Finished embroidery projects are ideal home decor pieces.
Read on to learn about the “tailored eclectic” design approach. I’m sharing a bit of history and 4 design rules you can use as you style your home with finished embroidery pieces.
The origins of eclectic design
Eclecticism comes from the Greek “eklektikos” meaning “choose the best.” In the 18th century, this approach was applied to choosing philosophical doctrines for building an individual’s own arguments.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, architects wanted to retain aspects of historic precedent and, yet, create something new, and we saw the approach applied to architecture.
SOURCE: Wikipedia Creative Commons. Church of St. Clare in Horodkivka Ukraine, built 1913 and blending neo-Gothic and modern architecture.
Eclectic decor is, by definition, unique for each of us
How much fun is it to apply this to decorating your own home? To “choose the best” as you see it, and make your own unique combinations?
You’ll ensure that your home is unique because eclectic decor means that it will look different for each of us and that it will reflect your own experiences and preferences at the same time.
Photo by Steph Wilson on Unsplash.
Tailored Eclectic: moving from maximalism to selectivism and order
I’ve written to you before about “maximalism” — an approach that has you using eclectic and vibrant decor along with bold patterns.
Today, I’m writing about how to pull that back, how to incorporate your finished embroidery into decor using the principles of “tailored eclectic” style, so that:
— you’ve got a personalized style that feels curated and polished instead of higgledy-piggledy.
The long wall in this entryway is simply decorated with with a wide table and bicycle. The table is topped with flowers in a rough pottery pitcher, stacked vintage books and Bunny Folklore sampler to provide charm and interest.
1. Mix with purpose
While eclectic style often involves freely mixing different periods and styles, “tailored eclectic” carefully selects and combines elements to create a cohesive look with a distinct personality.
Home Sampler is included in a kitchen grouping here. The frame matches cannisters, and the simple wreath echoes the greens and leaves in the sampler. The addition of the pepper mill adds variety in height and grounds the wreath behind it.
Cuckoo Clock is a whimsical piece that mixes thematically with a painted bird whistle and vintage crystal alarm clock. A houseplant in small white pot adds organic lines that echo the leaves in the stitched piece.
There’s a great mixture of texture in the pieces here with SHINE dominating via the pitchers and yellow vase. Dried leaves and a wooden cutting board leaned behind the framed Honeybee Sampler add complementary textures that give the grouping unity.
Need to decorate a small shelf in your mudroom? Style Rainy Day with colorful jelly boots and a patterned scarf.
2. Emphasize quality
For a tailored-eclectic look, incorporate high-quality pieces, even if they are from different design eras, to achieve a cultivated look.
The stitched elements in Peacock Dreams are taken from the Victorian period with stylized florals and elegant peacock. Here they’re mixed with a simple Shaker style dresser, pottery lamp and florals as well as open book and scattered aromatics.
Tree of Life is displayed with rich wood textures–see the bowl, vase, bench, and even small spinning tops. Oversized coffee table books of birds, trees, and flowers are a good complement.
Christmas Pines is displayed in a dark wood frame that matches the mantle. Simple white ceramics and lit pine-cone wreath are elegant companion pieces.
3. Choose a cohesive color palette
While tailored eclectic design has you mixing various elements, a well-defined color palette that ties the different pieces together is how this approach succeeds.
Spooky House is displayed on a black curvy plate stand and combined with a pieces in gold orange and black that repeat the colors in the stitched piece.
The blues in Jacobean pop when a blue glass kaleidoscope is added to this simple grouping.
4. Pay attention to line and shape.
You add order to your groupings when you’re purposeful about line and shape. The goal is to provide repetitions with a hit of variety.
The rectangular framing of Fall Squirrel Sampler is repeated in the piece it leans against: a four-paned cabinet door with rustic hardware. The door is another vertical rectangle as are the four compartments within it. Notice the contrasting diagonals in the wire piece that is placed horizontally. Organic curves are added by the beaded garland with tassel.
All summer long, I have a flower subscription, and I create dining room table groupings that incorporate embroidered hoop art. Here, I’ve mixed white kitchen pieces and Bessie’s Blossoms. Notice the way all of the pieces combine with the flowers in a curvy triangular shape.
Have fun creating your own tailored eclectic groupings that incorporate embroidery
Who's ready for Fall, Y'all...
It's never too early to start stitching your favorite Autumn motifs and colors. Start stitching today and dispaly your finished projects all season long.
