Home decor, interior design tips for decorating in eclectic style

Decorating with an eclectic style might be daunting but here are few suggestions from home decor and interior design experts

Eclectic interiors refer to a design style that embraces a mix of different elements, styles and periods, resulting in a unique and harmonious blend where it is a creative and versatile approach that allows individuals to showcase their personal tastes and interests while creating a visually captivating space. Eclectic interiors often feature a diverse range of furniture, accessories, patterns, textures and colours, creating an atmosphere that is vibrant, dynamic and full of character.

Home decor, interior design tips for decorating in eclectic style (Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash)

The key to achieving a successful eclectic interior is finding the right balance between contrasting elements, ensuring that they complement each other rather than clash. The result is a space that reflects the individual's personality, celebrates their diverse influences and creates a visually stimulating environment that is both inviting and inspiring.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Ankit and Anand Ojha, Principal Designers of Anand Atelier Associate, echoed, “Eclectic interiors is a combination of different eras, style and different bunch of elements which, when comes together create magic and give us statement spaces. One of the home décor trends that can mean many different things to many different people is eclectic style.”

Decorating with an eclectic style might be daunting but the duo advised:

• Decide your theme - Deciding a theme always help before we go crazy with the colours. This is what will help us in achieving a statement look as compared to a chaotic one. We can always start with a neutral colour palette and then expand it with our interior inventory, using pop up rug, toss cushions, side tables and floor lamps.
• Patterns and textures - Mixed patterns is a defining characteristic of eclectic design. Use artistic pillows or woven carpets to pleasantly incorporate many design eras into one space. When combined with other patterns, geometric forms, and even polka dots, for instance, may provide a captivating look.
• Furniture styles - Playing with furnitures of different styles and era is a fabulous way to beautify your space. Think of the traditional couch with carved legs alongside modern armchair and modern coffee table. For flaunting fabulous furniture find unique handcrafted pieces.
• Don't let it get messy or clutter - Eclectic doesn’t mean messy and overflowing with belongings. Even when it comes to the great art, less is still more! Make sure that objects don't get lost in the surrounding décor that you truly adore rather than a sentimental floor and shelves stuffed with decorations. Keep everything organised, and put your most prized treasures on display. So have fun while achieving eclectic design as there are no rules and regulations for such style. Mix and match of different eras, styles is what eclectic is all about.

Bringing her expertise to the same, Interior Designer Punam Kalra, Creative Director at I'm the Centre for applied Arts, said, “Eclecticism is the newfound love of contemporary design that knows no boundaries. It is open to new things but manages to stay timeless, with a statement that has a space for the antiques besides the modern pieces. Giving up on the rulebooks and choosing nothing less than the best from all the décor styles, it certainly has a soft spot for experimentation while keeping things refined.”

According to her, here is how you can do it:

• Give a pop of colour - As a style that thinks beyond the ordinary, eclectic design comes out as a rather bold statement. It looks for the right pop of colour—probably a bejewelled teal or a lime yellow that would stand out, even as accessories. Remember to underplay it on the smaller elements such as accent chairs, poufs, ceiling pendants, consoles and other mini-furnishings that promise not to steal the spotlight.
• The best of times - Eclectic designs come to prompt a question. Bringing old and new styles together builds that curiosity and brings a design narrative that goes back and forth in time. It makes you dare to bring a Chesterfield sofa besides a nesting table or a Moroccan lamp overlooking a glass table. Just make sure you keep up with the visual harmony—try keeping the ornamental, intricate pieces in the minimum and build a simpler canvas around it.
• Play with the textures - If anything can talk about the eclectic flavour on its own, it is the textures. Going with a mixed-media moodboard with a variety of textures brings the eclectic meaning alive—it can be anything from the refined loops of a boucle armchair to the raw streaks of distressed wood. To strike a balance, underplay the textures loud textures like log wood in the sidetables, rattan in the wardrobe panels etc, as accents—and go all in with subtle textures like suede in upholstery, sheer cotton in the drapes, glass in the table tops etc.
• Be a proud exhibitor - As a style that plays with colours and textures as much as the styles and silhouettes, eclecticism takes boldness rather seriously. Its spirit can come through the love for experimentation and the nerve for bringing unconventional pieces into the picture. Try taking a risk and bring in a bespoke tuxedo sofa in the living to begin a conversation, a handwoven Turkish carpet at your bedside to reflect your personal taste or a reclaimed vintage chest right in the middle of your foyer to tell a story.
• Curate a collection - Eclectic designs are all about the originality of the scene. Make it live up to its meaning by composing quirky art, preloved antiques and avant-garde furnishings together. Keep an eye for the trends and pick up the best elements from them while lending it a personal touch —variegate the gallery walls, colour block the cushions or mix up planters in the bookshelves to keep the space alive with meaning.