I Find It Eclectically Vintage

Eclectically Vintage:

What does that really mean? Let's break it down.
'Eclectic' is derived from ideas, style or taste from a broader and more diverse range of sources.
'Vintage' is relating to the past but not antique.
'Eclectically Vintage' is probably the broadest of collecting and decorating.

I fall into this category time and time again in our home as well as our business.
Every time I get the groove of what inspires me, BAM! I find another thing that gets me going in an entirely different direction. The art of it all is getting it to gel together not in a matching sort of manner but in a "this kinda works” way. There is a cohesiveness to decorating eclectic, it is intentional on a different level. I think it takes more thought then decorating in a farmhouse style, colonial, etc... It is not cookie-cutter by far. There is a line between chaos and curated, but that is where a good eye comes in.


Everyone has a different way of approaching this very random aesthetic. It can be a mixing of textiles, colors, genres, eras, changing the original purpose of an item, etc... For me, it begins with the layout or configuration. I live in a tiny home which has been now defined as any dwelling that is under 1000 sq ft. I am at 912. So the trendy notion of living smaller has been my plight for quite a while, almost 20 years. Raised 3 boys, 2 large dogs, a partner, etc...you get the picture.


So I always map out the openings and windows first, generally, it is a mental mapping. This has always been a challenge and the bane of my decorating freedom. Then if there is a heater/cooler or woodstove I have to consider that next. Third, is there is an entertainment unit, ie. television, stereo, etc... Those are the fundamentals and probably the least interesting of all the considerations.


My next item on the list is, what furniture do I have to work with? I always have comfy seating for more than a couple people with a surface piece nearby for placing drinks, sewing, books, etc.. on and then lighting. I am a lamp fanatic so I always have more then I need on hand to choose from. I do pull in one task light since I do a lot of sewing and reading while watching television.

From there on out, the accessories begin to accent the existing space. Artwork is generally varied and I stick to original pieces. I have this thing about prints versus original art. Original you won't find anywhere else. it is one of kind and speaks specifically to you. I find that much of the time a piece of art costs less than a print. A print washes out and is a copout for going out of bounds of the conventional. I have a mix of foundry forms, tiled items, paintings, mixed media, etc.. Just because something wasn't meant to be art doesn't mean it isn't art and can't be hung up. Just think of a way to do it. It becomes a means of visual interest if it is out of the ordinary.


'Surface accessories', that's what I call things that sit, are perhaps the last of the process. Have a plethora to pull from, whether pottery, plants, china, organic, clean lines, functional or frivolous, its your call. put hard items with soft, textiles with industrial, sentimental with the obtuse, it all works if you want it to work.

This is where the vintage comes in in the biggest way. Of course, you can have vintage furniture and art but furniture has to be safe so sometimes vintage is not an option. I tend to be all over the map with my vintage items and even have the antique play against mcm or new. It can be a rustic primitive antique bowl filled with vintage pool balls alongside modern handthrown pottery, tempered (or not) with a large 4 inch in diameter rusty nut with or without the bolt.  Nothing has to be symmetrical, balanced, make sense, coordinated, etc.. it is all you for you.

Your home is your happy place and to find solace it should represent the vision you have for it, but if it is a cookie cutter Instagram picture then it possibly needs to be reworked. Being you and your personal style should be eclectic. Trust yourself, find yourself and enjoy yourself. See what is in the box, you never know.