7 tips to help you step outside your decor box

Most homeowners are a little nervous to stretch their design muscles, so they tend to play it safe and predictable when decorating their homes. That ends up looking cookie-cutter boring, and it’s also not how most of us live.

To avoid that bland department store look, I’ve always felt it’s important to inject your home with your personality, and that means layering in the things which you have collected and which hold meaning for you. It requires keeping a spirit of adventure and an open mind about what goes with what, banishing the notion that things need to match and aiming for consistency instead.

What you should know before layering in an eclectic mix of styles and eras:

1| Every room needs a focal point. I like my rooms to have an 85-15 mix – 85 per cent of your preferred style whether that’s modern, transitional, art deco or traditional and 15 per cent of a different style or era. The contrast adds interest but also a focal point for each room. My own decor is contemporary, but I have a large French armoire in the kitchen, an Art Deco coffee table in the living room, and a pair of 1940s armchairs in the den. The pieces work because there’s similar scale and proportion. Small rooms can take one focal point, larger rooms possibly two, but the more focal points a room has, the less impact each piece will have.

2| Because this style requires blending strong pieces, keep the canvas – walls, floors, windows – simple. And when you’re working with such strong statement pieces, you need to create breathing space with simple, classic furnishings.

3| Make connections between pieces using scale (the size of a piece) and proportion (how chunky or delicate). So, a massive 19th century dining table will work better with equally substantial chairs something like mid-century modern rather than tiny gilt chairs from the same era. Before bringing a piece into the room, consider how it relates to the space, whether it will be overwhelming or overwhelmed.

4|Colour, pattern and texture are good ways to make connections between disparate pieces. But rather than a single colour scheme – all red or all blue for example – choose complementary schemes, such as red and orange or blue and purple, or contrast schemes such as bright tangy colours with softer pastels. Exercise some restraint though – no more than three or four colours in one space.

5|Texture provides depth to any room, but it’s especially effective in an eclectic space. I often try layers – an oriental carpet layered over seagrass, chenille jacquard upholstery against whispery thin silk drapes, a Quebec pine cupboard with a Lucite coffee table.

6|Another way to connect items is to repeat patterns and shapes throughout a room – such as a circular motif that shows up on the curtains, night tables and carpet. For high contrast, I sometimes pair bold stripes with modern stylized florals and large I-kat patterns but balance with breathing space and a few understated classics. Once the anchor pieces are in place, I think about what aspect about them can be repeated.

7|Contrast is a good thing, as long as you create commonality between the pieces in some manner. I start with the larger anchor pieces, then experiment with the rest. It helps to take a picture of the space as it evolves and remove or add as you see fit. If some of your pieces are shiny, incorporate some in matte finish – metal contrasts with wood, silk with denim.

Finally, if you’re nervous about this blending process, and reluctant to invest in pieces that may not go together, I suggest doing a story board. For inspiration, check out eclectic rooms on Pinterest and see what blends and what doesn’t. Or do it the old-fashioned way – cut and paste elements from magazines to create a picture of your room, add fabric samples and paint chips, and line drawings of furniture.