There’s something wonderfully freeing about breaking the matching furniture set rulebook. Gone are the days when every piece in your living room had to come from the same collection, wearing identical fabric like furniture siblings forced into matching outfits. Today’s most interesting spaces tell a story through thoughtfully mismatched pieces that somehow just work together.

But here’s the thing: mixing and matching sofas and chairs isn’t about randomly throwing together whatever catches your eye. It’s an art form with some surprisingly simple principles that anyone can master.