Does a Nightstand Have to Match the Dresser?

About Eclectic Decorating

• Eclectic decorating is a style that uses many different types of furnishings, yet puts them together in a way that blends them to create an integrated look. With eclectic decorating, different periods and styles are joined with color, texture, shape and finish, according to the Freshome website. Pieces that don't match exactly, but complement each other in attractive ways, are used to create fresh and imaginative decors.

Matching Nightstand & Dresser

• Of course, if you are fortunate enough to have a matching bedroom set with headboard, nightstand and dresser, you can use them to decorate a beautiful room with touches of your individual taste and design sense. But you are not locked into using them all in one room if you’d like a change. Using furnishings creatively means envisioning other purposes and uses for items you use every day. So feel free to mix and match as your imagination suggests.

Wicker Accents

• A wicker nightstand can add a light and summery touch to a bedroom that may be dominated by dark, heavy wood. The natural finish and texture of wicker makes a design statement, adding an outdoor feel to a formal bedroom set. This airy feeling can be enhanced with garden prints on the wall or patterned pillows and bedding.

Wrought Iron Designs

• Unexpected materials can add interest and design elements to a room where nightstands and dressers are in matching sets. Wrought iron and wood can add a Spanish or Moroccan feel to the room that can be repeated with other items in natural materials, such as stoneware, terra cotta, brick and metal decorative items. A wood and wrought iron nightstand can be the central piece in this suggestion of an exotic time and place.

Antiques

• Antique furniture may not match any other piece in the room, but can add so much to the overall design. An antique dresser can be matched with a nightstand that suggests the same shape or wood tone in some way, yet may not completely match. Or, you can go for contrast by, for instance, putting together a dark mahogany piece and a lighter maple piece. Highlight your special antique “finds” and drape textiles that suggest the time-frame of the antique over the nightstand. Or, place a candelabra or framed print on the nightstand to repeat the era the antique represents.