An eclectic interior design concept can be difficult to pull off. You’ll need to bring together various seemingly disparate items that will have to work together and create a visual whole. When you don’t have an eye for detail and a clear concept, you’ll end up with a hodgepodge of decorations that are all fighting for attention.
The best Singapore interior design company know that restraint and a good preliminary plan are very much essential for carrying out an eclectic project.
If you’re interested in the rules and the steps that can be followed to make eclectic home or office décor work well, the following guide will acquaint you with a couple of the biggest essentials.
The Correct Way to Mix Textures
Eclectic is colourful and a bit eccentric. It mixes and matches items, colours and textures that should not be working together. When the project is carried out skilfully, however, visual harmony ensues.
Mixing textures is one of the staples of eclectic design. Rough and smooth textures alongside each other can create spots of visual interest. Such juxtapositions can also put emphasis on form and function in a truly unique way.
Fabrics, wood and smooth metal finishes can all be played with for more visual diversity and appeal. To make all of these textures work really well together, however, you need a running theme.
It’s a good idea to have one leading texture that is repeated throughout. This way, you have visual consistency. Other textures are used to highlight or contrast the main one, creating visual appeal without the décor seeming cluttered.
Combining Different Furniture Styles
Here’s another opportunity and a potential challenge in the realm of eclectic décor.
When executing such a concept, you don’t have to stick to one and the same furniture style. You can play with different executions, different eras and creative approaches. From modernistic and minimalist to art deco and boho – you can have it all.
So, what’s the secret of having different kinds of furniture that look good alongside each other?
Start with some features you already have in your home. Do you have an heirloom chest or an authentic antique armchair? These pieces should be the focus of the design work. You can cleverly use smaller and more minimalist contemporary pieces to highlight the beauty of older items and turn them into the actual star of the show.
Statement pieces should be limited to just one or two. Other furniture will only play a supportive role. If you have way too many statement pieces that are ornate and distinctively original, you’ll get your décor pieces fighting for attention.
Have a Gallery Wall in the Living Room
If going 100 per cent eclectic is a bit too much for you, choose one eclectic element that will be the most notable aspect of the interior design.
A gallery wall is an excellent example of an eclectic styling that is visually stunning and that does not clash with the other décor decisions you make.
Dedicate an entire wall (in the living room or the entryway, for example) to favourite art pieces. You can have photos, posters, graphic art, typography, quilts and even embroidery alongside each other. Choosing similar colour palettes or a stylistic feel to these different items will make the wall seem so cool and so harmonious.
The mix and match affect can also be achieved if you have similar pieces of art that are decked out in different frames.
An eclectic gallery wall needs some unobtrusive background in order to stand out. Hence, the wall colour should be neutral and subdued.
Whatever You Do, Consistency Is the Key
Eclectic styles are varied – that’s precisely what the term stands for.
When there’s no connection between the elements or the décor in the different rooms, however, the interior design loses some of its visual appeal.
Make sure that the same theme or décor idea is carried out throughout the venue. Artistically, this idea could be carried out in many different ways. In the end of the day, however, it’s important for the final outcome to look wholesome and unified.
Choose one style or a consistent colour palette that you are going to use throughout the space. Also, be mindful of the layout and the parts of different rooms that may be visible from another part of the flat. Having a comprehensive, all-encompassing vision is even more important in this case than in the execution of any other décor idea.
Eclectic Still Means Curated
Some people have the mistaken belief that eclectic means throwing everything but the kitchen sink in the design.
This isn’t the case.
High quality eclectic designs need to be curated.
You need well-made, statement pieces that are visually-stunning and executed well. Eclectic isn’t about tens of souvenirs and dozens of other knick-knacks. It brings to the forefront your passion for beautiful items, regardless of the style or the era that they belong to.
What you need to do is be selective. If you always choose pieces that are in line with your aesthetic vision, you’ll end up with a balanced and harmonious outcome.
If you feel that your eclectic design is not executed to the standard that you envision in your head, don’t hesitate to get some professionals involved.
Skilled interior designers in Singapore know what it takes to make eclectic work.
At Home Guide, we love working with such diverse and bright concepts.
Contact us today and let us know what you have in mind for your home or commercial venue. We will do our best to elevate the project and deliver beyond your expectations.
