There’s something about an unexpected combination that is so much more interesting than sticking with things that “go together”. These creative combos have the power to catch the eye and delight the senses in ways so much more compelling than predictable pairs.
As you can see, “unexpected” does not necessarily mean wild or off the wall. In most cases it’s a subtle pairing of two (or more) elements that are quite nice on their own, but when paired together become especially enticing.
Beautiful things go together, period.
I once read a description of Parisian interiors and how they differ from American interiors. The gist of it was this: The French do not get hung up on whether two pieces are the same style, or color, or from the same time period. They believe that beautiful things go together, period. I couldn’t agree more.