I found the charming home of Tif Fussell (aka Dottie Angel) today and my knees went weak. Tif is a British expat living in Seattle who expertly combines vintage finds with mid century modern and IKEA pieces. The Rearranged Design blog wrote a lovely interview and home tour with Tif that you simply must check out. I thought she lived in Europe as her aesthetic is very northern European, I love all of the handmade things she makes and her eclectic assortment of Orla Kiely wallpapers. Her style is so easy breezy, it looks very cozy and uncomplicated and quite crafty, which I’m forever a fan of.

Eclectic decor is so inspiring to me because there are no preset rules which makes getting it right quite a challenge if you want this look but may not naturally know how to attain it. It’s very organic and emotionally driven, it’s often hard for some to duplicate it in their own interiors because of this reason. Often we want the decor-in-box solution and for this style, it doesn’t really work that way as it takes time and emotion, along with a hefty dose of creativity, to successful pull it off as beautifully as Tif has. The inspiration has to come from a creative soul, from within, and this emotional way to decorate is one that I absolutely love because its quite touch-y feel-y.

My heart feels the most comfortable and at home in the organically designed space — the home that took awhile to pull together as all of the pieces were collected over time and brought together to make one harmonious composition of texture, pattern and color. It is so personal and welcoming, but also very revealing about those living in the space. Their inner world isn’t hidden, it’s clearly visiable in every part of the home. Lovely!

Looking at these photos makes me think about how popular that this style of decor has become in recent years here in America and how fun it would be to actually find a school (or create one) where all these passionate amazing people come together to teach about decorating from the soul… I certainly think there is a market for it, so many are trying to infuse their home with more personality and joie de vive. Not a traditional design course but one a bit off the cuff — a class that shows students how to style, create by hand, reuse things from the street, how to shop a good flea market. Ah, that would be fun — maybe someday I’ll start one and gather some lovely teachers alongside to help me. Wouldn’t that be a fun course? Perhaps everyone could meet us in a farmhouse in the countryside, waking to freshly prepared pancakes and tea, spending the weekend talking about decorating and design. A girl can dream…

If you’d like to learn more about the 3,000 square foot Seattle home of Tif Fussell then you’ll need to visit the Rearranged Design blog for a full home tour and a lovely interview. Ah, Tif you have inspired me soooo much today. Enjoy!

(images from tif fussel)