I absolutely hate it when I hear that someone wants to match something I think a room that evolves over time looks much better than going out and buying everything new or sets of things

No matchy matchy at my house, but I love to stay in fine hotels that are matchy matchy! That's what they are for, I guess.

Not matchy matchy, but elements need to have a sense of belonging. The photo above is a perfect example of things not having a sense of belonging. It looks like a first place with a mish-mash of things from your college apartment, your grandmother, the Goodwill and two lucite chairs thrown in for a little "edge". Eclectic is not easy to pull off.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say mish-mash but I do agree not the best eclectic styling I've seen. Rarely do eclectic stylists not go overboard but I did run across this designer who seems to really have it all pulled together in not only great eclectic style but managed to make eclectic seem luxurious. In case the picture does not show credit, it is from Daniel Dionne Designs, Inc.

I'm not hugely matchy match except in my bedroom where I really want to get rid of most of the furniture! I bought a bedroom suite many many years ago and while I've replaced the bed, I'm still stuck with the matching dresser, tall dresser, and bedside tables. They were really good quality. Should have bought crap then I'd have no qualms about tossing them. I know what I want but what I want isn't inexpensive. Someday .....

Some matchy matchy, more so, with chairs, but I like to mix it up. As long as colors work well together, I can live with the rest.

HI - I am more artsy fartsy than matchy matchy. The only things that match are my table lamps . I am thinking and looking to get matching lounge chairs and that's as close it gets for me. Love the lead photo , the lamps ,the clear chairs and the ottomans are the only matched items and it is very artsy .

I hate when people think the wall color and curtains are suppose to match... along with everything else. It's too much. Unless it's a neutral color.

I work with a base color, then get pretty eclectic/industrial/rustic with everything... I like to mix old and new. My house tells a story about who we are.

I am allergic to match-matchy, but find that 'Pairs' (think, chairs or sofas or, sometimes, lamps) work well in many settings, just not altogether in one room.
A bit of symmetry can be calming and let the stars of the room stand out.

Sorry that room in the pic from Emily would make me crazy. I think good design elements should shine, I love color and I am a bit of a balance freak, not really symmetry but I think elements in a room have to have balance both weight wise and visually. I always let a space speak to me before making decisions on major stuff. I have no idea why but choosing colors for clients or myself are elements I choose only after being in the house for quite a bit of time and then the decision is made according to what the space says to me. I know it sounds crazy but all of my clients think the colors I have chosen for them are just the right ones even years later.

For me it depends. I don't have matching stuff in my home except for my dining area with its Danish modern table, matching chairs and hutch. I bought these items in 1987. Our family has sat at this table using the matching chairs for over 25 years now. Will never replace. Memories. :-)

I like matchy matchy. You can't have statement pieces if everything is screaming at you. There has to be order to draw attention to something that out of order. It's like going to a concert you can't hear the soloist during warm up because everyone is playing something different, when they work together and play the same song at the same time, the soloist can be heard.

It takes time to find ones style. Many of us have started with inherited pieces, hand me downs and garage sales which resulted sometimes in a hodgepodge . But with that first bonus or salary raise the first " good piece" was bought and from thereon it just grew until years later we could look with satisfaction to a harmonious home with still here and there a few things from our start. To decorate ones home is an evolving process which I secretly hope will never end.

I hate matchy matchy as it seems so formal and sterile. I like a home where you can see the personality of the people who live there by what they choose to display.

It's sad to see so many people scared to death to violate design rules that they can't even make their homes their own. My philosophy is that if we like it, it goes as we're the ones who have to live with it.

For a poetic interior you must have different textures, patterns, colors, surfaces, scale, proportion, woods and metals. Key elements can be "focal point" and other elements are there to balance them out.

In this image of the Brooklyn Heights Loft living room you see that I balanced out the black in the rug and the white leather chairs with a grey sofa (in the middle color/contrast-wise). The shiny chrome and (polar opposite) blackened steel legs of the cocktail table are balanced by the medium gloss of the leather on the chairs.

Ahh but Christalyn, while the orchestra is playing the same song, the individual instruments are not all playing the melody. It is that richness of different notes that creates the harmony we so enjoy. I totally agree that we often see much dissonance in designs but when orchestrated properly, the points and counterpoints resonate beautifully together.

i like eclectic, i like antiques, i like textiles, i like collections, i like rustic, and i like organic items. i appreciate maximalist decor. rarely do i see match-matchy in rooms i truly like. that said, i have pillows and upholstered chairs in the same fabric. but one of those chairs is used at the kitchen table now, and the pillows are all over the place these days. so…they've sort of accidentally tied some rooms together. in our house it would be really hard for any furniture to hold court over our stone walls….so we're kind of save on that score. a few months ago we bought matching leather sofa and loveseat in a lounge area. they are calm and inviting in that room.

I agree with moggie73 that "pairs" of chairs create some balance to a room, but the whole room is not matchy matchy, however the upholstery may coordinate with each other in some way. I prefer clean and not cluttered, but have some interesting artsy items to catch the eye (vases, wall prints, or family antiques).

I tend to matchy match without realizing it till I think I'm done!

There's a certain art to symmetry and balance without being cookie cutter. Some people have that talent. The artistic mind is able to perfect it. The mathematical mind usually can't. Design reflects our persona. Go with whatever feels 'right'. If you walk in and your mind says "ahhhh", you have it right.

Which letter of the alphabet is angry? Rrrrrrrrr.

Things should reference something else in the room.

Nothing matches anything in our home with the exception of our new (and at 65 my first ever) bedroom set. I've never been a matchy matchy type but instead have made do with what I have and learned to tie it together in a way that pleases us. I do love our bedroom all matched up but know I'd get depressed if the whole house was like that. On the other hand, being in someone else's matchy home doesn't make me uneasy. Only sterility makes me uneasy.

@windingcreek_creations, I totally agree the "ahhhh" and always rely on that.

I think at a certain age it is impossible to acheive matchy and also unrealistic to try. We have an eclectic mix of furnishing in our home, not contrived but just collected over time. Many of our furnishing have been reinvented with new upholstery, paint or stain as our tastes changed, but nothing has been done matchy matchy. I find Matchy Matchy rooms to be sterile and devoid of any personality. I prefer rooms that have a bit of history and an interesting story to tell about how the items were collected over time.

It is easy to be matchy matchy as you just buy a set. It is harder to make it match, but not be a set......but well worth the effort!

I do like a pulled-together look. That Happy Chic that's popular right now (white sofa, bright graphic pillows) is very cute but personally it reminds me too much of early dorm. A touch of sophistication in the color coordination is my goal (seldom reached, because I like too many styles). But I don't need furniture to match. I just like for the colors to relate really well. To me navy and turquoise don't belong in the same room, but a lot of today's designers pull it off in these Happy Chic rooms. Personally, a cottagey blend of coordinating colors suits me best. Still striving.

One of my favorite rooms was one designed by Bunny Williams, that was featured on the cover of House Beautiful a few years ago. It had so many dissimilar elements but really worked. I've looked at that photo many times and tried to figure out why it worked.
I even looked at those pictures with a friend, who designs professionally and asked her "what makes this room work"? We finally decided it was a really great painting that had its colors echoed throughout the room.
Eclectic is a hard look to pull off but when you get it, that is the room that will always bring you joy.

I would like to think I can put a room together without buying a suite of furniture, but the truth is, I have come to really appreciate matchy-matchy. Matchy-matchy, to me, is better than "what the hell is all this?" which can be what I end up with. I say match on. Matching is good.

To some extent I think it depends what you want to spend your time on, too. Matchy low-interest furniture like a sofa set could be an excellent backdrop in a room where people like to collect decorative items on their travels and want to display many of them in the room and just want comfortable places to sit and talk or plan the next adventure. Could a designer make the room sing without matching the furniture? Probably, but it takes time and effort to find the right pieces instead of buying a set.

Also, the more items you are trying to coordinate the trickier it can be - so matching might be a better option for larger items for someone who likes to change out decorative items often depending on the color of the year or season or whatever.

Depends what you like and what look you're going for.

I feel matchy-matchy is conventional, owning an Antique mall, I try to tell my Customers to be unconventional (4 example who needs matching end tables?). A home that is eclectic is fun and I feel it really shows off the personality of that persons home, this is why I love to deliver so I can see whose taking my advice :).

LOL Paisley, and I'll be you make it work. Welcome to houzz.

The only thing I have matching is a bedroom set I bought 30 years ago (minus the dresser mirror and headboard) and two bedside lamps. Matching accent chairs, or lamps in many cases looks very nice for balance. Matchy-matchy can look very good though. I agree with Lucy Harris that it's all about color/pattern/textures and SCALE! Overstuffed, oversized furniture, no matter how beautiful does not look good in a small space. Proper scale to me is most important.

Do you guys think this is a "matchy matchy" space? Do you like it?

I hate to say it but I really dislike the photo of the room that accompanies this article. This is taking "no match-matchy" way too far. I love the lucite chairs. But that's it.

I like mixing antique with modern. I think every room should have at least one antique piece. Antique furniture has more character than something that is modern and basic.

Darzy, that room is actually pretty nice. It is matchy-matchy, but not totally..there is only one side table and there seems to be a small cocktail table wit two chairs in the right corner.
What I don't like about that room is the fabric of the two chairs and the accessories that look like they are bought to stage the room.

at Darzy again….. the matchy-matchy isn't what gets to me as much as the limited color. just only the turquoise is too one-note for me. ok all around is beige, as long as the colors aren't boring. and this is. too many little things all in turquoise. one Major thing or several colors…. not this.

I was thinking the photo was a matchy matchy sample that looked pretty soothing and nice. Not my style though. I really hate matching sofa, loveseat and chair together but sometimes I'll see a photo/designer photo with an ultra modern leather set that looks fabulous together. I guess it's all about how it's done.

I like the combination of stuff that tells people who you are. Buying everything at one time or from one or two stores is boring. My pet peeve--is where people will only hang pictures that matches the wall color. Art work should be standout and be fun.

This room is very matchy matchy in my opinion. And, totally balanced. I think there are individual elements that are good--but everything seems to be purchased in pairs, arranged symmetrically and the artwork looks like what you would find in a hotel or a condo you are renting for the month. There is nothing in this room that tells a story about who lives here. It tells the story of the designer who put the room together.

I like matchy matchy done right - balance is more my goal. And color sets the tone if a room.

Darzy...the room you posted is pretty matchy but it's nicely done. There is enough asymmetry balance in the smaller, brighter pieces that help keep it from screaming matchy matchy! Personally, I think this room is more symmetrical than matchy. The rooms that scream matchy matchy to me are the furniture store rooms-in-a-box type that have everything off the same paint chip and are totally impersonal. No matter the style they could be preserved in a museum and labeled with a particular time period but give no clue about the people who live there.

I do agree with an earlier poster that the room you posted appears "staged" and therefore falls somewhat short on personality even with the pops of turquoise and orange. Symmetry is a necessary component at times as is asymmetry. Both obviously have been used in your posted room and are required to achieve balance. It is also obvious that an accomplished hand created this room but I think where the two schools part is that symmetry invokes a certain amount of formality that asymmetry does not. While we may love to see symmetry in palaces and grand gardens, most of us feel more comfortable with a little more casualness in our lives.

As depicted by the original post picture (which does have some symmetrical components), mismatched rooms can sometimes go too far. The Greeks had a saying, "moderation in everything." I think we can very aptly apply that to design.

Totally had to share this as an example of merging two distinctive styles. Mid century modern is traditionally known for sleek clean lines and defined simplicity. The carpet is an antique Persian runner showing tatter and threadbare areas. Paired with the chair an Eames rocker: Do you love it?!?

I usually don't like Persian carpets, but this combination I like.

I like some things to match and others not to. I guess I am odd in that if I have two sofas, I like them to match. The chair should be different to me. I guess it is because I think sofas are not the center of attention. The pillows are where the fun is! My bedroom set doesn't match at all. I have my grandparents drop leaf table as a nightstand/vanity and my hubby's nightstand is his grandmother's sewing table. Headboard we made. Still have to replace our 80s dressers but I gave them new life with paint until I found something else. I am not a designer so I probably don't know what I am talking about.

I like consistency. This means some items (large ones) go together in color, texture, style. Others can deviate. Matching lamps work in some spaces, where I want order and it makes sense. 'Matching' Scandinavian furniture that hangs together well, although from different makers and periods works for me. Toss in a couple of antiques for flare or a funky bit of wall art or other accessories, items from world travel, etc. to give a touch of my personality. Good enough.

Omg I like mixing a bit of modern with vintage, in other words I surround myself in things I love and has meaning to me and the family. I’m a bit OCD but a what a home that looks lived in

I'm not matchy matchy, but "coordinated". They have to relate to each other, but not necessarily everything identical. That's too boring. One chair will be different from the others, but coordinate in color. Two lamps may match, but the third is different, but coordinate in shape or color, etc. I use a color theme in a space to dictate the furnishings. I always incorporate some vintage/old in each space, but it coordinates somehow, in shape or color or style. The key is "blending". Sofa pillows or bed coverings can bring in pattern and color pops in a limited way without being too jarring.

My living room coordinates by color, but doesn't all look the same

The bedroom "blends" using the color blue and oak wood accents; the side tables are vintage, but painted a coordinating blue to match the bed upholstery;

The vanity has a vintage table, but a new ghost chair; out of screen shot is a perfect oak Larkin dresser and they coordinate with my 1800's camelback trunk at the foot of the bed that mimics the shape of the headboard.

I have always enjoyed the Matchy Matchy style of decorating both in fashion and home decor. The KEY IS making sure it's done correctly. It's not something a Designer can teach you because they speak against it. YOU must have an eye for it. The past and present examples of Matchy Matchy really miss the mark because they are so far OFF of what Matchy Matchy style IS really all about. Please forgive me for not submitting photos everything in the living area is completely covered up for an upcoming cleaning. If pos