Mixing old and new without it looking like a jumble

Most homes are not period pieces. They're a mix, some inherited, some bought last year, some assembled with an Allen key. Rustic furniture can sit in that mix beautifully, but only if you give it something to hold onto.

One: agree on a line

Old and new argue when their proportions disagree. Keep the horizontals aligned where you can, the top of the sideboard near the height of the window sill, the console near the height of the sofa back. Matching heights does more to settle a mixed room than matching styles ever will.

Two: repeat one colour across both

Find a colour in the older piece, the warm ochre in a patina, the black of the ironwork, and put it somewhere modern in the same room. A cushion, a lamp, a frame. The repetition tells the eye the two things belong together.

Three: let the old piece win

• The characterful piece should be the one you notice first. If the television is the loudest object, mount it lower or set it against a dark wall so it recedes.
• Keep modern pieces plain. Contemporary furniture with its own strong personality will fight the antique rather than frame it.
• Don't spread characterful pieces evenly around the room, group them. Clustering reads as a collection; scattering reads as leftovers.