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7 Areas to Accessorize With Style
Here's how to make your table, entry, mantel, bedroom and kitchen shine
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder of Design in a Bag.com and Houzz contributor. I'm a self-professed tile nut and believer in good design for all! You can also visit me at: http://kitchenlabdesign.com and http://designinabag.com
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder... More »
For most of us decoristas, magazines and blogs and the gorgeous spreads of perfectly styled homes therein are what inspire us and make us drool ... and often make us feel inferior at the same time. The spreads of perfectly imperfect spaces, rooms that feel finished, lived-in and loved, rooms that are accessorized with perfection. Not a blank wall or tabletop to be seen. How do they do it?
Well, first off, most the rooms in professionally photographed spreads have also been professionally styled by very talented individuals. That said, there are a few tips that homeowners can take away from analyzing these images to make their homes fabulous as well.
The main rule: experiment!
Don't be afraid to try and fail and try again. Move things around, buy items (more than you think you need) and then return what you don't love or use. Buying accessories is one of the first and hardest parts of accessorizing a home. We know when we need a sofa or side table, but when faced with a decorative vase, dish, bookend, whatever, we ask ourselves "do I need it?" or "where would I put it?" If you do have the space and money for a great new find, abandon these thoughts and give yourself permission to have fun. Your home will have personality, a sense of humor, and most of all, a sense of being finished over time.
Well, first off, most the rooms in professionally photographed spreads have also been professionally styled by very talented individuals. That said, there are a few tips that homeowners can take away from analyzing these images to make their homes fabulous as well.
The main rule: experiment!
Don't be afraid to try and fail and try again. Move things around, buy items (more than you think you need) and then return what you don't love or use. Buying accessories is one of the first and hardest parts of accessorizing a home. We know when we need a sofa or side table, but when faced with a decorative vase, dish, bookend, whatever, we ask ourselves "do I need it?" or "where would I put it?" If you do have the space and money for a great new find, abandon these thoughts and give yourself permission to have fun. Your home will have personality, a sense of humor, and most of all, a sense of being finished over time.
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| 1. Coffee tables. I'll start with one of the toughest acts to follow. Accessorizing does not come naturally to me. When I see something like this I think, "how did them come up with this?!" Upon further thought, I look at this tablescape more like a composed painting. You have different textures, scale, color, shape — play around with these things until the arrangement pleases your eye. |
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by betsy burnham
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| Coffee tables are tough because they're functional; you don't want to fill the whole table top so you can't put down a cup of coffee. But you want it to look elegant and composed without it seeming like you fussed too much with it. I liken this to dressing up for a party: I want to look fabulous, I just don't want to look like I tried to look fabulous. See the way the objects are paired into little conversations in random locations on the table? One section is looks more scattered while the other side is stacked and structural. Effortless and elegant, and put together just enough. |
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by Cristi Holcombe
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| For the basics, think in odd numbers. Three objects always look better than 2 or 4. Our minds want to make patterns and too often we fall prey to organized things in a line or symmetrically. That's the death of an interesting tablescape. Here, it's all about scale (low basket and tall finial) and monochromatic color. |
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| 2. Consoles, credenzas and side tables often have their own language. Symmetry can definitely work here, but it's not required. Have fun with collections of objects, or frame a wall sculpture, mirror or painting with matching table lamps. I love the color in this particular arrangement. The tiny bit of bright pink, yellow and orange next to the mostly brass and faded pink palette really makes this work. |
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For a more masculine and structured look, play with shape and scale, but keep things neatly arranged. The oversized lamp, stacked books and smaller objects in between create a classic arrangement, but it's the small, rectangular wall piece under the mirror that makes this more interesting. Don't just stick a mirror on the wall and a lamp on the table with a few books and think you're done. If your accessories and arrangements look stale, your house will feel stale.
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3. Entryways and foyers can suffer from being forgotten and ignored — especially when we use side and back doors more often than our front entrances.
Make your foyer into a little gallery of curiosities. While many of us may not use our front doors as much these days, we still walk through them to get upstairs, so make this space an experience rather than an afterthought.
Make your foyer into a little gallery of curiosities. While many of us may not use our front doors as much these days, we still walk through them to get upstairs, so make this space an experience rather than an afterthought.
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Foyers don't have to be formal or fussy. This table almost looks like a small kitchen island stacked with herbs. I love the simplicity of this classic arrangement of a lamp, painting, smaller objects of different scales and the nice complementary colors.
| 4. Dining room tables are another tough act. They are long and full of lots of surface area to cover. Don't feel like you have to have a huge arrangement of fresh flowers every day. A few glass jars, cloches, or even empty vases with one filled with a few stalks of fresh or dried greenery will do the trick. Remember to vary texture, scale and shape. |
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Have fun and don't feel like everything has to match. Mixing glass with metal works as well as going the all-glass route.
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5. Mantels. Avoid the temptation to center one large picture or one large mirror smack dab in the center. Layer mirrors or pictures and you can manipulate a stack of books to just the right height to balance out an adjacent object.
by Fiorella Design
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6. Kitchens can be tough because they're so function-focused and anything unnecessary can end up looking like clutter. I love these topiaries; they're almost cartoon-like in their anthropomorphic feel, with different heights and haircuts. I've seen rosemary topiary plants as well, and those add a wonderful smell to the kitchen. Potted herbs, a single bud vase, and other things of a simpler nature work in kitchens.
7. Bedrooms. While I like my accessories to have a sense of humor and haphazardness in a public space like a living room or family room, I like bedroom accessories to create a sense of calm. This room makes me just want to crawl into bed. It's serene and sparse, without being boring. I love the little mirror on the wall and the almost miniature looking stack of books. The space around each piece is what gives them their sense of calm.
More: Coffee Tables Done Right
Decorate With the Things You Love
Tray Chic: Turn an Everyday Item Into Décor
More: Coffee Tables Done Right
Decorate With the Things You Love
Tray Chic: Turn an Everyday Item Into Décor
Ideabook published on Jan. 3, 2012.
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Likewise, I have two large hurricane lamps with colored ball candles in them on my square dining table. However, I place them on the diagonal so, again, the eye isn't traveling in a straight line.
Also, it looks good, but I would never put a vase with water in it on my bedside table. I would knock it over reaching for the bedside light in no time at all!
For the photos below, visit http://www.printedart.com/content/ice-goddess and http://www.printedart.com/content/guatemala-wall-5
To me, the best decorating involves objects that are appropriately functional *and* beautiful: a gorgeous bowl with washed, ready-to-eat fruit or nuts on the dining table. A pretty runner that protects the table from hot dishes. Great coasters and books on the coffee table. An exquisite tray or way to hold keys as one walks in the door.
Staging is one thing, and I think of these more as staging ideas. Living is entirely different.
(p.s. I do appreciate the tips, which are mostly as applicable to usable objects as decorative one)