Eclectic Living by Anouska Lancaster

27 June 2016

To me 'Eclectic' is all about freeing yourself from the traditional concept of design and being brave enough to buy the things you want simply because you love them. It's about breaking the rules and surrounding yourself with things that make you happy and showcase your personal style.

Home and Garden on Female First

The beauty of eclectic living is that things don't need to match or be neutral. It's an open invitation to use colour, be bonkers and have fun with bizarre and crazy objects because that is what makes your space different from everyone else's; and that's what makes the World an interesting place.

Getting the correct balance in your eclectic interior is absolute key. It may often look as though items have been radically thrown together in varying proportions by chance, but believe it or not, there is a mathematical formula when it comes to creating a harmonious eclectic interior that is pleasing to the eye.

The last thing you want is for your interior to look as though it's displaying the remnants of a junkyard. To avoid this faux pas, follow my top tips on how to create the perfect eclectic interior that will not only ooze sophistication; but will also showcase your personal style.

1. Watch the scale. Getting the scale and proportions correct is especially important in eclectic rooms. Scale matters both in how the pieces relate to one another as well as to the room.

2. Find a common thread to make the items gel. This is most easily done with colour.

3. Play up contrasts. Choose objects that are extremely different in feel, time period, texture and style. For example, team a contemporary glass coffee table with a vintage leather armchair.

4. Make sure nothing matches. Split up any matching furniture and divide these items between rooms.

5. The best eclectic interior is one that represents you. It's a space to showcase your travels, your loves, your stories and your aspirations.

6. Experiment and take risks. Remember, there are no rules so have fun adding and removing items until you feel the room is pleasing to the eye.

7. Add quirky and odd elements of surprise to create 'wow factor' and talking points. This may be a surfboard if you love surfing, or hanging polo sticks on the wall if you play polo.

8. Source your items from different places over a period of time. This will avoid the 'catalogue look' and will enable your interior to tell your story as it grows with you.

9. Vary the scale. Oversized objects, particularly when teamed with smaller objects, will add drama and interest to a space. Mix up the scale so that you have varying layers of height and depth.

10. Last but certainly not least - add some bling. I always believe in adding a little bit of sparkle or metallic to boost the 'wow factor' and add an element of surprise.