Eclectic Decorating Ideas for Living Rooms

Eclectic Decorating Ideas for Living Rooms
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If you are looking for eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms, chances are you are an eclectic person who loves so many different things and thinks it is a shame to stick to one style only. While for some people eclectic means messy, that is actually not true. An eclectic home is all about finding the balance between different styles, ages and colors. And let's face it, nothing makes a living room more lively and joyful than an eclectic décor. In order to master an eclectic style for your living room, leave your decorating fears behind you and be brave. Mix, match, be creative, and be inspired by today's oneHOWTO article, where you will find eclectic decorating ideas for small spaces, eclectic wall decorating ideas, affordable and easy decorating ideas for living rooms, and more generally lots of eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms.

What is Eclectic Décor

Before we give you some inspiring eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms, let's define what eclectic décor is. The eclectic decorating style comes form the 19th century's architectural styles of Borrowing and Free Selection. Those styles incorporated different concepts and mixed them up in an harmonic manner.

So, when we talk about eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms, that is what you try to achieve: a harmonic mix of different styles and/or eras, places, patterns etc..

The reason why eclectic décor for living rooms might be the perfect solution not only for small spaces, but for any modern living room is that today's living rooms necessarily include modern "pieces" such as flat screen TV, video game console and other electronic equipment. Trying to fit all those modern equipment with a fixed, pure style might be quite challenging. Plus, modern day families tend to travel quite a lot, and they might enjoy incorporating decorating items from the four corners of the world in their home. Now, let's see some actual eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms.

Eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms: the basics

Here is what you need to keep in mind when you are decorating your living room with an eclectic style:

  • you can, and should, mix modern, classic and vintage styles
  • mix different patterns but make sure the color combination is well thought of before starting
  • mix decorating ideas for living rooms coming from different cultures: ethnic carpets and Moroccan décor with industrial bookshelves, to give you an example
  • mix different materials: wooden floors with marble table tops, leather ottomans, and plants
  • every piece of decoration should be a story on its own, not necessarily in combination with the rest of the decorating items
  • think outside the box and do not refrain yourself from risky combinations if you want to achieve an eclectic living room
  • make your eclectic living room reflect who you and your family are, not someone else's taste. Eclectic décor is all about giving freedom of expression to your personality. If someone steps into your eclectic living room, they should be able to see part of who you are and what you do
  • an eclectic living room does not necessarily need to be cluttered, it can be as minimalistic and tidy as you wish

Eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms

In this section, we give you some practical eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms that are easy and cheap to reproduce. But first, start by choosing your main elements: a sofa and a table for example. Once you have them, start with the rest of the decorating items:

  • pair an antique or vintage table with modern, or metal industrial chairs
  • combine a colorful oriental rug with a super modern, big grey sofa
  • display lots and lots of souvenirs from your travels, make your living room your little museum
  • decorate an architecturally rustic living room (with wooden beams) with modern furniture
  • a particularly appealing eclectic living room idea combines 2 of the most trendy decorating styles of the moment: boho and industrial styles
  • combine a modern, block colored, "serious" sofa with colorful, gipsy ottomans
  • use printed pillows to create a truly eclectic style for your living room: pillows are the items that allow you to really put your creativity at work and combine patterns in an unusual way
  • play with different patterns on rugs and curtains
  • If you are afraid your eclectic living room will be "too much", pair neutral elements with more eclectic ones. For example, neutral sofa and table with Boho decorative elements, or colorful sofa with very little surrounding decoration

Eclectic decorating ideas for small spaces

If your living room is small, you can use the shelving elements as a base for your eclectic décor. Since you will need storage space, pick different cabinets and chests of drawers in different styles.

Another great eclectic decorating idea for small spaces is to use a single piece of furniture for different purposes, for example a window seat covered with ethnic pillows can work as a reading station, a chilling area, and a seat for guests. Work as much as possible with your space!

One last suggestion regarding eclectic decoration for small spaces: try not to get a too big sofa. An eclectic living room is all about combining different items. If the sofa is too big you won't have space to include other elements, or your living room will look messy and too full.

Eclectic wall decorating ideas for an eclectic living room

When it comes to eclectic wall decorating ideas, the sky is the limit. Similarly to pillows, walls are elements of the eclectic living room on which your creativity can run free. You can either create a focal point such as a big painting in the middle of your eclectic living room, or hang lots and lots of art pieces and pictures. You can keep your walls bald, or decorate them with creative stencil wall art. Just make sure that the color of the walls goes well with the rest of your eclectic living room items.

Eclectic decorating ideas for living rooms: balance!

The real challenge of eclectic living rooms is finding the balance. You might spend a lot of your time trying to understand where and how to combine the multiple items you like. But in the end it will be so rewarding to see that your styles, patterns, materials have found a great aesthetic balance in your eclectic décor living room!

If you want to read similar articles to Eclectic Decorating Ideas for Living Rooms, we recommend you visit our Interior Design and Decor category.