How to Mix and Match Bedroom Furniture: 8 Expert Tips

Mixing and matching bedroom furniture is a good way to combine different styles, textures, and patterns, giving your room a more eclectic and personal feel.

Mixing And Matching Bedroom Furniture: 8 Expert Tips

When it comes to knowing how to mix and match bedroom furniture pieces, it's important to get an expert perspective to help you understand what works and what doesn’t. Whether you want to mix bedroom furniture or find matching furniture styles, these top tips from expert interior designers will certainly help.

1. Do your research

First and foremost, it's essential that you do the research beforehand, from exploring bedroom essentials to bedroom decor ideas on Pinterest and seeking out new styles and trends. A bit of online research is a great starting point to help you nail down the perfect room look.

If you prefer to look at physical imagery, check out architecture and interior design magazines. This may help you find your personal style and the furniture pieces you require.

For those who haven't created a custom space beforehand, it's a good idea to get a project book or lookbook created so that you can start gathering all your research in one place. That way, you can refer back to it as and when you need to.

Modern Bedroom furniture with black bedding, wooden furniture, plants and a beige rug — Design by Kimberly Horton, Photo by Allegra Anderson Photography

Inspiration can be found not just online and in print but also in real life. Exploring different places you like is a great way to get motivated and find a style. So, take a nosey at your friends' places or local furniture stores and showrooms to see if there are any creative ideas you can steal.

When it comes to starting out, try to find one piece you love. “Always start with something that you love as inspiration," advises Tanya Lacourse. “This could be a piece of artwork, a fabric, or a piece of furniture you already have.”

2. Measure and consider your room's features

Before you start brainstorming furniture ideas, it's important to measure your space to determine what pieces will actually fit. Your room may have unique or unusual features, which means you may have room to bring all of your bedroom design ideas to life.

"Scale is so important in designing a space. Make sure you gather your measurements and develop a plan,” advises Kimberly Horton. “Try using free floor plan apps to make sure all of your items fit with room to move around. When in doubt, consult with a designer who can guide you a bit further.”

"Scale is so important in designing a space. Make sure you gather your measurements and develop a plan."

Take a good look at your room and identify any points where the room curves, for example, or where you may have smaller areas that limit certain furniture pieces – for example, you may have a recessed area that's ideal for a wardrobe, chest of drawers, or bookcase.

Along with the room’s features, Tanya Lacourse recommends thinking about how you’ll use the room and what you want from it: “Think about how the space will function: where you will need light, how the sunlight will be controlled, curtains, etc. Other than sleeping, what else might the room be used for? Do you need a place to read, to meditate, to work? Make a cohesive look but functional," advises Lacourse.

3. Start with the bed frame

"Start with your bed (this is often the biggest investment), and then add the side tables, and any other storage furniture, or a bench or seating if you have the space," advises Tanya Lacourse.

The bed frame is important because your bed, in general, tends to be the focal point within the space. With that said, it's important to have a bed frame that stands out or blends in with your vision for the rest of the room. "[Once you have the bed] layer in the linens, window treatments, mirrors, art, lighting, and accessories. The total sum of these layers creates the feel of a room," adds Lacourse.

Bedroom with a woodeedn bedframe and white bedding a light gray rug, rounded side tables — Design by Waldron Designs, image credit Catie Bergman Photography

There are also many different bed frame options available, from mid-century modern beds to upholstered bed frames, storage beds, and platform beds that don’t require a box spring. If you're struggling for inspiration, then you may want to look at some of the fantastic bed brands on the market that can give you inspiration when shopping for bed frames.

“The bed can be a bit of an anomaly. This is our focal point and is allowed to stand on its own."

And if you want to make a statement, Rachel Waldron says the bed is the perfect piece to do this with. “The bed can be a bit of an anomaly. This is our focal point and is allowed to stand on its own. Our suggestion here is to go for a complete contrast or work to tie it in in some simple way (usually style - a modern bed can look great with traditional pieces, but it takes a good eye to establish that proper mix),” explains Waldron.

Make sure that you design the furniture around the bed frame itself. From the bedside tables to mirrors and vanity areas, it's important to work with the space you have and design the rest of your bedroom furniture around the bed—though you definitely don’t need a matching bedroom set to make the space work.

4. Think about texture and patterns

Even if you’re mixing and matching bedroom furniture, a theme or color palette can help keep your room feeling consistent and provide you with more direction.

Consider what textures you want to incorporate into the space, too. This is also important because different wood tones can create different feels in the room. You can acquire neutral tones by picking more basic materials, like veneer table tops for your matching nightstands.

Dark pink sheets in a queen size bed in a bedroom with light pink walls a yellow accent chair — Design by Kimberly Horton, Photo by Allegra Anderson Photography

When it comes to getting started, Horton recommends you “always start with your core piece.” This can be your area rug, artwork, headboard, or any other item that will be the statement piece of the room. “To achieve a cohesive design thereafter, pull colors from that item and pair them with different textures," says Horton.

5. Think about colors and finishes

When selecting bedroom furniture for the space, it's useful to consider how your color scheme will flow throughout. This is also a fun way to start personalizing your room.

“You want a variety of finishes and the elements to be peaceful and inviting in a bedroom. Think warm wood, a thoughtful color selection, metallics, and soft, cozy elements to bring restfulness to the space,” Tanya Lacourse.

When you mix and match bedroom furniture, pay attention to what design theme you have and ensure you encapsulate all of the different colors and textures within the space. This includes both the bigger and bulkier items, as well as the smaller furnishings like throw pillows and accessories.

Cozy Bedroom Furniture with camel bed cover, wooden sidetable with flowers and a lamp and beige wall — Design by Kimberly Horton, Photo by Allegra Anderson Photography

Don't be afraid of making purchases that might not work. It's always good to be a little daring with your interior design, and you may find something that works well.

“Choosing one continuous element can assist with this approach,” says Rachel Waldron. “In the one bedroom, we maintained a similar finish across all the pieces. We had boxy pieces, round pieces, tall, and short, but each item had that continuity in the finish. The key is drawing that connection from one piece to the next.”

“If you love dark wood nightstands, add an upholstered bed with a light wood tone to offset the heaviness of the furniture. If you love a low, modern bed, add furniture that is also low and modern. If you love a more traditional, taller bed, then add furniture that is taller and suits this scale,” adds Lacourse.

6. Try mixing different styles

Everyone has a different style or taste when it comes to their bedroom. Some may focus more on minimalist features to keep the space as bare as possible others might prefer transitional style or something more mid-century.

“We love to create unique curated spaces by mixing a variety of furniture styles."

Whatever you choose, get creative, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations and more than one style. “We love to create unique curated spaces by mixing a variety of furniture styles. Our magic number is often three different styles for the large pieces,” says Daniella Hoffer.

Modern bedroom with a grey pallete and modern furniture — Design by Daniella Hoffer, Photo by Lisa Russman

“We may use one style for a bed frame such as an upholstered frame, two for night stands and a dresser, and then a final style for a desk. We may design a room with furniture all in similar colors and make sure they work together by layering finishes and textures,” adds Hoffer.

You can also incorporate a modern mix of materials, adding depth and interest to the overall design.

7. Avoid trying to match patterns and materials perfectly

If you’re not an interior design pro and trying to avoid out-of-the-box room sets, you could be tempted to try to find alignment between pieces in your bedroom makeover. But Kimberly Horton advises against this approach:

"To keep things simple, it's best to avoid using a similar pattern or texture unless it's a perfect match,” says Horton. In most cases, Horton notes, you actually want to do the opposite and utilize completely opposite styles and materials. “For example, a shag area rug and a smooth brass light fixture create interest. Additionally, a leather headboard would pair well with wood. Attempting to match never really works and ends up looking worse, so keep an open mind and explore your options," advises Horton.

Opposite styles in Bedroom furniture — Design by Kimberly Horton, Photo by Allegra Anderson Photography

“It's very typical to get wooden bedside tables but where could you mix in other materials? For example, combining glass, metal, and wood creates visual interest, depth, and dimension for a space. Whereas using all wood in a room seems to be very one note and falls flat,” concludes the Connecticut-based designer.

8. Consider scale

With a matching furniture set, everything is perfectly aligned with just the right heights and angles. It can look great. But if you’re mixing and matching pieces, you probably don’t want to focus on finding the perfect fit style-wise. But you probably do want it to work scale-wise.

“You'll want to be mindful of the scale of each piece. My general rule of thumb is that if you love a piece, and the scale and function are appropriate, go for it,” says Tanya Lacourse.

When mixing and matching heights, Waldron advises trying to find balance with accessories so the height offset doesn’t massively impact the feel of the room.

“I find the key to mixing and matching is balance. When the bedside tables are different sizes, I'll focus on ensuring they have the same finish and the same hardware. In our Portage Residence bedroom, we used mismatching nightstands. They were very similar finishes, and we worked with the lamps to create balance, both in a matching red and one slightly taller than the other so that they hit at about the same height on either side. The continuity of the wall covering also worked to create balance and pull the pieces together” explains Waldron.

Mixing and Matching Bedroom Furniture FAQs

Do bedrooms look bigger or smaller with furniture?

It often depends on the type of furniture you place within the room and how it's arranged. This is why it's great to rearrange the furniture in your room before you get started with any new furniture pieces. You may find that the answer to the perfect bedroom layout is simply to change how everything is positioned. Finding a good place for each piece can transform the space entirely.

Consider the type of furniture if you're limited on space or you're looking to fill a big room without it feeling too overcluttered.

Can you have too much furniture in a bedroom?

This is typically dependent on a personal point of view. For some, having too much furniture in a bedroom can make it hard to navigate the space.

However, there are those who believe you can never have too much furniture in the bedroom, especially if the room itself is on the larger side or the positioning of the furniture has been well thought out.

Where should a bed face?

A bed should typically face towards the windows to benefit from natural light where possible. Facing it away from the windows and perhaps in between the windows itself can provide more alignment in the space and is ideal for light sleepers. You can even place your bed in front of the window.

You could place the bed so that one long side is against the wall. While this might not work for every room occupant, it may be ideal for limited space.

Get bedside tables that meet the height of the bed frame.

Bedside tables that are higher than the beds themselves or sit too low can be uncomfortable when reaching something in bed. They can also be a bit of an eye-sore when aligning all the different furniture pieces together.

Measure your bed to ensure the right height when purchasing matching sets of bedside tables. Think about the size of them, too, as you don't want a bedside table that takes up too much room or doesn't have enough surface space to fit all of your knickknacks.

Meet the experts

At Living Cozy, we produce our content alongside interior design and home decor experts. In this guide about mixing and matching bedroom furniture, you’ll get advice from: