The days of needing to buy perfectly matching furniture sets are over. No longer do you need a love seat that’s just a smaller version of your sofa and side tables that are just the same as your coffee table.In fact, your tables, shelves, chairs and other furniture don’t even need to be the same color or wood tone in order to make up a cohesive and well-designed room.

Mixed and matched pieces can look just as good while giving your space some character, but there are some things to consider before simply picking out whichever pieces catch your eye.

Choose a Theme.

Just because your furniture doesn’t have to match doesn’t mean there can’t be some common element to bring each piece together. This could mean that you have a certain time period in mind – you could go with mainly midcentury or modern pieces.

Or you could instead choose a general color scheme or feel for the room – you could want mainly light neutrals and pops of color or dramatic lights and darks. Either way, have a general idea of what you want before you begin shopping for new pieces.

Stay True to Your Style.

The process of mixing and matching furniture can be made infinitely easier if you simply go with what you like. If you’re not a huge fan of modern furniture, then picking out pieces that fit into that category could be difficult.

But if you’re naturally drawn to vintage pieces or certain colors, it can be much easier to make them fit into a room. And you’ll likely be much more happy with the result.

Add Other Elements.

Once you have all of your actual furniture in place, the room still might not feel complete or cohesive. Adding other elements like throw pillows, art, and lighting can help to really pull it all together. Again, keep your overall style and tastes in mind when picking out these pieces. And take pictures of your room with the furniture in it to see if you think anything in particular is missing.

Maybe you decided to go with a dramatic light and dark color scheme for your furniture but you think there might be too much dark incorporated. In that situation you could use some light pillows and powerful lighting to balance the space.

Mixing and matching furniture pieces can make your rooms more of a personal creation than a scene from a home store window. But knowing where to start can be tricky. Just have a general idea in mind, know your personal taste, and add in some finishing touches to make sure your room looks cohesive rather than just thrown together.

Pictures: 1,2,3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.