THE eclectic look may be all the rage in interior decorating but how do you get it without creating a mismatched mess?
Here are a few tips to create an eclectic dining setting that could easily be applied to other furnishings or soft furnishings.
1. You can have entirely different chairs, but link them together by making sure they're all the same colour.
2. Find a bunch of old upholstered dining chairs at flea markets and garage sales, then have them recovered in the same fabric.
3. Place a low bench (upholstered or with a lovely cushion) on one side of a rectangular dining table, chairs on the other side and two upholstered chairs at either end as "carvers".
4. You may have identical chairs but consider painting or staining them in different shades of the same colour or related tones such as earth or sky.
5. Still on identical chairs, if they have upholstered seats recover them in different fabrics. Just make sure the fabrics have a similar colour or pattern to tie them together.
6. Yet more options to mismatch matching chairs: paint them entirely different colours. Just make sure they're all pastels, all brights, all jewel tones — you get the picture!
7. Get a cafe look by putting a high-backed sofa along one side of the table, a matching pair of more traditional dining chairs at either end and some folding chairs along the other side. Just make sure the sofa is high enough for comfortable dining.
8. Chairs that are different but are made from the same material or have a feature in common, such as a wicker insert, are another option to get the eclectic look.
So now you've got the idea that things can be different, as long as they have one similarity that ties them together. You can apply that concept to other areas of the house.
In the living room, buy mismatched chairs and sofas, then tie them together by having them re-upholstered in identical fabric. Or fabrics with an identical pattern in different colours. Or reupholster an identical lounge suite in different colours (as long as they're in the same tone family).
In the bedroom, try two different chairs in the same fabric. Don't forget to apply the same rules to outdoor settings. The only limit to eclectic success is your imagination.
■ More inspiration: pinterest.com/yourhomefairfax.
