Do alcoves either side of fireplace need to have matching units?

[Untery]

we found a really nice antique pine cupboard that looks great in alcove. But now not sure what to put in other alcove. Most online photos of design ideas have matching units or shelving. What do people think?

I don’t like matchy matchy so would work for me

in any event, it’s your home. Whatever floats your boat

Hell no! Just try to find something that balances it out but that doesn’t match.

No! I have built in cupboards on one side and an antique cabinet on the other.

My Mum’s obsessed with everything matching and it really winds me up. As long as the stuff in my home has the same sort of vibe, I don’t care if it matches at all. You can definitely make it work for you.

Thanks. Glad to know it can be done!

I would hope that even if a handful of strangers had told you that it was their style… you still would have gone ahead because you damn well wanted to and liked it

I am just not really trusting of my own style ideas. Made plenty mistakes in the past that look a bit crap!

Just trust what you like Op, and then you’ll be happy with it.

Do you live alone?

No, we have sleeper style shelves on one with a unit below, then our TV wall mounted on the other one

No with dh and teenage boys. Nobody who cares particularly about style ideas!

Can you take a pic so we can see? It sounds lovely

op… one rule. Do I like it, really like it?

Unless you're Wes Anderson the two sides of a room do not have to match.

I’d d one of three things.
Try and source something in similar style and wood colour; leave it empty with a nice piece of art on the wall, or put plain unit and shelves above painted the same colour as the walls so they to disappear.

Not really wanting to post pic as would be outing. I think I will try putting an antique kist in the other alcove. We have one I can move from other part of the house. It’s same colour and vibe so should hopefully work

No. DH built a cupboard in one and that has a lamp on it and the other has the TV pushed into it with book shelves above.

Well we have three alcoves that are different sizes so it's impossible in our house! Seriously though, do what you want, it's your house. In our last house we had a bookshelf in one alcove and a kist with a TV on it in the other alcove. Symmetry looks traditional but messing with symmetry gives a cooler look.