Eclectic decor is back after a long stretch of beige minimalism. The trick is mixing pattern, sculpture and color so the room looks collected by a person rather than assembled from one catalog.
Eclectic Decor: How To Mix Pattern, Objects And Color
Start with the walls
Eclectic decor has returned because people got tired of living inside a showroom, and the easiest place to start is the wall. Wallpaper sets the story before a single object goes on a shelf. Katie Kime's prints are built for this: Mariposa scatters multicolor butterflies across the whole roll, and Marfa Toile trades the usual pastoral scenes for cowboys, cacti and longhorns. Ghost Ranch is the calmer choice, a brown and cream southwestern diamond, while Road Trip paints a desert landscape of cacti and sunsets. Paper one small room, like a powder room or an entry, and you will feel how much freedom it gives everything else.
Sculptural objects with a wink
The objects in a room like this should look like they come with a story, even if the story is simply that you liked them. Classical and surrealist references sit well together. Z Gallerie's Modern David Bust flutes the famous head into something modernist, and the Golden Eye object is a high-gloss gold face that nods to surrealism. Jonathan Adler's Aphrodite Vase, which the brand describes as straight off a 1940s film set, is a matte porcelain goddess that works with or without stems. The Midnight Leo leopard is the piece that makes guests laugh, which is exactly its job.
Glassware and tabletop worth mixing
Tabletop is the lowest-stakes place to practice mixing, because nothing has to match. Start with one anchor, like L'Objet's Grand Tour dessert plates with their gold-plated rims, then add something that looks nothing like it. Seletti's Classic On Acid wine glass has a ribbed, lopsided silhouette that makes a plain table look playful. Moda Domus's La Isla carafe is hand-blown Murano glass in a marbled pink, and Cabana's Blossom bowl adds a hand-painted floral. Keep one thread running through, such as a shared color or a repeated gold edge, and the mix will read as deliberate.
Cushions, vases and candle holders
Small textiles and glass are where you can change the mood of a room in an afternoon. Missoni Home's Amalfi cushion brings the house zigzag, and it sits happily next to Sophie Williamson's ruffled floral pillow cover if you keep the colors in the same family. Louise Roe's Balloon 03 vase is smoke-brown glass in a bulbous shape made in Poland, and NasonMoretti's Macrame candle holder is red Murano glass made in Italy. Put the red holder somewhere unexpected, like a bookshelf or a bathroom windowsill. Two patterns and one bold color per surface is a good ceiling.
Our honest take
A collected room is not the same as a random one, and the difference is repetition. Pick two or three colors and let them show up in the wallpaper, the glass and the textiles so your eye has somewhere to land. Mix eras on purpose, a classical bust next to a surrealist face, rather than by accident. If you take one thing away, buy the objects you would miss if they broke, because that is the whole point of a room like this. Edit every few months and move things around, since this look depends on staying a little unsettled. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Coastal Decor Ideas Without the Anchors and Fall Decor Ideas For The Mantel, The Table And The Front Door.
