Why You'll Never See Matching Dishes In Joanna Gaines' Kitchen

Interior designer Joanna Gaines has a special talent for creating interiors that feel effortlessly beautiful, where every detail feels thoughtful and intentional. Given how mindful she is about every little aspect of a home, you might expect her to be a stickler for perfection, steering clear of clashing designs. However, Gaines' charming decor style doesn't come from uniformity.

A large part of her design approach comes from mixing and matching unexpected elements to create something uniquely beautiful. She applies this method to her kitchen and dining room choices as well, always opting for mixed dishware over neatly matched collections. Gaines enjoys pulling together mismatched vintage crockery, from dinner plates to pie platters. The varying patterns look beautiful in table settings and improve the overall aesthetic. "I feel like blue and white dishware [and] vintage dishware mismatched is a dream come true," she explains (via Better Homes & Gardens).

There are plenty of dishware trends that'll elevate the look of your kitchen. But this advice from Gaines is a reminder that you don't need to limit yourself to just one style. Cabinets stacked with a consistent dish design may look great in a showroom. Changing things up with a blend of styles provides a sense of character much needed in the home. Experimenting with different dishware combinations might be worth considering to take your next dinner party to a new level.

According to Joanna Gaines, her signature style was inspired by a road trip through rural New Mexico. She found the contrast of earthy farmland and industrial silos beautiful. This origin story gives insight into her interior design process and her willingness to experiment with unlikely pairings. We can see this take emphasized in Gaines' own Magnolia tableware collection. While each piece embraces different colors and shapes, the collection is linked through rich earth tones and other commonalities. With a varied tablescape, you introduce layers of style that build up to create beautiful dimensionality. And that stands out far more than stacks of identical plates.

While mix-and-match combinations don't seem unusual in interior styles like eclectic decor, they can feel like a daring choice in more polished aesthetics. But that doesn't mean they won't work. Mixing up your dishware isn't a trend that will overwhelm your space with chaotic patterns. Rather, it's a great way to add a touch of personality to the dinner table. In fact, there's a notable shift away from perfectly matched tableware in interior design more broadly. Too much coordination often comes off as content-ready and lacking warmth. Opting for loosely defined dish combinations is a great asset. Use it to create looks that feel curated and full of character.

Joanna Gaines may make creating gorgeous table settings with mismatched dishes seem effortless, but that doesn't mean every combination you create will appeal. There are plenty of fun tablescape ideas for every occasion that can work with mixed dishes. However, an underlying sense of cohesion is important, so your setting doesn't come off as disorganized or bizarre.

One of Gaines' favorite ways to pair different dishes is to combine old and new, textured and polished — for instance, layering a vintage-patterned dinner plate over a block-colored modern charger plate. She's also a fan of pairing different blue-and-white dishes, like vintage chinoiserie pieces collected from thrift stores. This approach gives you the freedom to incorporate dishware of varying sizes, shapes, or painted details under a unified palette and style.

For a more eclectic look, you might ground your collection through contrast. Try pairing complementary colors, light and dark tones, or mixed finishes. Even if you don't want to build a mismatched collection from scratch, you can experiment by mixing the dishware in your cabinets. In either case, create combinations based on an underlying palette or texture, and give each piece a chance to show its own personality. The key to a stylish mixed dish table setting is creating harmony in chaos, not chasing perfection.