Eclectic Interior Design Ideas to Express Your Personality
Enjoying a long overdue catch-up with an old friend, you look around their living room and admire the eclectic interior design choices they’ve made. The space is a mix and match of different styles and elements, but rather than feeling disjointed, everything works in harmony, from the colour scheme to the statement lighting fixtures.
Turning your mind to your own home, you contemplate how you could incorporate elements of eclectic interior design…
Image courtesy of @a_leopard_in_every_room
You picture a dining room filled with visually stimulating colours, patterns and textures, a bedroom beautifully combining décor from different places around the world, and a carefully curated hallway that shows guests exactly who you are as soon as they enter your home.
It’s a difficult style to get right, but with a little bit of guidance, you’re ready to try your hand at curating fun and playful interiors that reflect your personality.
Discover how to create spaces as unique as you are with our eclectic interior design ideas.
What is eclectic interior design?
‘Eclectic interior design is all about personality and storytelling. It’s a style that evolves by layering and adding new items, be that vintage finds or treasures from your travels’, says Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of Dowsing & Reynolds. ‘Picking up an antique standard lamp and matching it with a modern tribal print shade is a great way to add unique lighting that fits this look.’
Harmony is key to this design style; perfecting it takes a great eye and consistent effort. An easy place to start is with your living room lighting to add a bit of flair to your décor. Choose a statement piece and build out from there. Eclectic interior design unites juxtaposing textures, contrasting colours, and disparate styles to create a beautifully cohesive space.
White bubble cloud frosted chandelier
Each stylistic choice needs to be considered. For the overall look, congruent rather than cluttered is the goal. Experimenting and having fun is a big part of this style, so play around with different elements until you find something that works.
3 defining characteristics of eclectic design
- Mixing visual elements: Eclectic design combines different patterns, textures, and other elements that typically wouldn’t go together to create a space that is layered and visually interesting.
- Combining the modern and traditional: Eclectic interiors often bring together décor from different periods, pairing vintage furniture with contemporary artwork, for example.
- Carefully curated: The best eclectic interiors look effortless, even though lots of work has gone on behind the scenes to make sure that everything works in harmony. There is a unifying element or theme that pulls the space together, such as colour, texture, or a specific focal point.
5 tips for creating a beautiful eclectic interior
When setting out to create an eclectic interior, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Consider each of these design tips as you start to visualise how to transform your room.
1. Choose a unifying colour
Choosing a series of core colours to use is a great starting point and will help tie the many disparate elements of your room together.
Try selecting one neutral hue and one accent colour to begin with. Using a calming neutral throughout will prevent the space from becoming too mismatched and erratic, ensuring it remains harmonious even as you continue to layer and add new items. You can introduce new colours into your eclectic palette gradually as your interior inventory grows and expands.
Apply your accent colour to things like rugs, throw pillows, side tables, and table lamps. If these furnishings all belong to different design schools then that’s even better, as it will truly make the space feel more eclectic.
Product pick: The pink cylindrical concrete table lamp is great for adding a subtle pop of colour to eclectic spaces.
2. Play with patterns and textures
The most visually stimulating eclectic spaces don’t shy away from being bold with clashing patterns and textures. This is where you can really get creative and let your personality shine through, curating interiors that are truly one of a kind.
Repeat some of the same mismatched patterns and textures throughout your room to help create a sense of visual harmony. Consider placing smooth textures alongside rough ones, or blending the soft and the hard.
Product pick: The smooth texture of the gold Waldorf pebble lamp would contrast beautifully with something rough like a rustic-style wooden side table.
3. Provide an eye-catching focal point
A focal point like an accent wall, sculpture, or statement chandelier will help tie your eclectic interiors together and draw the eye to all the right places. It’s another easy way to make your eclectic space feel deliberate and considered rather than just a random assortment of items.
Try to choose just one item that you want to use as your focal point and give it a special place in the room where it can stand out all by itself.
Product pick: Modern and eye-catching, the large bubble chandelier will provide a stunning focal point in any eclectic space.
4. Less is more
Although the eclectic interior design style embraces maximalism, the last thing you want is to end up with a space that feels cluttered and messy. Less is still more, even when it comes to eclecticism.
Focus on showing off a few key pieces that you really love, rather than filling your shelves to the brim with random items that don’t contribute to the look you’re trying to create.
5. Don’t forget the importance of lighting
Even in eclectic interiors, lighting plays a huge role in setting the desired mood. Consider creating a layered lighting scheme for a seamless transition from day to night.
- Start by thinking about your ceiling lighting. This should be bright enough to fully illuminate your space when you’re carrying out tasks like cleaning or working.
- Add wall lights for ambience. These will add an additional layer of interest to your eclectic space. Add dimmer switches to create an intimate atmosphere in the evening.
- Finish with eye-catching table and floor lamps. These will create pockets of warm light that make the space feel cosy and relaxing.
Show us your eclectic interiors
We’d love to see how you’ve incorporated the eclectic interior design style into your interiors. Tag @dowsingandreynolds on Instagram – we can’t wait to see your ideas!
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