How to Win at Making Your Home More Eclectic

How to Win at Making Your Home More Eclectic

I’ve recently been spending the little time I have, daydreaming about what my condo coulda-shoulda-woulda look like if I wasn’t in a perennial state of anxiety (and if the chair I really really wanted didn’t cost five thousand dollars, American). And I digress. Behind all those gorgeous Pinterest images is a mini-breakdown brought on by too much Verbena and not enough gold accents, and an overworked product stager’s bleeding heart outlined with a sharpie that he or she plucked from a freshly Windexed acrylic pencil holder. Clearly, I am not winning at making my home more eclectic.

 

The first rule of Eclectic Club is not to talk about being eclectic. Actually, the first rule should be to learn how to spell eclectic (seriously, I’ve made so many typos these first few minutes I should be tarred and feathered). How many c’s does this f*$%ing word have?!?! Nonetheless, being eclectic requires that you just are. If you’re constantly being pulled in different design directions – one day you can love a cactus ranch style, the next day you’re all about Louis XIII furniture – welcome to the club. It doesn’t get better, but know that you’re not alone.

I used to feel so ashamed of not having a clear-cut design aesthetic until I Googled “eclectic home decor” and realized that being scattered is in and of itself an actual thing. Yeah, it’s a thing. We are a thing! French interior designers make a killing from telling people like us that it’s totally fine to mix our Godard with our Agatha Christie and that coffee must be taken at precisely 3pm in a Royal Doulton cup and saucer or else don’t even bother. And the best part? We can still wear Alexander Wang through it all!

You see, being eclectic really means you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can have a green couch and still rock a Miele gas range, and have a bunch of dried roses in a vase on the counter just because they make you feel like a queen. You can do all the things. It’s like Christmas morning and every single present under the tree has your name written on it in beautiful black calligraphy writing on crisp white tags and Santa also left you the last cookie cuz he knew you’d be hungry after opening all those goddamn presents.

More is more and less is less. There are no secret formulas to being eclectic. You simply are. But, if you still need a bit of help, here’s some basic principles of eclecticism par excellence:

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1. Become a Collector

Eclectic people will have the weirdest collections of the silliest things. I used to have a collection of empty perfume bottles because I once read that Donatella Versace used to keep all her old perfume bottles on display in her room. I also collect vintage Agatha Christie paperback novels and I have a small collection of UK Glamour magazines (because they are shrunken and used to only be available in Italy), as well as a collection of American Vogues from the 80s and 90s. Anyway, you’ll never know when the collection will suddenly become an object of extreme value and decor klout. Pick one thing to collect and just start amassing. Take that, Marie Kondo!

2. Learn to Love Colour

Being eclectic is not for those disciples of the black and white IG feed. I will not wear anything that isn’t white or black. My skin will be desaturated and my farts invisible. Graphic lines, marble and unoriginality. You know the ones I’m talking about. Chances are if you’re reading this you ain’t one of them. Nonetheless, if you are but you wanna come to the true “dark side” start by incorporating some pastels into your Cheerios. Have FruitLoops. Do not be afraid of the emerald green couch. I repeat. Fear not the emerald green. I mean, haven’t you seen The Wizard of Oz? The movie just gets better in Technicolor.

3. Mix Big and Small

This is something I find extremely challenging. I’ve always lived in super small spaces – my bedroom growing up was shared with my sister and literally had maybe a foot of space around each of our beds. Later, I moved into my own room at my mom’s house, which was maybe 100 square feet. Now that I’ve got more space than I know what to do with, I’m quickly learning that I need to make a move on some bigger furniture pieces. The best way to balance a space is to mix smaller decor pieces with a few massive objects to give the room more height, depth and impact. I just can’t bring myself to do it – yet.

4. Redo Redo Redo

I absolutely love getting tired of my space and re-doing the whole thing, maybe once a month. I’ll wipe my desk clean and change up the entire layout and feel. I’ll literally spend more time rearranging than actually “living” in the spaces that surround me. I’m super super psycho about space. If I feel like I’m not in control of a certain space, I get totally freaked out. I can actually get severely depressed by a pair of sunglasses thrown the wrong way on top of a counter. You’d think my place would be spotless and always staged, but it isn’t, because life is too hectic to be the right amount of OCD and hence, I’m kinda always unhappy about my living spaces.

Are you eclectic? What are some of your favourite design inspirations? Leave a comment below and let’s exchange decor ideas!

4 Comments

  1. August 24, 2016 / 2:15 pm

    Based on this post, I feel like I might actually have eclectic taste. Definitely skewing on the neutral end but I am not anti-colour by any means! I feel like I’m a blend of contemporary and rustic.

    http://www.dressupchowdown.com

    • Justine Iaboni
      August 24, 2016 / 3:18 pm

      Ya, I think if you can’t really pinpoint your style, or like 2 or more different kind of styles, then you probably have eclectic taste! Definitely part of growing up in the wake of Post-Modernism! I love rustic decor as well. Like, a villa in the Amalfi coast is MY DREAM. I love love love country kitchens but it would be absolutely impractical in a downtown condo. Still, a girl can dream!

  2. Bobi
    August 30, 2016 / 9:40 pm

    This is definitely me! The odd things I collect. Very colorful. Creative and love change.

    • Justine Iaboni
      September 2, 2016 / 9:56 am

      I’m glad you can identify! I always felt bad for being so all over the place, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

      What types of things do you collect?

      xo
      J

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