In the field of design there are many styles:
- Modern
- Contemporary
- Minimalist
- Industrial
- Mid-Century Modern
- Scandinavian
- Traditional
- Transitional
These are all wonderful choices individually but what happens when they are all unified into one design scheme? That would be called 
eclectic. DeCelle what does eclectic mean? I’m glad you asked. Its when you come across a particular client that has an interest in ALL design styles at once! They want a Modern, contemporary, industrial, minimalistic traditional room with mid-century, Scandinavian transitional furnishings! What kind of décor would this look like? You may think it would be a hodgepodge of psychedelic color palettes, mismatched furniture designs but it’s not. Actually, this form of design is FAR from being obscure or chaotic; much to the contrary. This design scheme, if executed with a designers’ eye, can be the most innovative, creative choice for ideas.
I LOVE this form of design creativity! I’m a modern contemporary designer BUT I always include a traditional piece either in furnishings or accents. Industrial and Minimalistic design go hand in hand, but in eclectic design, they will fit right in. You HAVE to be very careful with this design element to not do TOO much! What makes it work are subtle cohesive elements that work together. Make sure your color palette isn’t overbearing. For instance, an orange accent wall would work with a statement turquoise Queen Anne tufted chair in front of that wall. That’s it, don’t add purple, pink and green to the wall! DESIGN NO-NO 101! The goal of eclectic design is the WOW factor or a conversational piece. Let someone enter that space and ask Oh my where did you get this? Or I would not have put that color chair with that sofa and that painting but it works! With eclectic design everything in décor technically doesn’t fit YET it does. It’s a method to this design madness but the end result can be gorgeous!
This design element is for the DIY (Do it Yourself) designer, not the professional. The one who just can’t narrow down one design style and enjoys EVERYTHING! Eclectic is the style for you!
It’s less intimidating to feel “I don’t really KNOW what I’m doing, I just know that I love the way I feel when I enter my home or office.” The bottom line is to surround yourself with things that make you happy even if they don’t match or otherwise work under normal circumstances!
