Eclectic Home

A lifestyle blog about eclectic style, beautiful home decor, cleaning & crafting

Genius recycling tips for the home

I’m a religious listener of Podcasts and I’ve just finished season two of Start-Up.  Although the content of the podcast is stellar and the story throughout the season is captivating, it was actually one of the adverts that caught my attention in last week’s episode.  A representative from the Ford Motor Company spoke about their bio-materials team, a group of engineers who are passionate about recycling everyday waste and turning it into car components and accessories.  The team take junk items like old money and cigarette butts, plus waste by-products like wheat straw fibre and and rice hulls and use them to develop renewable materials for their cars. I’m not kidding, they make electric harnesses, storage beans and seat cushions from this every day junk!  Their ultimate goal is to create ... [Read More]

9 ingredients for a Pinterest-worthy outdoor summer party

If you’re planning a party this summer and would like to spend a little bit of time organising something that’s truly “Pinterest-worthy”, you’ve come to the right place for inspiration.  Especially, if, like me, you LOVE planning fun celebrations, bright colours are your thing and you go CRAZY for unique finishing touches! I’ve spent a couple of months planning (read: scouring Pinterest boards and Googling ideas) for my 30th birthday later this month.  I’m only having a small get-together with four members of my family and even though it’s such a small affair, I still want it to be a Pinterest-worthy party with lots of eclectic flair because that’s my style! Pinterest-worthy summer food & drink: 1) Thirst quenching cocktails and mocktails No summer garden party is complete ... [Read More]

BRIGHTEN up your bathroom with a splash of colour this summer

Summer reawakens my love of colour and right now I’m feeling very inspired!  As I sit here typing on this gloriously sunny day, I’m looking out of the patio windows and there’s not a cloud in the vivid blue sky.  I can see bright green trees slowly moving in the breeze, and my beautiful purple and pink blooming flowers in the garden. I think about how much I love this season and I recall visits to the seaside of years gone by! ...All the eye-catching primary colours used on beach balls, wind breakers, buckets and spades. Summer brights: I think about brightly coloured kites soaring in the sky, fun rainbow pinwheels spinning in the wind and imagine sipping on exotic looking cocktails, or bathing in an infinity pool that stretches as far as the eye can see…. Back to reality for a ... [Read More]

Printed cushions that I’m loving right now…

I really love discovering new brands on my internet travels and when something catches my eye I feel compelled to share. Recently, I spotted these cushions at WITHIN, a fab brand that I discovered entirely by accident.  Love it when that happens. I spend an above average amount of time looking at soft furnishings, cushions in particular.  You see, I need some new ones for my living room, I'm planning on buying a small sofa bed for my office to nap on during work hours for guests and my bedroom could do with a couple too, to add a touch of character. (It's a bit bland in there right now...) I also think that changing cushions every other season is a great way to live a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget; especially if you're constantly inspired to try new interior trends ... [Read More]

Martha Stewart Crafts pinwheel kit review

I love pinwheels. They remind me of my childhood and summer holidays; I recall building sandcastles on the beach and sticking pinwheels in the turrets, watching as they blew round and round in the wind. A couple of weeks ago, my lovely mother sent me a really fun gift! A DIY pinwheel kit from the Martha Stewart Crafts “Modern Festive” collection. I was ecstatic. These are a far cry from those garish metallic foil pinwheels of holidays gone by. These are elegant and contemporary in style - they’re actually designed to add a touch of colour to a wedding or other celebration (there are a number of coordinating elements in the “Modern Festive” collection, including tissue paper pom pom kits, coloured tags, paper garlands and more - see below)     So, I settled ... [Read More]

4 modern grey colour schemes for living rooms

Is your living room due a refurb? Is your living room looking tired, old fashioned and outdated?  Do you fancy giving it a spruce up, perhaps a lick of paint and a more modern colour scheme?  If so, have you considered making grey your main focus colour? Why choose a grey colour scheme? Turn to Instagram or Pinterest and you'll see that grey is having a moment.   Banish all ideas that the colour is dull - it's not.  This trend is all about using soft, misty tones and pairing them with one or two complimentary colours for a throughly modern look. Grey is a fantastic base colour that even novice decorators can easily get to grips with, read on: Four throughly modern grey colour schemes for living rooms: Grey colour scheme #1 - modern & bright: Pairing soft shades of ... [Read More]