ec.lec.tic

Eclectic style: this is often used to describe rooms that are a bit of a mish-mash of styles. But exactly what is it meant to be, to have "eclectic design style"? 

Webster's dictionary defines eclectic as deriving ideas, style or taste from a broad range of sources.  It is basically a very 'collected' look, many layers, with pieces from varying points in time.  It is an accumulation of items that cannot be easily fit into any one design period; it is neither truly contemporary nor traditional, but rather a blend of all of it.

These photos of Soho House hotel in New York are a quintessential example of an eclectic approach to decorating: carved antique European beds, mid-century modern sofa seating, and dramatic velvet drapery in the aqua color that is very "of the moment" in 2010.

If you are looking to create a look that has your "fingerprints" all over it, eclectic style is probably where you are trying to fit.  Nothing "doesn't go", it's layers are developed over time and utilize pieces that are thoughtfully chosen but not because they match - more because they don't, which makes them all the more interesting and noticeable.  This is a style you can truly have fun with, because the rule is that there are NO rules.