This photograph by Simon Bevan illustrates how an iconic item can be used well.

The print on the wall is either a Bild poster from Ikea or very similar to one, and most people who’ve been to an Ikea store are familiar with the flowers-in-rows print.

In Bevan’s room, the print is nicely framed, and the dishes on the table have the same type of busy pattern without matching exactly. The piece blends into the room as a whole (at least as far as we can see in the photo). The trick is to use only one or two recognizable pieces from any one place in a room. If you use an Ikea table, try to find chairs somewhere else. If you find a fabulous vintage sofa at a thrift store, don’t bother with the matching end chairs.

In our bedroom, we used the overlapping squares headboard from West Elm, but not the matching bench or chairs. Using one piece lets that piece shine while keeping the room from looking like a catalog set. It’s easy to go to a store and pick out an entire matching room, but that room will always look like a set. Combining old and new furniture and accessories from different places keeps rooms from being matchy-matchy and lets your own style shine through.

Via Desire to Inspire.