Eye-Catching Efficiency: Small Eclectic Home Offices with Colorful Panache

There are plenty of different styles you can choose in a small home office or workspace that bring order and create a relaxing backdrop. Some feel sophisticated and minimal and others are classic and full of textural charm. But few have the sheer ‘energy’ and vivacious brilliance of eclectic style at its balanced best. The challenge with a style like eclectic is undoubtedly in achieving the right balance between what feels dramatic and what is just garish and ungainly. It is a hard balance to achieve at the best of times and one that can only be perfected by trying out different combinations over time. Yet, the small eclectic home office is still worth all the effort!

Classic Russian design influences and art make a big impact in this small Barcelona home workspace [From: Bloom Papers]












Many homeowners tend to hesitate an overload of colors in the small home office and rightly so. Eclectic style in small spaces is risky to an extent and you will have to ensure that there is a visual balance between the varied elements. And it is this balance along with some fabulous, flamboyant ideas that we wish to share with you today. These are inspirations that will help you in shaping your own unique eclectic home workspace in limited area –

Space-Savvy Design

Even in the small eclectic home office you want a design that is still space-savvy and allows you to make the most of the very limited square footage that is on offer. A balance between the modern and the classic is also easy to achieve in here because you have more ‘decorating room’ to work with. Bright splashes of color feel organic in here and with a small desk and chair, even the most unassuming of corners can be turned into a dashing workspace. With the eclectic style, you also have a larger variety of desks and chairs to choose from making the whole task a lot easier.

Bringing classic Victorian and farmhouse touches to the tiny eclectic home workspace with a dash of pink [From: Saxony Design Build]
Eclectic home workspace in the corner with small freestanding desk and textured walls
Small eclectic workspace under the staircase crafted using a simple wooden desk [From: Grafede Architecture]
Wooden shelves and desk in the tiny eclectic home office offer smart functionality
Bookshelves around the desk in the dark bluish-gray eclectic home office make an impact [From: Juliet Murphy Photography]

Right Splash of Color

Eclectic style and bright colors are almost inseparable! It is these beautiful colors that give the styles its unique energy and make it so charismatic. A bit of bold yellow on the wall, some red in the corner, blue accents and an indoor plan to round it all off – there is space for pretty much every hue in here. Still, for those just dipping their feet in the style, we suggest using no more than three or four colors in the tiny home office. Once you get a hang of things, it is easy to add more color by bringing new accessories and furniture pieces. Take a layered approach to decorating in here and start with just a couple of bright hues.

Brilliant array of colors define this gorgeous eclectic workspace in the corner
Exquisite blue home office with modern eclectic style and just a dash of yellow [From: Lucy Interior Design]
Gorgeous eclectic home office with grayish-blue walls, wall-mounted photographs and clipboards [From: Isabelle McAllister]
Green, pattern-filled wallpaper gives this eclectic powder room tropical freshness [From: Apartment 46 for the Home]

Lighting and Ambient Conditions

We have always warned our readers about the perils of bad lighting and in the small home office it is all too apparent that you cannot get away with any sense of dullness. Ambient lighting coupled with the right focused lights are a must in here. If the small home workspace sits next to a large window, then even better! With a style like eclectic and an overdose of color in such a small space, you need an even layer illumination to make things work. Mix a bit of modern with eclectic in here if you feel that other styles are far too overpowering in this tiny zone.

Modern eclectic home office with a white and yellow backdrop that steals the show [From: All & Nxthing]
Pattern-filled drapes and ottoman add color to this small home office in neutral hues [From: The McMullin Design Group]
Gold brings a dash of opulence to this smart bedroom workspace that uses Victorian touches [From: FIFTYEIGHT Interiors]
Lighting makes a big impact in the small eclectic home office [From: Maria Cristina Binello]

You’re reading Eye-Catching Efficiency: Small Eclectic Home Offices with Colorful Panache, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Similar Posts

  • 15 Easy Last-Minute Thanksgiving Ideas and Decorations

    Thanksgiving is the perfect way to welcome the Holiday Season in a grand fashion and it is a great time to bring friends and family together. Of course, not all of us have weeks and weeks to prepare for the big day. Some of us are far too busy with our own lives and just […]

    You’re reading 15 Easy Last-Minute Thanksgiving Ideas and Decorations, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

  • Affordable Zero-Energy Passive Home in New York Relies on Green Design

    There is a popular misconception among homeowners that green technology is all about cutting-edge gadgets, devices that feel like they are from tomorrow and costs that leave a bit of a hole in your pocket. The same goes with the idea of fabulous green homes which often tend to rely on technology that is anything […]

    You’re reading Affordable Zero-Energy Passive Home in New York Relies on Green Design, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

  • Dark Basement Units Turned into Ultra-Tiny, Space-Savvy Apartments

    We love the idea of turning unused and forgotten spaces into inhabitable interiors where modernity is cleverly intertwined with functionality. This is just what we get as we step into the two delightful and light-filled basement apartments in Madrid designed by MINIMO. The M02 project sees the twin basement units being turned into elegant modern […]

    You’re reading Dark Basement Units Turned into Ultra-Tiny, Space-Savvy Apartments, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

  • Waverley Residence

    Designed for a young couple, the 5,000 sf home and 1,700 sf back house sit on a flat 21,000 sf lot in a 1920’s Palo Alto neighborhood (a few blocks away from Steve Jobs’ residence). The architecture is a study in strong simple composition and is museum-like with its highly refined materiality and emphasis on craft. The massing defines solid and void, captures natural light, and connects the indoors with the landscape, seeking to ‘experience the outdoors from within.’ The ground floor volumes wrapped in an elongated hand-fired brick from Denmark, emphasizing the horizontality of the architecture that lays solidly on the land. Bronze-trimmed ceiling planes slide between the brick masses, and floor-to-ceiling glazed openings are captured by thin-profiled bronze frames. In contrast to the grounded brick volumes, the second floor is clad in stainless steel panels and oversized aluminum-framed windows. The lightness and openness of the second floor is nestled among the oak-tree canopies of the site. At the basement level, a wine cellar and tasting room open to a sunken landscaped courtyard. A 30ft by 10ft continuous pane of glass runs alongside the grand stairwell of floating stone steps, connecting the three levels of the house. Due to the unprecedented size of this glass in residential design, it was custom manufactured in Germany and shipped to California. This dramatic moment in the sequence of progressing through the house helps visitors feel connected to the lush landscape outside. Inside the house, materials such as a custom leather door and bronze anodized details were selected for their unique craftsman-style quality. Another custom-designed element is the steel mesh screen that wraps around to enclose the kitchen for privacy, separating this from the more public “guest hosting” areas adjacent. The steel screen slides along a track embedded into the teak slatted ceiling and disappears into the pantry when retracted. A freestanding structure set deep back into the site is a zen-like fitness/yoga studio as well as a guesthouse with a kitchenette. This dramatic stone mass opens up completely in the center to give the impression of exercising outdoors. The landscape integrates California native plant species, grasses and trees to compliment the materiality of the architecture.