The layered look: mix it up, baby! anything goes in eclectic design, one of the hottest decorating trends to sweep the country

Art Fits In

Art in an eclectic interior need not match the furnishings, according to designers. But there are a few guidelines they observe.

"I've seen photographs, prints and paintings successfully brought together in one interior space, but that works best perhaps if they are of similar size or proportion," said Davis. "Asian art is a good category to pair with any period--it can look very modern, but is also very much at home with antiques," noted Shankman-Cohn. "Mixing contemporary with antiques softens the harshness of the contemporary while making the antiques more livable." But in the end, she said, "Art stands alone. I don't match art to the furniture."

"As far as art is concerned, I love eclectic collections, but I don't like to mix different styles of art on one wall," said Cahan. "I don't like to mix prints and oils together. Maybe in the same room, but not on the same wall."

In fact, art or framing can be a unifying element that pulls together an eclectic interior, said the designers. Contrast a medley of period furnishings and textures with a single genre of art on the walls. Or, in a space with a simpler style of furnishings, said Cahan, "you can frame the art work eclectically, and have some fun."

Fun or witty, bold and free from constraints, eclectic design is always highly personal. It does not, however, have to be a dizzying jumble of clutter. "There are different levels of eclectic design. You can still have a clean-lined, almost minimalist environment, or more of a hodgepodge, and either is okay," concluded Harrington. "But if you are going to mix it up, then really mix it up--don't wimp out."

e-clec-tic /i klektik/ adj. 1. Choosing what is best or preferred from a variety of courses or styles. 2. Varied. Made up of elements from various sources. 3. Not following any one method or leader, but choosing at will from the doctrines, works, etc. of others. [Late 17th C--from the Greek eklektikos, literally "picking out, selecting."]

SOURCES

* Davis Design, (323) 462-4844

* Eclectic Interiors, (901) 683-5598

* LH Color, (203) 637-6868

* Southwark Design Co., (215) 468-7000

* Thomas Lavin Showroom, (310) 278-2456

* Vicente Wolf Associates (212) 465-0590

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