Following up lindsey's point, you also can't decorate in a vacuum. You can't look at room, or any of the pieces in the room, without considering the relationship among all the components. Everything in a room, all the various pieces, work together, for better or worse.

How to avoid eclectic style? Well all I can think of is a really strict interpretation of a style becomes a ‘theme’ room - something I want to avoid. In the US we now have a melting pot of backgrounds and styles because we EMBRACE our heritage, history and families. By honoring our true selves we will always be “eclectic” unless of course are a blue blood. So back to your question, why are you wanting to avoid eclectic? Does staying to one rigid style represent who you truly are?

I agree with a number of others. In my mind, eclectic doesn't mean just thrown together, but rather a curated, collected, style with pieces that you love that work well together. Antiques, mixed with more modern pieces, art you love rather than just what "goes." It's about balance, character and visual interest and is really much more difficult to get right than all of one style, period or or look. Well done eclecticism is usually much more sophisticated than furniture showroom matchy and has a patina you just don't get if you go will all of "one collection."

Eclecticism comes in many forms, usually with some "base" style to which eclectic elements add interest and character.

By honoring our true selves we will always be “eclectic” unless of course are a blue blood.

It could be argued that blue bloods were among the ultimate transgressors when it came to creating eclectic interiors because their noble birth gave them the wherewithal to afford items from around the world, both as imports and from extensive travels abroad -- Chinese export porcelain, Persian rugs, art from around the world, etc.

I thought this concept was dealt with upthread, so in case I am repeating something, please forgive me. I think there is some confusion here over the term eclectic with respect to decorating. Eclectic does not mean a hodgepodge.

Hewing stringently to one style/period of decorating would come off as being unsophisticated.

Imagine an entire house decorated in Louis XVI style. Not even a house built during the appropriate period in France would have everything in the place be that one style. How could it? Furniture spans generations. Styles themselves evolve. Surely the nice people of France did not jettison every cabriolé leg in the land in favor of straighter ones when the court changed directions. Styles do not change with military precision. Plus, people travel, emigrate and create, giving rise to eclecticism in decoration (even back in the old days.) I have seen Louis XVI chairs paired with Saarinen tables and Duncan Phyfe ones. No need to keep everything in the same family in order to achieve a great result that is quite traditional.

So I imagine the OP's question is more about ensuring that she achieves a well thought out and cohesive look. In which case my answer is that along with studying up on styles and designers and design, it takes discipline to not buy things just because we like them. We have to have a plan for where things will go and how they will fit into the space. We cannot have everything we like. Which is not to say our interiors must freeze once they are done. They must evolve over time. I don't want to live in a time capsule, so accessories and fabrics change a bit over the decades.

Well if my space is going to be called eclectic I want it to still have a flow and go together, I don't want it to look like my first apartment when leaving my parents place with just the free sofa and yard sale coffee table. I thought eclectic meant even if it doesn't go still put up because it's ''you''.

This post screams to me, hire a designer :), even if limited to general consulting. And really listen to them. It's more about pulling a look together than the terminology. If we get too literal with style restraints the place loses personality. Every room needs some wild card touches. But...if you're not a creative type this can be daunting. So get a nice partnership going.

Well now that we've established that eclectic does *not* mean a Hodge Podge of hand me downs and curbside treasures (if those things are included they are carefully curated) you can get back to your real dilemma: furnishing your living room attractively.

I thought eclectic meant even if it doesn't go [you] still put [it] up because it's ''you''.

I think that is the definition of hodge-podge instead of eclectic, as Lpink suggested.

You said before that you did not want your space to become "blended", but in my mind, that would be a good thing. Adhering strictly to one style that you may call "traditional" could be boring. "Traditional" style depends on where you are and what the particular traditions are where you live - it is very non-specific.

I do understand the benefits from editing, but that requires a discriminating eye, and this will vary from person to person.

You know Mon, this whole time I haven't realized that you were giving a slightly negative shade to the word "Eclectic." I think this is a similar feeling to one I used to have about the word "Different." My mom always used the word "Different" to mean "I hate what you've done and I think you're a crazy person and if you had just done it my way it would be Right." And it was 100% obvious to me that was what she meant. So for the longest time if someone said something was different I couldn't hear that word without my mom's Tone lol.

Just to drive the point home, "eclectic" is not code for "I hate what you've done and I think you're a crazy person and if you had just done it my way it would be Right" !!

One person's twee, affected or contrived is another person's "pulled together." One does the best one can, and the most important thing is it has to work for you and please you, not a designer.

Well because lots of time I see people wanting advice about the direction they were going for instead they get a lot of well you went eclectic, because it's this or you used that now it's eclectic so it's like now your space is labeled eclectic because you showed too much personality all of the sudden!

lindsey...clearly you're my sister :)

Mon. Show your personality. Please yourself and only yourself. If you don't trust yourself...(and you really should...but if you can't..) then hire professional help, or post here, in more detail.

Do you have stuff you're keeping or are you starting from scratch? Get cracking with your ideabooks, girl! Just find stuff you love and gather the pics...nothing has to "go". Then you'll have a direction (kinda)...

Mon, you are right. I have seen people use the term eclectic as a way of couching criticism. The trouble is, eclectic is also used to mean blending different styles. On the whole though, I think we are all clear on how you were using the term. You were looking for guidance on how to decorate your house in a way that would look polished and traditional.

Do you have a starting point yet? A color scheme or dream room that inspires you?

Well if my space is going to be called eclectic

I wouldn't worry too much about what others -- in real life and online, to your face and behind your back -- might call your style. In your lifetime, you'll probably get everything from beautiful to "not my taste", dated, trendy, too fussy, too simple, and the old standby "interesting" : ) .

A lot of high-end designers use found/thrift store items and also use a mix of high and low (Ikea, Pier One) pieces. Tom Scheerer comes to mind, also Garrow Kedigian who seems very fond of Pier One's c-tables, and William Rankin McLure, especially in his previous apartment rentals (One Kings Lane piece here), where in his most recent kitchen he used Ikea pendant fixtures with a lime wash and the waterfall island was Formica rather than marble. McLure did such a good job with the last apartment that he lost it when the building went high-end condo, primarily because the owners saw what the apartments could be.

It does take vision, know-how, and some talent : ) .

"Well because lots of time I see people wanting advice about the direction they were going for instead they get a lot of well you went eclectic, because it's this or you used that now it's eclectic so it's like now your space is labeled eclectic because you showed too much personality all of the sudden!"

This is a really good illustration of why it's so important not to read a tone into people's comments. Suometimes they're sneering and those ones are fairly obvious and consistent. But the simple word "eclectic" is neutral, not at all derogatory.

If someone told me what you typed above, I would be flattered! I would consider it a compliment :) And if I used it in a post (as I'm sure I have) I would intend it as a compliment or encouragement.

There are plenty of people on here who will call a dogs breakfast a dogs breakfast and not couch it in euphemisms. Eclectic is a value neutral term, not positive or negative. Don't read anything into it that shouldn't be read into it.

Awwww Mon, I can see how you got hung up on the term "eclectic". Like "transitional","curated", and even "MCM",the word can mean all sorts of things...bless its heart. Thank goodness I am a Haute Bohemian Traditionalist with a predilection for Gustavian California Cool living in a Tudor Revival. Nothing eclectic about it!

If it looks like clown vomit, there will be people who will use nicer terms than clown vomit. But I promise that none will use the word eclectic as a derogatory term. They will be trying to be nice by using it. If you’d rather them be honest and tell you it is clown vomit, then all you have to do is say so in your post.

@pennydesign that's really funny. :-D

Okay well as long as eclectic doesn't mean ''funny looking'' I would be more comfortable in my space to be able to showcase more ''me'' without seeming really out there, I'd rather have a space people could easily identify the message (''ooh contemporary!'', ''Modern.'', ''very traditional!'')I was trying to send than something that gets a ''well it's very you''.

"You" are fabulous...ergo your home will also be fabulous...

Eclectic does NOT mean funny looking. Eclectic is a good thing in decor and interior design, because it means you're not stuck in any one particular look.

And your house and home should be very you. To be honest, I'd consider spending less time worrying about what your house looks like and more time on expanding your circle of good friends. Because it sounds as if at least some are using "eclectic" in the same way that some use "interesting", in a very passive-aggressive disparaging way.

Amen pennydesign. Why wouldn't it be a compliment for something to be like Mon??

Again, "well it's very you" is a neutral term. You can choose to hear it as a compliment, a recognition that you have a unique and beautiful personality and it shows.

Have you ever tried this fun little excercise? Read this sentence, emphasizing a different word each time: "I never said she stole my money." Seven times you read it and it means seven completely different things. But in print, you don't know which one is intended. Or if it is intended without any emphasis at all.

Now, I lurked your other post. I think the reason you're getting "eclectic" comments is that some of the choices you're thinking of don't fit the "traditional" label you've stuck on your room. It won't be traditional with those choices but it could still be pretty.

If you want a defined style, you're working with traditional because that's the kind of furniture you have. Choose a traditional rug like oriental or a stripe or solid, take the drape colour from the rug, add accent chairs in a tone on tone pattern that incorporates the colour of your sofa, add very generic doctor's office art above the sofa and you're done.

I hope you get to a place where you can feel comfortable using what you love to create a cohesive room without labels or fear of criticism.

Hey, check out groveraxle's comment on this post for how most of us would use "eclectic" https://www.houzz.com/discussions/mixing-metals-dsvw-vd~5202883

Not a pro— but I think you should go for traditional (or neo-traditional) or transitional honestly. You seem to be drawn to aspects of both (lurked the thread ;)) —but your very discomfort with the word eclectic tells me unless you plan to work with a designer, thats not the way for you to strike out on your own. Honestly, as someone who LOVES eclectic style I’m almost a little offended by the negative connotation you’ve assigned to it!

Anyway- I’d focus on traditional and transitional and I think those will make you happier. You seem perhaps like a person who feels most comfortable staying ‘inside the box’? If so, no shame in that! I’d say most offices, hotels, etc are done in either a transitional or traditional style so you should have plenty of examples to draw from.

Sophie - could you please help us newbies with a discussion on the difference between Contemporary and Modern? Much appreciated!

I love (well done) eclectic! It’s interesting and personal. And oh so much better than a slavish adherence to a style or a “theme”.

(I feel like “theme” decorating is great for proms, kiddie restaurants, and amusement parks. Homes, not so much)

it's been a fascinating to me thread

so many questions and thoughts they sent me to a type of an endless ride..far and over decor-related stuff..so I'm afraid to take space here, with all of these. I'm already in some deep rabbit hole..)) Maybe I'll open a thread too some time -when I'll know how to name it

I just wanted to say to Mon- and all the others- "Thank you"

I was scared for my space to be labeled eclectic, now it's something I hope I can pull off!

❤❤

That is the best thing I have read here in a long time!!!

Be warned..."eclectic" isn't the easiest to achieve, (I've been unsuccessful with it but I keep trying)...but there is LOTS of help here by those who are.

Here's a couple that I love...

Now, if you're unsuccessful at achieving this, you can always call your style, boho:

For me (because I know nothing, really) the trick to decorating is to be fearless about it. (And don't watch hgtv).

I look forward to your new dilemma threads...

HGTV is never gonna do eclectic. Cuz eclectic is never a result of done-in-a-day decorating. That's probably a big part of what makes it so interesting. It's a reflection of experiences, travels, passions etc.

I do like a ''full'' house! Sometimes the contemporary and modern styles are too empty seeming to me. Traditional is nice but I do want to be able to use things in my home that aren't there just there to match. I never jumped on the gray and black trend, it looks cool, but it's too cold for me!

HGTV is never gonna do eclectic.

HGTV, Houzz, and most places are never going to do eclectic because you can't get sponsors or clicks for the unique, individual, sometimes far-flung pieces that make up eclectic.

FWIW, eclectic probably shouldn't be called a style since there is nothing specifically that defines it. In other words, while you may have a traditional sofa or MCM chair, there is no such thing as an eclectic piece of furniture or art. Eclectic isn't something you usually aim for, but is something that happens organically when you curate everything that goes into a space and it works. Realize, of course, it's possible to curate everything and have it not work, in which case you have what I think Sophie referred to as dog vomit. Also realize it's way harder to pull off an eclectic space than any other.

Becky, that's a really good point. I never thought of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense.

If you are near a metropolitan area consider hiring a designer whose work you like and hire them for a consulting session including a trip to your local trade only design center. There is so much that you will not find in stores, online, or in magazines. This will be an important part of your education and you can be perfectly honest with the designer.

Dunno,Grover. I think many of us do aim for an eclectic,curated,personalized space because we find a devotion to a single style lacking in several ways. For myself, while I can see much to admire in some one else's umm,devotion to living within one style, I just have absolutely no aspiration to inhabit such a space. Now,whether one ends up with dog vomit or not....that may well be in the eye of the beholder. "Rules of taste enforce structures of power"...Susan Sontag wrote that. I hear it playing in the back of my mind often when viewing Houzz. I call it the 'Aware Aesthete's Dilemma' and yet still enjoy playing Houzz.

I love how Mon went in this thread from "How to avoid eclectic style?" to "now it's something I hope I can pull off!".

This has to be one of my favorite GW threads : ) .

Thanks, Mon, for letting us ask questions and dig deeper to figure out what you meant, and then for being open and flexible enough to understand what we were all saying.

I started by thinking eclectic was more categorized with ''quirky'' and ''all over the place'' but I'm thinking now it may be more better defined by the likes of ''custom'', ''couture'' ''one of a kind'', I'm excited about this!

Holly I love this quote: "Rules of taste enforce structures of power"...Susan Sontag

Thank you for sharing it. And I think it’s so TRUE. So, so true. Blows my mind if I start to think about it too much!

and aprilneverends— I have a sense you might have some deep philosophy up your sleeve too with that comment. . .Bring it on!

rebecca, if you like the above quote, hunt down Sontag's essay, "The Double Standards of Aging" (pdf of the article here) --

Everyone is addicted to the visual pleasure that women give by meeting certain esthetic requirements from which men are exempted, which keeps women working at staying youthful-looking while men are left free to age. On a deeper level everyone finds the signs of old age in women esthetically offensive, which conditions one to feel automatically repelled by the prospect of an elderly woman marrying a much younger man. The situation in which women are kept minors for life is largely organized by such conformist, unreflective preferences. But taste is not free, and its judgments are never merely "natural." Rules of taste enforce structures of power. The revulsion against aging in women is the cutting edge of the whole set of oppressive structures (often masked as gallantries) that keep women in their place.

Sontag also has an essay, "An Argument About Beauty", in which she discusses the various forms of beauty ("the less 'uplifting' beauty of face and body" vs. "the 'higher' beauty of art") as well as the term "interesting" --

In the absence of a definition [of the beautiful] in the strict sense, there was supposed to be an organ or capacity for registering beauty (that is, value) in the arts, called "taste," and a canon of works discerned by people of taste, seekers after more rarefied gratifications, adepts of connoisseurship. For in the arts -- unlike life -- beauty was not assumed to be necessarily apparent, evident, obvious. ...

... there is more and more resistance to the idea of "good taste," that is, to the dichotomy of good taste/bad taste, except for occasions that allow one to celebrate the defeat of snobbery and the triumph of what was once condescended to as bad taste. Today, good taste seems even more retrograde an idea than beauty. Austere, difficult "modernist" art and literature have come to seem old-fashioned, a conspiracy of snobs. Innovation is relaxation now; today's E-Z Art gives the green light to all. In the cultural climate favoring the more user-friendly art of recent years, the beautiful seems, if not obvious, then pretentious. Beauty continues to take a battering in what are called, absurdly, our culture wars....

The strongest, most successful move against beauty was in the arts: beauty -- and the caring about beauty -- was restrictive; as the current idiom has it, elitist. Our appreciations, it was felt, could be so much more inclusive if we said that something, instead of being beautiful, was "interesting".

Of course, when people said a work of art was interesting, this did not mean that they necessarily liked it -- much less that they thought it beautiful. It usually meant no more than they thought they ought to like it. Or that they liked it, sort of, even though it wasn't beautiful.

Mon, another word to keep in the forefront of your mind is "curated"...

Thank you beckysharp! I have some reading to do! :)

Me too ^^^^

rebecca, yeah..I'm still spinning though..falling..)) it's nothing I can put into words just yet.

(luckily for the mankind..))

obviously I also have lots of reading to do..thank you becky and holly!

I love Sontag's essays and the word eclectic :))

All our ideas put together are eclectic , to avoid " Eclectic" we should only buy things that are somewhat monochromatic and to me that sound very boring, colours, shapes and a good taste is perhaps eclectic but also very interesting .