Living Room Decorating Ideas: Eclectic

Filed under: Your Home, Living Room

If you're a world traveler or flea market shopper extraordinaire who likes to mix things up, the third installment of our living room decorating series -- the eclectic aesthetic -- is for you. Previously, we looked at traditional and contemporary living room decor.

While eclectic design is more conducive to you collectors out there -- it's not bound by strict rules dictating adherence to specific genres -- there are still formulas to live by, lest your space wind up looking like Sanford and Son's junk shop. Read on for ways to make your layout and décor sing in perfect harmony.

Eclecticism is arguably the most misunderstood style and the trickiest to successfully achieve, even for designers. "It's not a frenetic mishmash of furniture and accessories but rather a carefully edited mix of pieces that actually go well together, regardless of their eras," says Florida designer Joseph Pubillones.

For Pubillones, the element of surprise is key in making an eclectic room cohesive. Utilize unexpected pops of color. Or through process of elimination, try creating bold yet complementary combinations (neutral beige with, say, orange and purple) to get accustomed to mixing opposites. Once you've mastered that, gradually incorporate whimsical pieces. "Like a Mission style chair with an unusually high back, or one that's suspended from the ceiling. Or pair a contemporary pendant lamp with two traditional slipper chairs" says Pubillones. Try thinking outside the box. To get an idea of what he means, check out the montage above.

Furniture scale is also a very important component. Pubillones doesn't recommend coupling dainty French Provincial chairs with, say, a hulking squared-off couch. "Think more along the lines of a tufted floral sofa with a solid, no-fuss contemporary chair," he says, "But above all the stylizing, a living room should be comfortable."


Add warmth by creating one coffee table from two smaller tables. "And maybe you don't even need to own a sofa if it suits your lifestyle; a whole living room full of club chairs could very well be what gives it its eclecticism," he adds.

While he says he's a staunch advocate of creative tension, (such as the heavy sculpture atop the Lucite pedestal, shown at left, for example) Pubillones thinks it helps to approach designing an eclectic room as if it were one big art installation, "so it doesn't end up looking like a thrift shop," he says.

All elements should heighten, enliven and complement. But when you're working with prints and patterns, that's often a challenging concept. The designer doesn't recommend displaying two small-scale prints next to one another -- or pairing florals and plaids. Rather, he advises choosing different-sized patterns and then fiddling around with their placement. "Try a large pattern on the drapes, a medium one on a throw pillow or two, and a tiny, clustered print on a smaller accent chair," says Pubillones.

 

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