My house is a patchwork of all the things I love most. A mix of old and new; maximalist and minimalist; things I treasure and things that are useful. If I had to pin down my style it would be cosy eclectic. Although it’s not really a style I’m after at all, it’s a feeling. Cosy and welcoming, with an eclectic range of influences. Worried it’ll all look too cluttered? Here’s the secret to making it work, whether you live in a house, flat or just one room.
A mix of old and new furniture
Combining old and new pieces of furniture is a wonderful way to inject character into your home. I live in a brand-new house but love to mix up my modern furniture with antique pieces. They key to making this look feel modern and practical is to stick to one simple colour palette. I love pale ashy wood – so I combine nineteenth century stripped pine with 1960s pale beech and modern designs in blond wood from shops like IKEA and Habitat. The styles of furniture may be different, but they feel united and harmonious. Alternatively, tone down old dark brown furniture by painting it in soft shades of grey that’ll match anything!
Don’t hide your books
Your favourite books are an easy way to give your home a warm and inviting personality. It makes me feel sad when I see styled photographs on Instagram with books turned the wrong way around, looking beige and characterless. Don’t hide them away – put them on a bookshelf and let them shine! If you’re worried that all the different designs will look a little too cluttered – try colour coding some of them. It’s the best thing I ever did to my book collection – from a distance the big blocks of colour look wonderful.
Coffee table life
Even the smallest space benefits from a coffee table. It’s the perfect piece of multi-purpose furniture, that will make your space feel sociable while also giving you a useful space for magazines, flowers and candles. If you’ve got the space, choose a big one to sit in front of your sofa – or if you’re short on space find a little occasional table to nestle next to an armchair. To find your perfect style, try browsing through the selection at Lionshome– it makes searching through different styles and shops a doddle.
Tuck away your gadgets
When you have a cosy eclectic home filled with things you love, it doesn’t take much to make things feel a bit messy. It’s a natural part of life that no amount of Marie Kondo-ing can eradicate. However, the one thing that makes all the difference to me is hiding the ugliest of my technology away in a cupboard. I keep my kid’s games console and TV boxes in a vintage Ercol sideboard – they simply open the cupboards doors when they want to play. And my coffee table has a nifty little shelf underneath that’s great for hiding my remote controls.
Fill in the blanks
Don’t leave your walls bare and empty – cover them with a mix of paintings and prints that you love. You don’t have to be rich to afford original art. Head to your local auction house where you can usually find original watercolours or oil paintings by little known artists for less that £50. Combine these images with framed mementoes like tickets, travel photos or event posters. And if you have a big space to fill, a great budget option is to frame a beautiful piece of wrapping paper – the range by Cavallini and Coare absolutely stunning!
Do you love the cosy eclectic home style? I’d love to hear your little secrets too.
This post was written in collaboration with Lionshome
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