The Importance of Being Eclectic

When I start to think about a house to build, I go to my reference guide: McAlister’s Field Guide to American Houses. This book is invaluable for style types, details, and nuances. The examples are given in drawings, pictures, and discussions. There I learned that there was a style qualifier: eclectic. Now, they use as a stricter guideline than I do for La Malcontenta; I use it as way to add other interesting, but harmonious, “things” to the style when the style must allow the use of things that I can get, or things I simply want to use. It allows me, for one reason or another, not to be a purist.

I noticed recently that when I started La Malcontenta, I referred to the style as “Spanish-Eclectic Art Deco” but before I was finished it became “Art Deco Spanish Eclectic”. I started with many “purist” ideas for the house. Unfortunately, as I looked to buy items—many were not available, were very expensive, or I simply didn’t like them; as I thought about making items—I realized that I didn’t have the ability and, or the wherewithal to find or buy the basic materials. I did find some Bespaq Art Deco furniture, some of which I liked and some of which I didn’t.

As I was pondering all of this, a miniaturist friend of mine said: “Art Deco … Spanish ... go for 1930’s Hollywood glitz, and make it whatever you want”. This was the turning point since I could not get all the Art Deco nor Spanish that I wanted—I could not be a purist. So the family and I decided to build and have a good time with it. Anything we liked that wasn’t “pure” became “eclectic”, et voila, we had “style”.

I guess that without actually thinking about it, I always preferred to work this way. It didn’t take me long to start bashing dollhouse kits and to do my own designs and scratch building. I love factual representations and admire and respect all the attention to detail and work that goes into them. I read The Pistner House and anything by Mulvany & Rogers (amongst others) over and over and drool over every authentic detail.

Being eclectic is fun—to me it is great freedom and lots of fresh air. So I no longer worry if, as I build, my design changes, I buy different furniture, change the colors—heck I just add Eclectic to the style name and keep going! And, besides, I build for the little people of 2001, and their homes, like mine (and as in many homes in the past) are a blend of things past and present.