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

  • Westwood House

    Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville NC with distant north views of Mt Spivey and a narrow sloping lot, this wedge-shaped home is a response to site. We took into careful consideration a variety of site-specific inputs including views, sun orientation, prevailing winds, privacy, and natural cooling/heating techniques among others. The result is a functional, energy efficient home with a distinctive exterior shape and warm light filled interior spaces. The home’s dominant shed roof maximizes solar orientation for photovoltaic panels while also allowing for a double-height central atrium to flood the core of the house with natural light and exhaust hot air on hot summer days. The introduction of natural light into the core of the house reduces the need for artificial lighting on cloudy days, while the chimney effect created by opening large operable skylights at the top of the atrium reduces HVAC loads by bringing cool air up from the basement. This central atrium is an example of how a design feature can multitask –it brings natural light deep into the core of the house, it cools the house using the chimney effect, and it provides a place to grow plants which filter interior air. It also allowed us to minimize the street facing windows for privacy while still maintaining a light filled interior. Anchoring the bottom of the atrium are four large arched openings and a Spanish terracotta tile floor. The tile floor is a durable surface good for watering plants and for heavy foot traffic. A keyhole opening marks the boundary between private and public sides of the house while two of the arched openings frame an intimate eating nook and entry foyer with walls covered in locally milled southern yellow pine. The last arch has steps spilling out into a sunken living room and kitchen area with access to a back deck. Locally milled cypress, a naturally rot resistant wood, covers the exterior and anchors the strong geometry of the house to the site. In the end, our desire for functionality created something more than just an energy efficient home. The interior took on an unexpected bohemian feel; one that originated from a desire for light and functionality, but resulted in warm soft interior spaces that were comfortable and welcoming.