ECLECTIC

  The eclectic style is highly personalized. Often a mix of mid-century modern, traditional and flea market finds, this style takes on the modern sensibility through its individualization. The seemingly unrelated furnishings come together through similar colors, shapes and textures. An eclectic room is more telling of its creator than other kinds of decor. Compiling diverse furnishings, fabrics, finishes, and objects from any number of periods and countries, it's possible to arrange a totally unique scene.

  Not bound by any rules, you're free to include whatever you like. Of course, in order to be successful, you'll want to keep all the principles concerning form, scale, composition, and proportion in mind. But, the more original, the better.

  Beware though, of a messy overload. In a living room or a great room, eliminating wallpaper and decorative finishes for a neutral palette is the safest route.

  An eclectic-style room can incorporate the disparate possessions you've inherited as well as those vintage pieces you've collected. Assigning furnishings new roles is a way to include pieces you like in a small space. A chest of drawers, for instance, might double as a sideboard in a teeny dining room; a blanket chest or a pair of leather suitcases -- one on top of the other -- could fill in as a coffee table; a bedside table makes a nifty desk when you pull up a chair.