Ignacio, Alejandro and their dog Fermin have been living in this rental apartment for six years. Over that time they’ve fallen in love with different styles and pieces, which has come to define their eclectic mix of decor.

As an interior designer Ignacio is very adamant that every one of us is a mix of styles and backgrounds, and sticking to only one style can make your home feel inauthentic. “What other interests do you have that you are hiding? Don’t be afraid to turn your house into a place that really shows who you are.”

As for keeping eclecticism under control, Ignacio developed two rules. The first is that every straight line must meet an organic one, allowing the eye — and flow — to move around the space.

The second one is to repeat elements, “Otherwise I feel that they’re lost in space. But it doesn’t mean having two of everything; repetition comes in many ways. It can be two things of the same color, style or material. For example, I used the red from the scarf to paint the accent wall, and the rustic dining table has a cousin in the entryway.” This rule helps tie things together for a more cohesive look.

Our Style: It’s eclectic. And it’s also both inspirational and aspirational — it features things that make me feel good and inspire me every day, and others that point towards what I want to become.

Inspiration: I’m always drawn to nature, especially when I’m envisioning color palettes. Travelling is another source of inspiration, I love scouring Paris’ flea markets.

Favorite Element: The Eiffel tower on my nightstand; it was a souvenir from our first trip to Paris. It’s sort of cheesy but I adore the city and it reminds me of how I felt the first time I visited.

Biggest Challenge: The budget. Being inspired by things I see abroad can become really expensive! Sorting that out and finding cheaper alternatives requires an extra amount of dedication, but it adds to the fun of decorating. At least to me.

What Friends Say: The first thing they say is “Oh wow, that’s a lot of things.” Our maximalism overwhelms them a little, but then they start looking at each thing, asking questions and we enjoy telling the story of every item.

Biggest Embarrassment: Our bathroom and kitchen. One of the downsides of living in a rental is that we can’t do major renovations — the kitchen has a ’70s tile that’s hard to work with!

Proudest DIY: It’s the coffee table. I loved its style but it was in awful shape — including wood bugs and a missing table top — so I took the time to restore and paint it. Later I found a tulip table with a portoro marble top that was the exact size, so I bought it and finally completed my project.

Biggest Indulgence: It’s the Hill House chair by Mackintosh. It was one of the first pieces we bought for the house (back when we were very into modernism) and it surely was a splurge, but there against the red wall it looks like a sculpture.

Best Advice: Don’t be generic, create a home where YOU feel comfortable with pieces that make you happy. Also, avoid cheap finishes and you will have items to love forever.

Dream Sources: You can guess it by now, it’s the flea markets from Paris —or any other European city; I won’t be too picky about that.

ENTRY
Console — Flea market find
Candle holders — Wedgwood
Ceramic rabbit — Monina

LIVING ROOM
Black coffee table — Flea market find, DIY restored
Rustic coffee table — Magucha Deco
Accent chairs — Newton
Merman sculptures — Flea market find

DINING ROOM
Chairs and dining table — MercadoLibre
Floor lamp — Vintage find
Portrait — A souvenir from Montmartre
Ceramic candle holders — Angeles Castro Corbat
Vase — Falabella

HALLWAY
Vase — Carolina Iotti
Art — Alexandra Kehayoglou / Juan Hoff / DIYed

BEDROOM
Candle holder — Carolina Iotti
Screen print — Jaime Bendersky

BALCONY
Table — Morph
Chairs — DWR

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