No, they don't have to match, and in my hands I don't think I would do them in matching fabric either, just something that played well together.

To me, if it matches, it is not an 'accent'.

My living room chairs are totally different so I hope they do not need to match. But my sister and a close friend need to have all matching sets. So I guess it is preference.

I like non-matching chairs, personally. I just got 2 matching ones, but only because of $. Eventually I will slipcover them in different fabric, so even though they'll be the same style, at least they will look a little different.

Uh oh- I do have two matching chairs that only match each other ( never thought of them as matching ), and another chair and sofa that don't match anything either. Does that count?

I agree with the other posters that there's no need to match.

I think they look nice either way. I would not put matching colors in different fabrics, though.

Thank you all. That makes me feel better . I can now go chair hunting without anxiety.:-)

There really is no need to match but on the other hand, don't be afraid to match, if you find a chair style that you really love.

For some great examples, hgtv.com has a bunch of living rooms Candice Olson designed. Her rooms have both matching and unmatching. Mostly matching. If you check Sarah Richardson, she usually matches also.

This thread made me think twice about matching vs not matching as we are getting ready to order 2 Audrey chairs from Bernhardt for our small LR.

We have two matching chairs...because we finally found a chair DH found comfy.:

The sofa is actually upholstered in one fabric--the cushion is merely wrapped in a piece of cotton because I made the mistake of getting brushed twill. Which makes my couch one big fur-collector. When I get it re-upholstered I shall choose a different fabric.

No need to match, and I will echo others and say that in my opinion it's better if they don't match. I'm really over the whole HGTV makeover look that a lot of people are doing. It suddenly hit me that the rooms never look LIVED in. I like a room with furniture which looks collected over time. Too perfect is bad in my opinion. (That said, we have two matching chairs my husband bought before he met me, but they're a neutral color and I just try to get my "lived in" look with other stuff.

I agree with everyone else, but I would add that although they don't have to match they should be similar in height or scale and should not conflict in their "flavor". By "flavor", I mean that, for example, a chair with modern lines should not be paired with a victorian wingback. That would just be strange. NONE of my chairs match and I love it. By the way, matchy matchy jewelry isn't a good idea either. "Complimentary" is the word of the day when it comes to jewelry.

@lizzie,I think that is my problem. I have looked at way too much HGTV and when I decided that it might be cool to pick two chair styles that I really liked versus a pair of matching chairs, I could not find a decent example anywhere. Thank goodness for the people on GW. You all help us step out of the box without fear all while making our rooms look fabulous. Thank you!

I was having to same problem and thanks to you for posting your question because I know now that I don't have to keep looking.

Shop away! Have fun and please take pictures to share.

The chairs in our living room are matched. But due to the nature of the room (balanced) it would look strange if they were different. The room is small and there isn't much room for furniture. I think the matched look makes the room look less crowded.