Putting the electric into eclectic

Years ago when I worked in a furniture store a young woman came into the store and asked if we had any "electric furniture". She said she had been reading some decorating magazines and had read that the electric style was very popular. She meant, of course, eclectic.

My taste is nothing if not eclectic. There are too many beautiful things from so many different cultures that I refuse to limit myself, which has led to a house that looks like a secondhand store. I often think I have become that dotty old lady with all the tacky stuff that I used to roll my eyes at.

I am choosing things for the remodel of the kitchen at the new house and I wonder if I have crossed a taste line, though "tasteful" is not something I particularly aspire to!

Several years ago I bought a ceramic light fixture in Ecuador. We had discovered the Artesa store in Cuenca and loved everything we saw. When I found out it would cost more to ship it than the thing cost, I had them wrap it well and I schlepped it home as one of my carry-ons.

I plan to hang it over the sink in the new kitchen. So from there, I am thinking about the rest of the kitchen. I like the look of terra cotta tile, but the real thing is pretty hard to find around here and it has to be sealed and all. I found this porcelain tile that looks very much like the terra cotta. That rug will be in the adjoining dining room, where the tile will also go.

Another thing I have always wanted in my kitchen is Mexican tile. I am in love with Talavera tile patterns. I found one on the internet that I can order, so I am thinking of putting it on the backsplash. I have been playing around with configurations in Photoshop. Here are some ideas I've come up with:

Note that the brown at the top represents the dark oak cabinets, the green at the bottom represents a Corian countertop.

The tiles make a great secondary pattern when you can put four or more together. Rusty red—yum, yum. One of my favorite colors. But—it's all pretty dark. Here's another try with a light tile:

Nice, but I miss the red.
One row of the Talavera—hmm, interesting. I kind of like the zigzag that makes.

Oh man, I'm so confused! Has this become a jumble of too many patterns? Is it all going to look like a Mexican restaurant? And that Middle Eastern rug—how's that going to work? And I haven't even gotten to my greatgrandmother's antique china cabinet and my mother-in-law's old oak table and my sort of Queen Anne-ish chairs.

Thoughts?