Many people love to have a unique eclectic style in their home, however their eclectic style tends to look more like a collection of hand-me-down furniture instead of a carefully curated collection of treasures.
Here are a few ways to decorate in an eclectic style without looking cheap.
Photo courtesy of MAC flickr.com/photos/visit_cape_may/17246265071
Have a Plan
Occasionally purchasing a one-of-a-kind item on a whim is fine; however do not decorate your entire home with that mindset.
Even eclectic styled homes require a plan to look cohesive and well put together.
Overall Style
Your home should have an overall style before being eclectic.
A home that is just eclectic will most likely look cheap and cluttered.
You can have a mid century modern eclectic style, a rustic eclectic style, a French country eclectic style, or whatever style you want.
You can add two or three different styles together to make your home uniquely you (such as contemporary traditional glam), but more than three styles might become a jumbled mess.
Making it eclectic simply means that you bend the rules a bit to add in items that you really like that might not be exactly appropriate for the style you selected.
Cohesive Color
Using a cohesive color palette will help tie together your decorative items and make them look cohesive instead of thrown together.
Find a decorative item for your room with multiple colors and use the colors in that item on pillows, curtains, accent furniture, and accessories throughout your room.
Keep in mind that you can repaint or reupholster vintage treasures to update them a bit and tie into your color scheme.
Old and New
Some of the most well designed eclectic homes has a nice blend of old and new elements.
You can have an old home with new modern furniture, an antique chair with modern upholstery, or a vintage lamp that has been painted with modern metallic paint.
Collections
If your eclectic style has a collection of items, make sure to put the collection together in one place in your room.
A collection spread across the room or house will look messy while a collection together as a group will have more appeal.
Not Too Eclectic
When adding in eclectic items to your home, don't stray too far away from your original design plan.
Don't add grandma's antique quilt to your black leather sofa in a sleek modern home or add a modern red leather chair to your all white country cottage.
Ban Clutter
The easiest way to make your home look cheap is to clutter it up and make it messy.
The best eclectic style homes are very tidy and neat.
The more items you have, the less important each item seems, so don't cover an expensive treasure with lots of garage sale junk.
