Eclectic decorating requires using a variety of styles and pulling them together to create a cohesive look. The great thing about an eclectic style is that you can mix any pieces that you love. Maybe you find the symmetry of traditional décor attractive, but you like cottage pieces and want to add a few. Perhaps you like French country but want to add contemporary. An eclectic approach will let you use all of these sources. It will take a good eye for what goes together to pull together an eclectic style. Decorating with a theme is easier because it helps to have a common thread. When creating an eclectic style, you need to find subtle similarities and contrasts. If you are trying to create an eclectic room, try some of these tips.
Step 1
Making New Rules
The first step is to toss all the rules. You are going to ignore the fact that furniture comes in "sets" and purchase only pieces you want. These sets are predictable and can be boring. You do not have to contain yourself to one kind of wood. Instead of getting all oak or pine, get different pieces in mahogany, cherry, and other types. Make sure that the different pieces of furniture mix with texture, style, color, etc.
Step 2
Creating a Balanced Room
You have to balance things out. For instance, take a rug from India and place it underneath a round oak table and an oak hutch. A sturdy oak table is reminiscent of the country style, but bringing in a rug that is brightly colored with navy blue, burgundy, and forest green gives the room a whole new look. Further accessories with alter the entire style of the room. For example, place oversized candles in burgundy in one corner of the room on candles sticks in silver, gold, or brass. These pick up the color in the rug, but will work in almost any room. Use navy blue fabric with cream trim for chair coverings. Antique china plates with a blue and white pattern are common and are a perfect accent piece for a dining room. With these different elements, the room is a combination of country, contemporary, and exotic. The intensity of the colors are balanced throughout the room in the plates on the walls and the rug. In addition to an exotic theme, these pieces also have a pale background in common. Other elements, such as rooster plates are too country and would have thrown the room off. There are a number of things that pull this room together. For one thing, the accent colors all have the same intensity and are spread throughout the room. The oak furniture in the room fades into the background in the face of other rich pieces, which tone down the country theme. The chairs have the simplicity of contemporary style, but they are subtle enough to go with the theme. The simplicity of the oak furniture and the linen chair coverings blend well with each other and work against the exoticism of the accessories.
Step 3
Using Less Pieces
When implementing an eclectic style, it is easy to overdo it. The best thing is to try positioning several pieces together and seeing how they look. Balance is key when implementing an eclectic design in particular, so arrange heavy pieces throughout the room. The depth and clarity of colors is also important. That is why pastels mix well because they are all light and clear.
Step 4
How to Mix Various Elements
In order to make an eclectic style work, it is necessary to mix elements on different levels. For instance, you can mix styles, such as contemporary and country, but it is also important to combine different woods and fabrics. You can finish the look by placing items from different styles, such as an antique vase and a contemporary table, next to each other. Mixing one piece from a different style into a room that is otherwise one style, will make it look as if you decided to put a mismatched item into a room instead of a fashion theme.
Step 5
An Eclectic Room You Love
You are the one who has to live with the room, so put pieces you love in it. That means putting your favorite color in the room in a modern sculpture, pieces of traditional pottery, and traditional paintings. You can combine all of these items in one room by using the same color to unify the different pieces.
