Kitchen Workbook: 10 Elements of a Eclectic Kitchen

Eclectic is a phrase that is frequently used when a individual has difficulty pinpointing his or her own personality — or anybody else for that matter. Eclectic done right has a feeling of effortless assurance, even though this is among the hardest looks to achieve. Eclectic done wrong is someplace between a chaotic mess and a train wreck.

Sure, it is your property, and if you are a total rebel and really don’t care when things work together, then by all means, do it. But if you would like to appear to be a rebel using a reason — you want your home to look like it’s been casually collected over time with effortless simplicity — here are a few things to think about. Warning: If anything that does not match makes you crazy and feeling short of breath, continue at your own risk.

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Andrea Schumacher Interiors

1. A stylish mix. Just like a DJ that’s sampling songs or a fashionista mixing clothes, trying the art of the mix can go awry on a drop of a dime. It can become a cacophony of sound or a clashing of pattern on pattern. Believe it or not, eclectic design actually involves a ton of restraint, and I am not sure about others, but for me it involves a lot of trial-and-error editing. This kitchen has mix-master elements: its easy farmhouse-style cabinets, butcher block top and pub stools combined with the tasteful glass chandeliers and marble countertops, along with a dash of whimsy thrown in with the wallpaper and bright colors.

Desire to Inspire

2. Well-traveled flair with modern touches. I love this kitchen’s bohemian feel. In my book, you can’t ever go wrong mixing modern molded white plastic seats and a vintage Kilim rug. And not to mention, who thinks of doing that at a kitchen in the first place? Most people would place an island here. The cabinets have an Asian flair, although the modernism of the lights, appliances and seats creates an unexpected tension.

California Home + Design

3. Humor and irreverence. This kitchen has it happening. And it is a lucky space in that the dining area is part of the kitchen, so more layering with furniture bits is possible. (With a kitchen that’s compartmentalized away from the rest of the home, it is tougher to achieve this amount of blending.)

Here is the sort of space that’s fun to analyze. You have got modern tile and cabinets combined with a traditional chandelier and dining table. There is more contrast generated by the modern chairs and lacquered red console, and humor included with the yellow striped ceiling. Does this room masterfully mix styles and periods, in addition, it includes a handle on color that few have.

elegueller arquitetos

4. Masculine, darkened and refined facets. Not all eclectic kitchens have to be a research in blending and contrast on each level; a few are more quietly eclectic. I love the easy mix of this dark lacquered modern cabinets and cultural patterned tile on one full wall (how it is intended to be accomplished.) Along with the antique brass hardware is a wonderful accent which many would overlook and just default .

Camilla Molders Design

5. A modern, vibrant and international outlook. Another fabulous mix of styles and color. The colors and light are ethnic, but the walnut cabinets are earthy modern. What is intriguing is that the tile is really straightforward and unadorned, but using that color mixed with the Venetian plaster texture on the walls, it looks more cultural even with no particular pattern. The red bentwood cafe stools include a vintage flair, but in that color mixed with the turquoise tile, they choose a whole new language.

Tim Cuppett Architects

6. Farmhouse, modern and timeless facets. Eclectic could be controlled and subtle. The contrasting elements in this kitchen may not be as noticeable at first glance, but there’s a subtle tension between styles. The plaster hood and wood cabinets have a European farmhouse texture, whereas the built-in wall is quite timeless and something you see from cottage and bungalow homes across the states. Even the butcher block–topped island features a humble farmhouse texture, whereas the ubermodern pendant lights and full-height marble backsplash show off a modern element and are all the more intriguing since they’re placed inside the context of the other elements.

Structures Construction Company

7. Modern and pretty expressions. Another quietly eclectic kitchen, mostly modern with the easy white cupboards, open shelves and controlled styling on the staircase. But add that fabulous embossed patterned tile running up the beam ceiling with the four antique brass pendant lights, and you’ve got something entirely different and unexpected. The counter stools have a mindset of being cool.

Georgetown Development

8. A little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll. There can be a feeling of irreverence which is included with an eclectic kitchen, a knack for ignoring the rules… or, frankly, just having the mindset that there are no rules to be ignored in the first place. This kitchen appears that it and the men and women who live here know the way to have fun.

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

9. French nation, industrial and modern fashion. Country houses are often areas where homeowners feel it is safer to ignore the principles and do what they like. There is an attitude of”why not?” When you let your creativity flow without worrying about its being perfect, you frequently wind up getting a far more intriguing space. First walnut cabinets were painted and blended with a industrial stainless steel island and stools, modern appliances and Mediterranean-style terra cotta tyle with plenty of patina.

Don Ziebell

10. Modern rustic taste. Reaching an eclectic appearance is often as straightforward as having a state kitchen and doing a modern light fixture of this table. 1 component is sometimes a distance should go from predictable to eclectic.

More in this series:
How to Find Your Kitchen Design

How to Remodel Your Kitchen

So Your Design Is: Eclectic

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House Tour: Character and Higher Style in Toronto

Toronto homeowner Shannon of 8foot6 started her website to document the long process of renovating her cellar. But the magic of blogging occurred, and she ended up sharing more than just the details of the cellar project. She also brought us upstairs to discuss her everyday home jobs, the increase of her design style and her serendipitous classic shopping ventures. I check in to 8foot6 often for Shannon’s new spin on home layout. After this excursion, I predict you’re going to be checking frequently as well, if just to discover more about the changes in her toddler son’s bedroom and also the arrival of a new baby in a few weeks.

8Foot6

Starting in the cellar, the first idea was to turn the space into a media space. The biggest barrier was the reduced 6′-4″ ceiling. Underpinning increased the height to 8′-6″. It took 20 weeks of effort — 5 months for its heavy construction (digging and pouring new foundation) and 15 weeks for the endings.

In a last stroke of imagination, Shannon determined that organic timber vertical slats used as railings along the staircase would make a nice transition to the cellar. The classic Shaker-style chairs below subtly mimic the slats.

8Foot6

Heated concrete floors and lots of white paint help the underground space feel airy and light. Although decorated in a minimalist design, the space, which is employed as a media room (complete with projector and screen) and a playroom, is nowhere near complete. Half the fun of checking to the website is to observe the minor changes continually happening.

8Foot6

Shannon had space in the space for an open-concept laundry and storage room, a little bar area and a walk in shower/wet room. Aren’t you jealous of that amazing storage?!

8Foot6

Shannon and her husband had a designer come in to help with the first furniture choice and art in the remainder of the home. The dining room and living room were her most significant projects. The designer offered her top five choices concerning couch, coffee table, dining room table, dining room chairs, light fixture and sideboard. Some things were love-at-first-sight, but in other cases it took months to find just the ideal piece. Both loved working with a professional designer since she educated them about style, shared all her secrets and was willing to continue going back to the drawing board to capture their preferences perfectly. After the rooms were finished, Shannon was ready to infuse them with her own sensibilities and make them feel staged and more lived in.

8Foot6

The art over the mantel, found in the prior photo, is an oil painting by David Gillanders. The coffee table is just one of Shannon’s treasured pieces. It’s a 1960s first Danish rosewood table by Sven Ellekaer. The barn-board mirror was made by Shannon’s dad while she was in university. The designer wished to replace this mirror with a white-framed one, however, Shannon wisely insisted on maintaining it. The leather slipper chairs in the living room were pieces Shannon instantly knew were right. With those options place, the designer picked the caramel color for the chairs and helped choose the carpet and art to pull the room together.

8Foot6

The dining room chairs were a style option that Shannon and her husband instantly were attracted to. The credenza-like sideboard has also turned into one of Shannon’s favourite furniture pieces in the house.

8Foot6

The sideboard, found here in another perspective of the dining room, is a customized piece that was made from classic printer towels and stained almost black. It has a fairly Asian vibe which works with every thing else in the space. The rocking horse adds a bit of warmth and playfulness to an otherwise serious room.

8Foot6

The magnificent charcoal drawing in the dining room was done by Olexander Wlasenko. Entitled Claudia in Car, it was a work the programmer and Shannon’s husband insisted . Shannon relented ONLY if the artist can create the first quite-small bit big enough to fill the wall. The artist was pleased to oblige. Lesson learned: Don’t hesitate to request modifications.

8Foot6

The kitchen table vignette was selected by the designer and enthusiastically approved by Shannon and her husband. The glass table, S chairs and Mooi light fixture would be the first thing you see when you enter the front door. You also get a peek of Shannon’s brilliant antique Pyrex dish set that is displayed on the shelves behind the table. It not only adds unique fun to the space, it also increases by the month.

8Foot6

The slate counters in the kitchen, found here, complement the white Shaker-front cabinets. Shannon was warned by the architect before installing the patina-prone slate which”If you live with something amazing, you have to anticipate it to take on personality over time.” A vibrant striped carpet is a new addition which adds texture and warmth to the polished concrete floor.

8Foot6

The Asian theme in the foyer was a conscious design choice. The entry table was originally a faded crimson that Shannon painted a glossy black. The silver color of this West Elm chair works well with the present color scheme. Although the designer’s first pick was a ghost seat, Shannon wanted something more considerable against all the white wainscoting and stuck to her guns.

8Foot6

The tiny powder room received a dose of sophisticated glamour with an inexpensive light fixture which was modified to mount closer to the ceiling. The same marble tiles which were utilized on the ground were cut down to make wainscoting. The artful photo completes the restricted composition.

8Foot6

The office is 1 room in the house that is 100% Shannon. The book collection displayed by color arrangement (I do exactly the same thing!) And the milk glass set around the perimeter make the space feel relaxed but not messy.

8Foot6

The desk in the office is from Pottery Barn Kids. It was the sole real desk her husband could discover that fit in the small one-bedroom condo he previously possessed. Shannon attempted a bigger table in the space before downsizing back to the charming option.

8Foot6

The white tallboy dresser is a favourite bit in the room. It had been picked up by Craigslist, and it was just upon bringing it home which Shannon found an awful smell she simply could not get rid of. Painting it white was the only means to find a literal new start with the piece.

8Foot6

Shannon’s latest project has been outdoor landscaping and remodeling. The work has generated several zones: the deck couch, the pathway, the barbecue area and gardens, the pea gravel patio with bonfire bowl and dining , an enclosed railing, and bud for running around and playing . Cedar was selected for the deck, table, arbor, and fencing; there was simply no comparison between it and pressure-treated timber.

8Foot6

Shannon is a master of implementing just the ideal quantity of color to what would otherwise be a bland, monochromatic arrangement. Whenever these white outdoor pillows just weren’t doing it for her, then she cleverly added a triangle theme with potato stamps for a easy and successful DIY project.

8Foot6

The ginormous cedar table and seats were custom built to fit the scale of this space. Situated on pea gravel and flanked by bentwood chairs, the outdoor dining area is rustic, charming and simply begging for a massive al fresco dinner party.

Next: More inspiring home excursions
Making Normal Beautiful for Less
Playful and Tasteful in New York
An Urban Castle in Pasadena

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