes for a boring environment.”
Many companies still make these matchy-matchy sets, but they are unlikely to grace the pages of today’s shelter magazines or designers’ social media feeds. Instead, designers favor mixing an array of furniture finishes and styles for a more eclectic, collected look.
It hasn’t always been that way: America’s taste for the bedroom suite soured only recently. According to , a design history instructor at the , the idea of having matching bedroom furniture took off during the industrial revolution of the mid-1800s and remained popular through the 20th century, thanks to a mix of savvy advertising, expanded credit lines and a rising middle class.
“There was an attitude that if you’ve made it and you have your life in order, you can afford to buy things that go together,” says , an interior designer in Perry, Ga. “Now we think differently about these things.”
But achieving the artfully mismatched look requires balancing furnishings in varying styles and materials. Pick too many motley pieces and your boudoir might have the aesthetic appeal of a roadside junk shop. So how do you master the mix? Here are the guidelines designers swear by.
Break up the set
Whether you’ve just inherited a bedroom set or you bought one 20 years ago and aren’t ready to replace it, you can work with what you have to achieve a look with more personality. “If you already own a matching set, changing one significant thing can make a difference,” Farmer says. “It’s like buying a suit off the rack and adding a funky tie. That tweak is what makes it your own.”
The easiest and least expensive items to swap out from a traditional suite are the nightstands. Adding a pair of bedside tables in a different finish or style can energize even the fustiest outdated set. And if there’s a matching headboard, changing it to helps because it’s one fewer wood piece in the room. “An upholstered headboard is a great opportunity to bring in some color or pattern through the fabric,” Clark says. “Plus, they’re comfortable; it’s nice to have something soft to lean against in bed.”