Eclectic Interior Design: 7 Ways to Ace Eclectic Style

Ever feel like your interior design preferences include a mash-up of styles? Maybe you like the clean lines of mid-century modern, but you also like the natural materials of rustic style. Or you love the causal nature of boho style but still like to keep things minimal. Perhaps you love over-the-top glam but also more reserved traditional elements. Don’t worry: these seemingly at-odds styles don’t make you crazy. They just mean there’s an eclectic nature to your preferred interior design style.

What is Eclectic Interior Design?

But wait. Let’s back up a minute. What exactly is an eclectic style? Eclectic interior design is a style that artfully mixes elements of multiple design styles into one space. It involves an informal mix of furnishings and decor and pulls from a wide variety of styles. Often, eclectic decor combines bright colors and patterns and mixes in unexpected elements.

What are the Key Elements of Eclectic Decor?

Some key elements of eclectic style? Mixing patterns and colors and materials and textures, with a nod to vintage pieces and global-inspired patterns. This look definitely tends to be more maximalist than minimal. But this mash-up of styles isn’t random—to really nail the eclectic look, you still want your space to feel cohesive. While there’s no one way to do eclectic—as you’ll see below—it tends to be a style that feels very organic and like it came together over a period of time.

7 Ways to Style an Eclectic Space

Ready to create an eclectic look in your home? From modern to classic, we’ve got looks that combine all sorts of styles in different eclectic ways. Read on to get inspired by these seven ways to embrace eclectic style in your space!

1. Modern Rustic Style

Modern Rustic is an eclectic style that mixes mid-century modern, rustic, and boho styles. The result is a look that’s very chic and approachable. This space has a clean and fresh vibe, while still offering plenty of personality.

Key Elements:

To get this modern rustic look, you’ll want to start with mid-century modern furniture and mix it with rustic materials and natural textures. While there are a lot of different colors and patterns mixed together in this space, you’ll notice that the patterns have a more organic approach—no geometric shapes or sharp lines here.

Design Tip: Layer Textiles

To really nail this look, you want to focus on layered textiles. Layers are key to eclectic style. So, pile on the pillows, layer propped art on the mantle, and even consider pulling multiple rugs into the same space and layering them! All of these layers create dimension and contrast while maintaining livability. Because livability is also key to acing eclectic style.

2. Boho Minimal Style

As the name suggests, boho minimal style is on the more minimal side of eclectic style. But, as you can see, it’s a masterful blend of casual and elevated, for a space that feels both curated and serene.

Key Elements:

With boho minimalism, you’ll notice the muted color palette, featuring a wide range of neutrals, with pops of earthy desert hues. This style also features a lot of natural materials and finishes. While this space features a good deal of patterns, the muted color palette keeps it from feeling overwhelming. So, you can layer patterns on patterns, between rugs, pillows, and wall art. With this style, much of the wall art should lean geometric or abstract.

Style Tip: Opt for a Casual Layout

To drive home this look, consider a casual layout. Eclectic style is all about the unexpected, but formal layouts feel at odds with casual style. Going for an off-center arrangement, using poufs instead of chairs, or pairing two side tables in place of a coffee table are a few creative approaches to making this space a little more casual and relaxed.

3. Glam Eclectic Style

Glam eclectic mixes all sorts of furniture styles—traditional, modern, minimal, and glam. This look is bold, even for an eclectic space. It’s just the right amount of over-the-top while staying rooted in its traditional influences.

Key Elements:

One of the keys to this look is texture. Lots of it. Think leather, velvet, marble, jute, and so much more. This mix of textures and materials gives a high-low contrast that is key to this look. You’ll also see a lot of patterns on patterns—in this space, they’re mostly found in the wide-ranging mix of throw pillows and the heavily patterned rug. The furniture shapes and materials found in this space give it a vintage feel, but the key to this look is presenting it in a fresh way—whether that’s in the colors you choose, the mix of patterns, or the wall art and decorative accents.

Style Tip: Design a Gallery Wall

A must for this look? A gallery wall. Gallery walls are a staple of eclectic style, but there are many ways to approach them. For this style, we like pushing the look with mismatched frames and approaching it with a more eclectic layout. But to keep it from feeling too random, consider unifying it around a color palette or themed subject-matter for a note of consistency and order.

4. Tropical Boho Style

Tropical boho style is vibrant and unique, and it certainly lands on the more maximalist end of eclectic. As you can see, there’s a lot going on in this look, with its loud mix of furniture styles, materials, colors, and patterns.

Key Elements:

A key element to tropical boho style is bold color. Specifically, rich jewel tones bring this style to life. And we’re not talking one accent chair in a jewel tone. We’re talking about the walls, furniture, pillows, and rugs. This look does not shy away from color! Also, key to this look is quirky accents that give the space personality—like the hanging chair or the tiger rug. It’s pieces like these that make this look so unique!

Style Tip: Load Up on Plants

To take this look to the next level, load up on the plants. A heavy dose of plants, in varying shapes, sizes, and varieties, gives a major boho vibe. Plants, along with some of the natural materials in the space, balance out some of the more glam pieces in this style.

5. Mod Collector Style

When you combine mid-century modern and eclectic, you get a style we call mod collector. Because of the eclectic edge, this style tends to be more playful and a little edgier than traditional mid-century interiors. It’s the perfect style for those who love those MCM vibes but want a space that feels a little more personal, unique, and approachable.

Key Elements:

With this style, you want to stick to the clean, timeless lines of Mid-Century Modern design. But don’t stop there. This style is all about unexpected design elements that offer pops of retro drama—like an eye-catching green sofa, that bookshelf with slanted shelf dividers, or opting for two side-by-side tables in place of a single coffee table. We also designed the space with coordinating (but not matching) chairs. Both side chairs have wood bases and black upholstery—but the completely different styles plays up the eclectic vibe, which adds a playful edge to this space.

Style Tip: Mix + Match Materials

Eclectic style is all about mixing and matching. And the mod collector style really embraces mixing materials, specifically. From velvet and marble to metal, wood, leather, and linen, combining multiple materials into one space will keep the mod vibe alive while giving it that eclectic flair.

6. California Casual Style

Classic meets modern with a decidedly eclectic twist with California casual style. This chic style captures the relaxed vibes of coastal California—featuring comfy furnishings, natural textures and materials, and bright, neutral hues.

Key Elements:

You’ll notice a classic flair to many of the decorative accents—like the mirror, sconces, and the bust on the mantel. But the mix of geometric patterns throughout the space roots this look as something more casual. A neutral color palette keeps this space from feeling too bold, and furniture with a focus on comfort keeps it approachable.

Style Tip: Add Texture

A wide mix of natural textures and materials bring this space to life and give it an eclectic vibe. From the mix of woven baskets to the woven pendant light and natural wood coffee table, the natural textures ground the style and give it some added personality.

7. Minimal Eclectic Style

Minimal eclectic style, also known as “minimalist maximalist,” plays with a minimalist’s design principles (think: “less is more”) and a maximalist’s love of patterns, luxe materials, and bold colors (AKA, “more is more”). The result? A look that is somehow both bold and subdued.

Key Elements:

This style relies on bold designs. Because of that, it also uses fewer pieces. So, while this look doesn’t have many furniture pieces or decorative objects, each piece in this space is bold, unique, and intentional. This look focuses less on a specific color palette and more on bold shapes and a luxe mix of materials.

Style Tip: Mix Furniture Styles

Since this look is focused more on shape and material than a specific design style, you can mix furniture styles to play up the eclectic nature. This space features pieces that are mod, industrial, glam, traditional, mid-century. The result? Très chic.

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