As we locked the door to a past French apartment and said goodbye, we realised each room reflects key places we have lived in! The bedroom had an Art Deco New York mix, the dining room was an Indochine conglomerate and the lounge was definitely French. This wasn’t intentional; more by chance than design. More pieces will be added but it needs careful mixing and matching. How to manage this without looking like a hot mess?

Colour Your World

From my other posts, you know the formula by now of 70% a dominant colour, 30% the secondary and 10% for a highlight colour. Don’t be scared by it but if you are, buy some tiny test paint pots, or get a pinboard and try combinations using coloured pencils. It is all about tones and shades so you may want to limit the colour palette. If you are brave, you could add a fourth colour. Creating a colour theme helps set the overall look you want.

Here are some examples:

  • Ivory, emerald green and gold accessories with a hint of black – we are have this for a tropical look
  • White, beige, bronze and add a touch of lemon or lime – always sophisticated
  • Blue, white and aqua always offer a fresh summery look
  • Black, red and white with a hint of silver metal all say, modern chic

Old and New

Blending vintage with modern can really work. The Indochine style is a classic version of this. In Vietnamese history, the French culture was a major influence and there are beautiful combinations of this look and Asian furniture with European furniture can work really well. Try to keep to one Asian style. For example, Balinese furniture differs from Chinese. As a Feng Shui practitioner, one note is that some Japanese and Chinese furniture can add a hard element to the room so choose carefully. We have a lovely Chinese money chest that has travelled with us and has been mixed with a Chinese cabinet and a French farm table. All have clean lines and the woods are a soft, honey Elm tone.

Add Some Art

If furniture is too scary to mix and match, try art work first. Use the frames as a theme, perhaps the same colour but different sizes or variations of silver or gold. Before you put them on the wall, place them on a floor and move them around until the placement makes sense. Then measure, measure and measure again before you hang each one.

The Wow Factor

I always look for a key object or piece of furniture that adds a wow factor. It could even be a lamp, a piece of art or that favourite chair. For the dining room, we created a tropical theme around the Chinese cabinet and a ginger jar! For the lounge, the combination of a 1920s cocktail cabinet, a modern TV cabinet and 1920s French prints, added a sense of sophistication. The bedroom had our New York bed head that is stylish presenting a chic New York style. Fast forward, we have this look but in pistachio green for our current French apartment!

Fabric & Fibre

Think textures, velvet, wool, leather and faux fur, use stone or marble against wood. Place metal against textures and fabrics and consider layering of curtains and blinds. Be careful with glass as Feng Shui likes it contained in metal or wood rather than a cutting glass edge. An expensive rug or coffee table can offer a great place to start and you can build up with furniture to create a unique look and style.