I was dropping off a finished piece of furniture at a local shop when the cashier turned and pointed at me, saying she’s the lady. The owner of the shop was right behind me so I thought the cashier was pointing to her. 

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I looked at the customer asking and said, “I’m not the lady” and started to turn towards the owner. 

“You don’t do upholstery?”, she said with a very southern drawl.

“Oh! Yes, I do upholstery, I guess I am the lady!” 

“Good. I picked up this vintage chair for only $10 and I need it upholstered so my husband will quit telling me to get rid of it. Can you help with that?” 

“I sure can. Let’s talk” I said while she followed me out the door. 

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This is a normal part of my life, thus the hashtag upholsterylife. Turns out, it’s a darn cute chair and deserves a prominent place in the living room. The question then becomes: How do you take a vintage piece and put in a space that has more modern style?

 It comes down to a simple technique that you’re probably already applying. 

Color (or Pattern) Repetition

One of the first questions I ask my clients is about color: What color shows up in your home again and again?

I’m not necessarily looking for an exact shade. I want to know what you naturally gravitate toward. Are your colors mostly warm or cool? Bright and bold or a little quieter? There are no wrong answers here. This is just information. That information starts to show me the thread that runs through your home.

I was in a home recently that was done really well. The homeowner described her style as eclectic, but what it really was was collected. She chose pieces that spoke to her without regard to trend or era. She gravitated towards the color palette and used it in every room without it being obvious. Her rug in her foyer brought it all into one place and set the tone for the home. Nothing necessarily matched, but everything still belonged together. Her home felt collected because repeated colors tie unlike pieces together. 

That is the point of color repetition. Things don’t have to match to feel like they belong.

Repeating color from one space, or one piece, to another gives your eye something familiar to follow. That little bit of repetition is what helps create flow, especially in a home filled with pieces collected over time. This is why Grandma’s chair looks great next to a modern sofa.

Other ways to make a home feel collected would be through furniture scale, wood tones, and mixing textures. That last one is a little more advance. If  you feel like your space is a little out of balance then ask yourself these two questions:

Is the room full of heavy furniture? 

Are the colors too dark or too light for the space? 

I just recently painted my living room in my favorite cream color. It’s never let me down…until now. It just falls flat in a space that is already grounded by warmer tones on the floor and fireplace. The color is just too light for the space. My solution? I’m going to color drench in a mid-tone blue that will still work the decor I have. So excited!

These are super simple ways to do a quick check on whether or not your new-to-you old piece of furniture will work in the space. If you’re still unsure then text me a picture or two and I’ll weigh in on the issue. I’ve never been upset that someone sent me too many chair/room photos!