**Designing a set of chairs doesn’t have to mean making them all identical—in fact, some of the most charming interiors come from eclectic chair design with coordinating fabrics. By mixing florals, checks, and complementary patterns, you can create a collection that feels playful yet cohesive, like it was gathered over time. In my latest project, I styled a set of 10 chairs where every piece is unique, but together they tell one colorful, joyful story.

Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on one of my recent chair collections: a joyful, coordinated set of 10 chairs that use different fabrics—but feel completely cohesive. It’s my approach to designing eclectic chairs with coordinating fabrics that is equal parts art and strategy, and I’m sharing all my tips below so you can try it too!

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🎨 Step 1: Choose Your Hero Fabric for Eclectic Chairs

In this set, seven of the ten chairs use the same multicolored floral fabric on the front side—but here’s the twist: I positioned the fabric differently on each chair, highlighting different colors and blooms. This simple change created the feeling that each chair is unique, even though they’re all tied together by one foundational print.

Here’s a few hero fabrics we were choosing from:

We ended up choosing the one in the middle, Vervain Secret Garden.

💡 Pro Tip: When working with a large-scale floral, shift your placement so some chairs emphasize the pink peonies while others feature leafy greens or pops of blue. It’s like giving each chair its own personality within the same family.

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🟦 Step 2: Use Buffalo Check Fabrics to Create Cohesion

To complement the floral fabric that we chose, I paired each of the 7 floral chairs with a different colored buffalo check seat. These checks pick up a color found in the floral print—pink, blue, green, yellow, and more—tying each one back to the hero fabric.

The secret to keeping it cohesive?
👉 Every buffalo check is the exact same scale.
This creates visual consistency while allowing for playful variety in color.

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🔁 Step 3: Add Coordinating Fabrics to Chair Backs

Here’s where things get fun: the backs of every chair feature a completely different fabric from the front—but still within the same color palette. This surprise element adds a whimsical, layered touch when viewed from behind.

Some backs are stripes, others are florals, and a few lean more geometric or folk-inspired. What unites them is their color story—they’re all friends, not strangers.

🎀 Think of it like a fabric conversation—each one brings something unique, but they’re all speaking the same colorful language.

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✨ Step 4: Mix in a Few Wild Card Chairs for Interest

Not every chair needs to follow the same formula. In this collection, I mixed in three “wild card” chairs with completely different fabric combinations on the front sides—still within the same cheerful, cottage-style palette, but intentionally varied to keep the eye moving.

These chairs act as punctuation marks in the group—adding visual rhythm and a little surprise.

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🪑 Design Tips for a Cohesive Eclectic Chair Set

• Pick one consistent element: For me, it was the buffalo check scale and the white painted frames.

• Anchor the look with a hero fabric: Use it multiple times, but in new ways.

• Mix but don’t match: Vary colors and patterns while keeping everything within a shared mood or palette.

• Think in 360°: Fabric the backs intentionally—they’ll show!

• Play with texture: Linen, cotton, velvet, and woven blends can create even more interest.

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💗 Final Thoughts: A Joyful Symphony of Pattern

There’s a special kind of magic in chairs that look like they were curated over time—each one bringing something new to the table (literally). When done well, mixing fabrics can create a look that feels joyful, intentional, and full of personality.

So if you’ve been holding back from combining prints or playing with color—let this be your nudge. Start with one chair, then another… and before you know it, you’ll have a whole set that tells your story in fabric.

(If you are interested in learning more about how to mix and match fabrics, check out my Fabric Mixology course where I teach this technique and a few others!)