Source: Gabby eclectic style living room
Eclectic Style
In a world with so many choices, it can feel impossible to tie yourself and your home design to one defined style. Will it be art deco, arts and crafts, Asian, contemporary, midcentury modern? Are you ready to commit to English country, French, or Shabby Chic?
That’s why eclectic style is so appealing for people who want the things they love to come together beautifully and stylishly in the spaces in which they live. While eclectic style seems to defy the rules, it actually is built on the foundation of good design.
We talked to SC Home store manager Celeste Russell about achieving a vibe that is eclectic rather than hectic, cohesive rather than chaotic.
“The whole concept of a living room set is no more. You don’t buy a sofa and two chairs and a coffee table and side tables that match. Gabby gives you a lot of room to create your own look with things you already own and treasure,” Celeste says.
“They’ve got grandma’s chest. They’ve got a family piece or something they bought that they really like a lot. Eclectic home decorating is a merger of materials.”
Celeste shares five common mistakes to avoid when you’re striving for a look that is classic yet uniquely you.
- Don’t try to do too much in one room. “Sometimes when people want an eclectic look, they try to do too much. Then the room looks like a flea market booth where they have all kinds of stuff that doesn’t have a common theme. You lose sight of it because there are so many things to look at.”
Pro Tip: “You need to have a feel you’re trying to achieve. Make sure you maintain, not a time period or set decorating style, but a theme and a feel. Find a statment antique piece you love and work around that. Or begin with a fabulous rug or piece of artwork. Define the one focal point in the room to work around. As you choose furnishings, always come back and check yourself on that focal point to make sure everything works with it in terms of feel and proportion.”
This eclectic gothic dining room by GABBY features a mix of antique style and transitional style pieces that represent various decorating styles but all stay true to the feel of the room.
- Don’t feel obligated to hang onto things that aren’t meaningful or no longer serve a purpose in your home. “With family pieces, you can feel obligated. But if it doesn’t have any character to it, it’s ok to get rid of it.”
Pro Tip: “Remember the feel you want in the room. If the piece doesn’t work with that, give it away, donate it, or throw it out.”
- Don’t spread your collections around haphazardly. “People think they’re spreading the love by spreading their collections around the entire house, but then no one notices them because there are so many things to look at.”
Pro Tip: Edit collections and display items in groups. “If you collect dolls when you travel, you need to have them together, not spaced out. Then you have a conversation point in a room.
If you collect something like plates or books, group them for impact. If your fabulous antique books are scattered everywhere, no one notices them.”
The Grace Farmhouse Style China Cabinet was designed for display. Make a collection of pottery or books truly shine in cabinets or etageres that reveal, not conceal.
Source: Gabby
- Don’t let color create chaos in your space. Too many colors or patterns can take a room from relaxing to overly busy. “Neutrals help tie together furnishings and accessories from a variety of time periods and styles. A lot of our finishes are very subdued. We use a lot of naturally occurring elements. Nothing screams out ‘I’m brand new.’ It becomes timeless that way, and isn’t something too bright and loud and trendy that you’ll get tired of.”
Pro Tip: Choose one color to play up against your base of neutral tones and textures. If that color is on a piece of furniture, think about the shape of the piece and how the color and framework will work together.
The Shannon Chaise can add a pop of color (and a spot of comfort) when upholstered in bright Shannon Geranium fabric. Let its spring-time shade truly stand out by choosing neutrals and subtle textures for other pieces in the room.
Shannon Chaise | Custom Tailored
- Don’t treat lighting like an afterthought. “Lighting is like the whipped cream on the ice cream sundae. It gives you the flair and elegance. The lamps mean something beyond function. It’s more than function now, it’s fashion.”
Pro Tip: Think of lighting as an accessory and think outside the norm. “We see people putting chandeliers where you wouldn’t normally put one. In a bathroom. In a bedroom. People are taking down ceiling fans and putting up fun chandeliers.”
A piece like the Etienne Chandelier can add delicate coastal style to a bathroom or bedroom.
Etienne Chandelier
Eclectic style is a powerful technique of composing elements drawn from various periods and styles. You can bring these together with unified themes, careful editing, grouping collections, color play, and unique lighting. So ask your interior designer about using eclectic design to integrate your unique finds. You can find Gabby designers and retailers here gabbyhome.com/dealer-locator
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