Eclecticism (from the Greek ekiektikos - able to choose, choosing) - a combination of heterogeneous artistic elements. This is a harmonious symbiosis of styles united by the main idea of convenience and comfort. "Mixing everything with everything" - this is how eclecticism is called in professional design.
The direction of eclecticism is closer to us than the rest of styles, because, after all, a person throughout their life will certainly acquire a considerable number of things that do not fit well with each other in style. Eclecticism will gladly justify the passion for shopping, when an owner of an apartment is a passionate traveler trying to bring a memorable souvenir from all their trips (often more than one). In this case, an interior will be knit from antique or modern details with a drop of exotic and ethnic. Multi-colored plastic chairs and a modern lamp sit side by side with an antique Indian candlestick and an antique table made of openwork cast iron. This interior design looks completely unique and extraordinarily decorative.
It also happens that several generations of people live in a same apartment together, with all their own tastes and preferences. Eclecticism will not allow them to quarrel: patriarchal details are balanced by trendy things, and everything will look as if an old building is gradually overgrown with modern attributes. However, the space shouldn’t look cluttered, as modernity dictates conciseness in an interior.
If you decide to mix dissimilar items in the same room or apartment, think about a connecting element. It can be a color scheme, architectural solutions or decorative elements. Experiments should start with congenial styles, using no more than two or three directions.
Unexpected mixes of styles from different eras that coexist in harmony can create a completely unique interior. Such seemingly incompatible things as carved black African furniture and classical portraits will get along here. Modern furniture and stylish sconces are combined with a rare fireplace and English porcelain service.
A wide variety of paintings can coexist in a house, from paintings by ancient masters to friends’ gifts and even hand-made creations by owners of a house or their children. Emphatically modern upholstered furniture is adjacent to an old chest of drawers that has survived several historical eras and even several attempts at restoration and transformation.
In an environment where stylistically different objects are mixed, it is very important to focus on details, because it is the details that unite objects so different in character. Eclecticism also requires submission to a certain color, its various shades, although decor elements themselves can correspond to different styles. In addition to color, accessories should be combined by texture and structure.
Eclectic style is popular precisely for its atypicality, rejection of standard solutions and stereotypical approaches. All the best from in-fashion styles of the past had accumulated in centuries was reflected in Eclecticism that was able to organically absorb a variety of decors. Its distinctive feature is comfort and beauty in any element of an interior.
