Eclectic Style - Mix Old & New

We were on our yearly migration to South Beach last week to escape the cold. One of our favorite things to do while we're there is to visit the Miami Zoo. (Side note: It's pretty amazing. You should really visit it! http://www.miamimetrozoo.com/index.asp.) Anyhow, we arranged a behind-the-scenes tour and the docent was a wonderful octogenarian (maybe +) named Barbara. Aside from being very sweet, entertaining, and knowledgable about the animals at the zoo, we uncovered that Barbara was also a pilot who had trained other pilots during WWII. Because she was a woman she was deemed unfit to fly the missions herself, but was knowledgable enough to train the men. Hello! Talk about not judging a book... Wow!

I love being surprised like that - don't you?

Then I saw this blog http://www.chictip.com/dream-homes/dream-home-french-fantasy-by-d-mesure featuring an estate in France - a gorgeous, old chateau on the outside - wonderfully restored and decorated in contemporary furnishings and art on the inside. Again, pleasantly surprised!

"Old" Chateau in France - d.mesure

Inside the chateau, beautifully finished floors, walls, and ceiling beams shine
with the modern furnishings. -  d.mesure

My favorite is when homes don't take their setting too literally - and add a little (or a lot) of punch with unexpected elements. So just because your home is colonial doesn't mean everything inside has to be Queen Anne, French Imperial, Georgian or any of the other styles from the period. It's way more interesting and fun, classy and modern to mix things up to feature the best of the old and play it up with the new... Same goes for a contemporary house - in the opposite way. 

In this case, an old secretary is mixed with a very modern Ghost chair. - French by Design

Traditional screen and rug with modern acrylic - Traditional Home

Egg chair paired with Deco-style walnut armoire and antique images. -  Belle Vivir

Contemporary Dining Room design by San Francisco Architect Fougeron Architecture FAIA

It is by far my favorite way to decorate - mixing it all up! So all of this mixing of styles was deemed eclectic and it has stuck. I think interesting is more accurate, but that word has gotten such a bad rep lately. Either way - it's fun and what makes your home uniquely yours. 

I hope you have enjoyed these beautifully, eclectic spaces that I adore. And remember that decorating is about creating spaces with items that bring you happiness so even if you think they don't "go" - be brave. You can always tell them all your eclectic!

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Copyright 2013, Cristina Mullins Interiors. 

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