Today, I am beginning a 31 day series on creating and cultivating an eclectic home.  For some crazy reason, I have accepted The Nester’s challenge to write on the same theme every day for the month of October.  This may end up killing me.  Or you.  But, I appreciate you reading and welcome your comments.

When I was planning the Great Wall of Chevrons this past spring, a friend said to me, “I can’t wait to see how you pull that off.  Your nursery so sweet and chevrons are so graphic.”  I know that my friend didn’t mean anything negative with her comment, but it did get me thinking.  It had never occurred to me that I couldn’t (or maybe shouldn’t) pull it off.  I draw inspiration from many different sources and styles, and I like the sweetness of a vintage-inspired room just as much as I like the boldness of a graphic room.

My style has definitely moved from traditional to more eclectic.  I used to think that eclecticism meant that someone was messy or directionless, but now I understand that is not the case.  Instead, it’s a style that comes from a broad source of inspiration and sources.  It’s using what you love because you love it – not because someone else says that you should or shouldn’t.  It’s picking and choosing to create a style that’s all your own.

Now, my home is far from the eclectic haven that I’m hoping it will one day become.  That’s part of the charm of essentially creating your own style.  It’s ever evolving, like a collection you are constantly amassing.

In my opinion, an eclectic style is one that says it’s okay to have a huge dead tree in your entryway.

It’s a style that says there’s nothing wrong with having a wall (or two) completely filled with silhouettes of people you’ve never met.

Eclecticism embodies mixing a brightly painted traditional dresser with a farmhouse style bed.  And chevrons.

And an eclectic style allows you to have a rug in your living room that doesn’t quite “match” anything else – because one day, you know it will.

Do you embrace eclecticism or do you prefer a more traditional approach to decorating your home?  Anything in particular you want me to discuss in the next 31 days?

Let’s do this!