How to decorate with florals and leather together
News flash: not everything in your home needs to match! You may have grown up in a house where every single piece was color-coordinated, but matchy-matchy is outdated and gets boring fast. Things don’t need to match; they just need to harmonize in an interesting way.
One way to freshen up your decor is by mixing contrasting elements and textures, like florals and leather. Florals are traditionally thought of as feminine elements, while leather is considered a more masculine look. Pairing these opposites in the same room creates a unique, sophisticated look.
Use a leather couch as your backdrop
When mixing patterns, it’s important to choose a dominant element and supporting element. So choosing a leather couch makes the couch the dominant element and focal point of your room. You can easily add in floral as the supporting style element near your couch.Try tossing some floral throw pillows on your leather couch to create contrast. This allows you to add a pattern and a pop of color in whatever shade you want without overpowering the room. The neutral leather of the couch is a great background to add floral to. Or choose a large area rug with a bold floral pattern to place in front of your couch or underneath. If you and your spouse or roommate can’t settle on one look for your living room, a neutral leather couch paired with a patterned, floral rug, cushions or chair (like Becki Owens did) is the perfect way to please both parties.
Another way to mix in florals with your leather couch is to add floral to the wall behind your couch. Most likely, the wall behind your couch is the center of interest in the room. Choose floral wallpaper for the wall behind your couch to create a stunning and eye-catching display. You won’t have to worry about it feeling like too much floral in one room because the leather couch will offset the feminine sense of the floral wall. If an entire wallpapered floral wall is too much for you, consider a piece of artwork incorporating florals. Maybe a painting of a still life of flowers or a modern graphic design print.
And of course, placing live flowers or plants near your leather couch is a very simple way to mix these unique elements. A vase of flowers on the table in front of your couch or a tall, leafy plant on one end is a very easy way to add feminine touches to a room dominated by a masculine leather couch. Beautiful mama Rita Donahoe surely knows how to style the perfect living room using these tips.
Display your flowers and plants using leather
A vase of flowers or potted plant automatically adds a feminine touch to a room. Create contrast and balance the femininity of your fresh or artificial flowers by displaying them in leather.Forgo the traditional glass vase or ceramic pot, and place your flowers and plants in leather vases. Leather conveys a feeling of strength, and the contrast with delicate stems creates interest. Choose from vases with strong metal accents, or a hanging planter made of leather and rope.Look for vases or flower pots with leather accents or tags. These small touches generate interest and take a simple display of flowers in a vase from boring to conversation piece.
Hunt for pieces that already blend leather with florals
Keep your eye out for pieces of furniture and decor that are already blending florals with leather. Look for small wall decor items that use bits of leather next to florals. You may even find a unique piece of furniture like this chair upholstered in both leather and floral fabric.
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Step away from boring, and try your hand at some texture and pattern mixing in your home. If your decor is overly feminine and floral, throw in some leather pieces to add weight and sophistication. And if your place is a little too masculine, add some light and color with floral wall hangings, rugs, and accents. Decorating with these contrasting elements creates a beautiful harmony in your home!
