Eclectic Interior Design Inspiration Mixing Old and New

I recently stumbled across the interior design work of Francis Merrill. I'm obsessed with her ability to blend different eras of furniture and decor in one unique space. My partner and I just purchased what we hope will be our forever home which means I am in inspiration seeking mode, hunting for treasures to decorate with in our home. The above photo is not like our own living room, except for the white walls and big presence of raw wood, but its energy is one that I am drawn to and feels like home. 

Eclectic interior design is really speaking to me right now, and the space above captures it so perfectly. Here are a few pieces of furniture and decor worth grabbing to transform a dull space into something a little more charming and unique.

This bedroom, via Remodelista, is giving me big inspiration for color and pattern in my dining nook. We have a plate railing near the top of the wall of our nook that divides the wall in a similar way as the yellow in this image. I love the use of color in such a creative way and I think adding a similar shade of yellow to the ceiling and top of the walls in my dining nook will be the perfect pop of visual interest. 

I love the play of yellow and blue in this room. My fine art print "Golden Hills" which originates from one of my original paintings, would look so charming in this space. It ties in the yellows and blues just perfectly. 

Shades of pale, creamy blues are my current fave. I've hated baby blue at various points of life, hungry for a color more angsty to match my mood. But right now, and especially after just saying goodbye to a bustling urban landscape after living in Seattle for 20 years, I am craving cozy calm countryside inspired colors.

A return to something gentle and traditional is something I am feeling energetically in so many people across the US, in good and awful ways. You know, a return to a simpler time is cute when it comes to choosing organic veggies grown locally with no pesticides, sewing yourself an apron to wear in the garden, or using a fireplace instead of an electric radiator. Sure, those are charming and nice. But reverting to older and simpler ways is NOT cute when it comes to people consciously choosing racism, sexism, homophobia, ablism and any turning back of time that opresses specific people groups. Which is basically all of time passed.

I think I've hated baby blue and baby pink, delicate floral patterns and anything that reminds me of traditional Americana days gone by because there is not a fiber in my being that wishes it were living in past decades. There's beauty in the past, the blossoming of new movements that create positive changes for those needing access to freedom and choices. And then there are politics and cultural norms of the past that are quite the opposite. The 1950's sound like a nightmare to me, especially being that I am Autistic, Queer, and genuinely pursuing anti-racism. I'll take the iconic 1950s black leather jackets and I'll leave behind abstinence only sex education, red lining and other gross cultural and political practices that should have ended decades ago for the well being of all. 

I like baby blue currently. I like some old timey traditional aesthetics. But oooh aesthetics have got to be presented in a way that isn't a literal replica of days gone by or the ick will cause every hair on my body to stand on end, telling me, "GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN."

Subversion of style, subversion of message, subversive aesthetic is the path for me. I can revel in the construction and design of a beautiful object made long ago, but I don't seek to worship it or the era in which it was created. Playing with colors and decor in a more contrarian way, pairing unexpected a quirky objects alongside the traditional is the style soup I like to swim in.