Mix patterns, colors, and design eras with the latest interior style—vintage eclectic. With its versatility, vintage roots, and emphasis on individuality, vintage eclectic style is more popular than ever. The quirky, Nancy Meyers-inspired style infuses warmth and nostalgia into every space, and searches for the term are up 1,418% from last year on Pinterest.
Vintage eclectic design is perfect for those who love many different styles. Where traditional vintage decor schemes focus on re-creating a specific era like Victorian or midcentury, vintage eclectic pulls from any time the decorator finds interesting. In eclectic design, where mixing varying levels of formality and design styles is common, vintage eclectic rooms might include high-end art with casual furniture and a rug found at a flea market. Vintage eclectic draws from various eras and puts a unique spin on a space that reflects the owner’s personality.
If you’re drawn to vintage designs and looking for a way to incorporate multiple styles and ideas into your home, this could be the style you’ve been waiting for. Keep reading to learn from several design experts how to create a vintage eclectic home that feels timeless and unique.
Dane Tashima
“Vintage eclectic is the layering and mixing of various vintage items from different design periods,” says Nancy Soriano, head of brand, editorial, and partnerships of Perigold. “Rather than focusing on one specific period of vintage, such as midcentury modern, vintage eclectic incorporates different types and periods of vintage pieces to create an eclectic and cohesive mix.”
This style focuses on individuality and breaking away from conventional design rules. “It’s not just about blending furniture from different eras but creating a narrative,” says Darrell Gardner, director of product development at Cort. “It’s more adventurous, marrying the old with the new, making room for the playfulness of modern furniture and contemporary art along with the charm of vintage finds.”
Vintage eclectic gives people the option to choose what they love and create a space around it without being confined to any one look or time period. The style is layered, and can easily lean into the past few years’ popular maximalist trends, though it doesn’t have to.
Hector Sanchez
Use these expert-recommended tips to incorporate the vintage eclectic style into your home.
“Vintage eclectic truly allows for and encourages personal style and expression,” Soriano says. “The key to this style is to mix design periods via pattern, scale, and color.”
The look is all about juxtaposing complementary items and times to create visual interest, keeping a balance between old and new. “To make this style your own, start by pairing a contemporary sofa with a vintage coffee table, or modern art with antique frames,” Gardner says. When purchasing vintage pieces, don’t draw from a single era to keep with the timeless and eclectic feel.
Play up the eclectic with your design with a mix-and-match approach. “Don’t be afraid to play with patterns and textures,” Gardner says. “Layer rugs, mix striped wallpaper with floral upholstery, or add eclectic lighting fixtures. Let your space showcase your personal collections or family heirlooms. Let it tell your story.”
To create a more cohesive look or to give yourself a starting point, choose a theme. For example, the theme could be coastal, but you mix decor from different try time periods. This would give the feeling of a family beach house that’s been decorated over decades.
You can use a color as a theme, too. Choose accessories that have at least a touch of a certain hue to create visual harmony. You can also easily mix and match patterns as long as they all have the same color scheme for an eclectic, but intentional, space.
Build on what you already have, and let the pieces you love inspire you. Often a beloved piece of decor can inspire a whole room. If you love the color of your vintage couch, layer on a throw blanket with the same color on the new chairs or repaint a vintage mirror in the same color. Echo the shape of your favorite couch in a light fixture, and you have another touch point to create a well-coordinated space.
At the end of the day, vintage eclectic is all about creating an environment filled with items you love.
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