Your own twist
Putting a unique spin on everyday decor items is not as hard as you might think. You can start with the base items, like a matching sofa and loveseat, and add to it or change it slightly to make it a little more special.
The first thing to do is to shop creatively. If you're in the market for any new decorative items, consider moving outside of your comfort zone and choosing the unusual versus the ready-to-buy, matchy stuff.
Matching lamps
Gone are the days of matching living room lamps like the ones you grew up with. There are way too many stylish choices out there to go for the familiar or the ordinary. If you need lighting in the living room then opt for one floor lamp, one unique table lamp and an accent lamp that suit your tastes. This might mean a wrought iron floor lamp with a suede-look lampshade, a small ceramic accent lamp in a coordinating room colour and a side table lamp with a square shade in similar tones and finishes. If you can picture the difference between this look and a set of matching ceramic or brass lamps, you'll see that the latter is way more interesting. One choice is safe and boring, the other is challenging and well worth the effort.
If you all ready have matching lamps and can't afford new ones, don't worry. You can still effect changes on items that you already have. If the lampshades are paintable, then paint them in a unique design or all one colour. Depending upon your needs and the style of lamp, you could paint the shades black on the outside and shiny gold on the inside for huge drama in a den or dining room. This is just one idea so consider your needs and your decor colours and style. If the shades aren't really paintable then you could cover them with fabric, like rough burlap, faux suede or denim, using a hot glue gun. Add decorative trim, beads or edging for added pizzazz.
If the lamp bases are out-of-date or lacklustre, you can adorn them using a hot glue gun and items like hemp rope, beads, fabric or what have you. Gold-leaf the base or paint it with ceramic paints. You can really change the look if you use your imagination. Make each lamp a little different so that they complement each other but don't necessarily match.
Matching furniture
When buying "living room" furniture or a "bedroom suite" try to stay away from matching sets unless they are stunning. These large pieces of furniture are going to be around for a long time and you want to ensure that your decor stays current as the years progress. For example, in the bedroom, opt for a new, stylish headboard and perhaps a matching dresser but forgo the matching bedside tables and second dresser. Instead, find unique pieces to serve as side tables in complementary but different finishes than those of the headboard and dresser. If, say, the headboard and dresser are contemporary wood pieces with smooth, dark finishes, you might want to add texture to the room with the purchase of two wicker bedside tables in a medium tone finish. Yes, the two side tables can be matching or very similar, as it will provide appropriate visual symmetry. Throw in an antique dressing table in similar wood tones to spice things up a little.
In the living room try to stay away from sets of coffee and side tables and opt for pieces that blend together but do not match. You might find a great square coffee table at the furniture store but rather than buy the matching side tables, opt for something different. A small drum table might be one way to go and perhaps a small vintage trunk for the other. As long as they are related in some way -- colour tones, finishes and styles -- then it should work. As an example, you probably wouldn't use a white wicker side table with your dark coffee table and vintage trunk. If you painted the wicker in a dark, coffee bean colour and put a glass top on it, then it might fit in just fine.
Try to think of more interesting options than buying a matching sofa, loveseat and arm chair whenever possible. These are three huge pieces that you'll be living with for a while. The optimum plan is to be able to change in one or two new pieces down the line so you're not locked into one look. Get that great sofa but leave the matching loveseat and chair. For one thing, most rooms will be overpowered by three large pieces but if you really want a matching set then at the very least, just purchase the sofa and chair. Going back to my first choice of just buying a great sofa leaves you tons of options for now and in the future. If you choose to buy a medium brown leather sofa in a contemporary style, then you can mix in coordinating arm chairs with patterned upholstery that will add colour and pattern to the space. Perhaps one chair with large taupe and cream vertical stripes and the other in a large botanical print of sage greens and dark brown or even just a solid cream with chocolate piping. You can see how many more choices you have with the second option of purchasing non-matching side chairs. Down the road, you can recover the chairs to update your look for far less than it would cost to recover a sofa. You might find a deal on a great old chair at a garage sale that you can then have recovered to your tastes. Believe me, most older furniture is sturdy and will last a long time.
If you've all ready purchased a matching sofa, loveseat and ottoman your room might be overpowered by these three large pieces of furniture. Take a hard look at your space and try to determine if the pieces are overcrowding the room visually and literally. If the answer is yes, then one piece needs to find a home in another room. With a bit more breathing room, you might choose to replace your current coffee table with a large ottoman that will act as a coffee table and additional seating or simply bring in a one smaller scale chair in a coordinating style to spice things up a bit.
I hope I've given you a little food for thought. Get a little messy. It's fun!
