A home that’s cozy yet curated is an art form in itself and what more beautiful way than mixing modern and vintage wall art for an eclectic decor style. When mixing these opposing aesthetics together, they can create depth, character and timeless quality to your space. But, it’s a matter of finding the right balance and that takes careful planning. In this guide you are going to learn how to use your historical native skills, and put them into a lesson that is more modern but still vintage wall art.

1. Know What Eclectic Decor Is All About

In simple terms eclectic decor means to marry different styles, colours and textures to achieve a style that is not overly cohesive. Chaos is not what this is all about, it’s about intentional design that embraces the contrasts. This philosophy of mixing modern with vintage wall art reveals the best of both worlds.

2. Start with a Focal Point

If possible, select one piece of modern wall art and one piece of wall art for a more vintage feel. Make one of them your focal point. That could be a large modern, bold modern painting, or a classic vintage print. Once you’ve settled on your main centerpiece, build out your gallery from that piece with complimentary ones.

While you can use any focal piece, when it’s vibrant abstract painting, complete the composition with vintage botanical illustrations or antique sketches.

3. Play with Color Palettes

Modern and vintage styles are united by the important role of color. Try to find pieces that carry a similar color palette or instead use complementary tones. For example:

Then combine a muted or earthy tone vintage art with a modern equally bold design using the same kind of shades.

It ties different parts together via gold accents or black frames, or, and most often, a unifying color.

A cohesive color scheme will make things feel unified and still intentional.

4. Choose the Right Frames

Your eclectic wall art arrangement can be made or destroyed by the frames you choose. Try to blend in modern minimalist frames with quite ornate vintage frames. For example:

A modern picture would look great with a gilded frame, a vintage portrait with a sleek black on a modern piece can contrast so beautifully.

There are wooden frames with a distressed finish that works as a bridge between the two styles.

Otherwise, you can unify the collection utilizing the same frame style for every piece, allowing the art to become the contrast.

5. Experiment with Layouts

How the wall art lays out in your space can certainly help with the eclectic feel. A few ideas include:

Gallery Walls: And add modern and vintage pieces together in a cohesive layout. It’s also good to use a variety of sized and shaped blocks, some of which are lacking or kinked, in order to keep things interesting visually.

Layering: Thin art to lean on walls or layer smaller pieces in back of larger ones on a shelf or above a mantel. That makes for a relaxed, curated look.

Symmetry vs. Asymmetry: Diverse styles are made order by symmetrical arrangements, while asymmetrical layouts are creative and yet dynamic.

6. Mix Themes and Styles

So don’t be afraid to mix different themes. For instance:

Geometric print meets vintage map: the intersection is fascinating.

One of the works is a bold, contemporary typographic poster and the other is an antique oil painting.

Eclectic style features mixing themes and the decor is always full of surprises.

7. Add Texture and Depth

Mix things up a bit and add dimension with pieces of different textures. For example:

Sleek, modern canvas prints or vintage tapestries or fabric art.

Modern digital art work with a vintage oil painting.

Mixing textures makes for a rich, textured layered experience that bolsters the eclectic look of a space.

8. Embrace Negative Space

Negative space is on your side when working with modern and vintage art combined. This keeps the display from feeling cluttered, but leaving some space around the arrangement of your ornaments. Each piece shines, because of this breathing room, and there is a balance.

9. Add Other Design Elements

For an ecletic vibe, add in other decor elements in your wall display. Break up the artwork with floating shelves with books, sculptures or plants. Also, these elements can be used to fill the gap between modern styles and vintage ones.

10. Trust Your Instincts

When we talk about eclectic decor, it's a very personal thing so just trust your instincts. Select materials that trigger something in you and speaking about your personality. How beautiful is it to be able to mix modern and vintage wall art, as long as it feels genuine for you, there’s no right and wrong way to do it.

Final Thoughts

A smart way to add character to your home is to mix modern art  as well as beautiful canvas  art prints . With some careful syntheses of styles, themes, and textures you can craft a space that feels collected and complete with stories. Within these walls, you can go bold and contrast an abstract for a classic oil or sleek photograph next to an ornate antique print.

Let your walls speak of past and present living in blissful harmony.

Do you need tips on buying vintage art or perhaps are you interested in a few layout ideas?