10 rooms that demonstrate how to mix period styles effectively
“Objects in a room talk to each other,” says designer and tastemaker Duncan Campbell, “and when the mix is right, a space can feel like a perfect dinner party, with an interesting selection of guests, some naughty, others charming, but everyone getting on in a kind of symphony where no-one dominates the conversation, steals the last roast potato or puts a cigarette out in your favourite piece of lettuceware.” A vivid image, and one we'd all surely like to achieve, especially those of us who are fans of the traditional English country interior. As legendary interior designer Alidad puts it, "If you look at the interiors of stately homes, they are always filled with inherited furniture from different generations, creating an evolved look.” But how to go about it when you're starting from scratch?
“I see it as a kind of Yin and Yang,” explains gallerist and dealer Tobias Vernon of 8 Holland Street. Known for his eclectic taste and ability to weave a variety of pieces into a coherent interior, for him it is all a question of contrast and balance. “We have 19th-century things next to contemporary objects, and we will put something rough next to something smooth, something natural next to something fibreglass, something chalky next to something lurid green. You actually get the balance from hundreds and hundreds of small contrasts.”
Some of us amateurs, however, might worry that they will get the balance wrong, as dealer and designer Adam Bray admits to doing early in his career. ”When I had my first shop in the mid-1990s, I was precociously confident and threw it all together. Mostly, it worked – but there were some areas less good than others. I loved Scandinavian design from the 1950s and 1960s, but somehow the rosewood and leather chairs and low-slung coffee tables felt pedestrian and institutional next to the more luxurious Art Deco and exuberant Italian designs." Adam learned to think about in different ways, first by considering the “the scale of the rooms that they were conceived for originally.” Pieces that were designed for modest interiors, such as mid-century furniture, tend not to work well in "grand rooms that are heavily architecturally detailed.”
As you can see in some of the rooms we've picked out here, having a room that is a blank canvas can be very helpful. One of our favourite interiors that's open to the public, Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, is a clean, light-filled, white-walled space, and this works beautifully as a backdrop to all kinds of different objects and artworks. Many designers have taken inspiration from this space. Textiles can also be a clever way to ground a scheme full of contrast. As Adam Bray explains, “I learned to emulsify disparate moods with colour and texture – often in the form of Moroccan carpets or Indian prison dhurries. That third element would help the other two contrasting pieces blend more easily.”
The following rooms are full of more ideas for stylish combinations, whether they feature mid-century pieces jostling with Regency designs, or contemporary IKEA chairs next to Victorian classics.
Paul Massey1/8Ben Pentreath is known for his layered interiors, where bold colour and standout pieces of furniture create impact, often mixing periods in a bold way. "‘I do not make a slavish attempt to create a museum set,’ he explains.
This dining room in a Georgian house in London is an excellent example. The panelling is right for the period of the house, but a mid-century Saarinen oval dining table takes centre stage, surrounded by Regency mahogany chairs upholstered in ‘Paso’ horsehair in dark brass by John Boyd Textiles. For extra impact, the roman blinds in ‘Shutter Stripe’ linen in new-mown green by Nicky Haslam Design provide a bright accent against walls in ‘Bromine’ by Emente.
Simon Upton2/8David Mlinaric has long been known as one of the best in the business when it comes to combining varied elements to create a sophisticated interior. This sitting room in a country house he designed with Ptolemy Dean shows why. A pair of early 20th-century satinwood and lacquered brass open bookshelves stand either side of the french windows into the garden. The coffee table is a David Hicks design, and an 18th-century English writing table stands behind the soda. In the background is a 1950s standard lamp with blue shades.
James McDonald3/8Gallerist Tobias Vernon is well known for being eclectic in the vintage, antique and modern pieces he sources for his shop 8 Holland Street, and his own cottage in Somerset neatly demonstrates his clever aesthetic.
The room is a good instance of how Tobias likes to combine objects with different textures. The rubber flooring underfoot is softened by the natural fibre rug and also contrasts with the Fifties Orkney chair to the left. The plastic Ikea chair is juxtaposed with a characterful antique desk, and a rush-seated chair sits underneath a Sixties mirror by FontanaArte. The white walls are a soothing blank canvas so that all the contrasts in the furniture don't feel too jarring.
Michael Sinclair4/8Although many rooms in antiques dealer Jack Laver Brister's former house in Frome feel like they could have emerged from the early 19th century, this room layers in mid-century pieces such as a graphic orange David Hicks rug (rescued from a skip) and an Arco floor lamp. David Hicks is a brilliant reference for anyone looking to combine traditional style with bright, bold patterns and contemporary shapes – his approach to country house style in the 1960s and 1970s was revolutionary. “He mixed high and low, old and new, opulent and spare,” said Tory Burch in the foreword to the recent book David Hicks in Colour. “He preferred raw linen to expensive velvet, revived thrift store finds with a gloss of paint, and found inspiration everywhere, from modern art to a bar of soap.”
Michael Sinclair5/8Rita Konig's west London flat is a masterclass in beautiful combinations, and nowhere is this more evident than in the generous sitting room. Contemporary pieces like Peter Mikic's 'Punch' console and side table for The Lacquer Company sit next to antique armchairs – the far chair is upholstered in a charming chintz by Rose Cumming. To the right is deep sofa covered in a zebra print ('Le Zebre' by Brunschwig & Fils), which is completely unexpected. 'I love how the sofa feels quite like 1970s New York and stops the room from looking too serious,' she says.
Simon Brown6/8Interior designer Chester Jones has always championed the mixing of eras in a room and in this country house designed with his son Toby, they show how well it can be done. In the drawing room, an Oushak rug tones with a custom-made sofa – one of a pair – upholstered in Alton-Brooke’s ‘Prelle Toile Barbare’. The 20th-century tole table is from Howe, and a handsome 18th-century mahogany secretaire to the side serves as a drinks cupboard.
Michael Sinclair7/8Antiques consultant Guy Tobin's former house in London is characterised by the clever blend of styles that he brings to his collecting. The living room mixes bespoke sofas in plain fabrics with an array of interesting antiques, including a Gothic cabinet, a mid-century Italian mirror, and a contemporary pendant light.
Simon Brown8/8Emma Burns' former flat in west London has an eclectic mix of lovely things packed into a relatively small space, from the bespoke shelving unit to a contempary glass dining table, mixed with an antique side chair and ottoman (plus walls filled with Emma's art collection). Though there undoubtedly is a discipline to it, the process of arranging these things appears to be effortless. "It’s just about practising, non-stop moving things around and playing house," she says. "I really do believe that if you have a base of things you love, you can make it all work together."
