Beautify Your Home With Things You May Already Own
Get ideas for creating vignettes, arranging collections and more in the new book ‘Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home’
Erin Carlyle
November 15, 2016
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes to remodel. Former Forbes real estate reporter. Fascinated by cool homes, watching the bottom line.
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes... More
There’s something delightful about stepping into a home and seeing clues about the person who lives in it. Perhaps the colors used are the same as those the owner chooses to wear. A center-stage photo gallery may reflect a love of family, travel and history.
A new book by the editors of Domino magazine aims to help readers identify their individual decorating style, then infuse their home with it. With chapters on seating, walls, art, flooring and more, Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home ($35) suggests decor and styling tips for both major and minor features of the home. This lightly edited excerpt focuses on decking out shelves and other surfaces with items you may already have on hand.
A new book by the editors of Domino magazine aims to help readers identify their individual decorating style, then infuse their home with it. With chapters on seating, walls, art, flooring and more, Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home ($35) suggests decor and styling tips for both major and minor features of the home. This lightly edited excerpt focuses on decking out shelves and other surfaces with items you may already have on hand.
Simon & Schuster
Photo by Joy Sohn
Shop Your Home for 10 Shelf + Vignette Staples
1. Books. Books are representations of our passions and our histories, and give others glimpses into our interests. That being said, some books are better for display than others: Relegate your self-help guides to a private spot. Peek under a book jacket and you just might find a gem underneath — something textured and rustic and altogether better than that shiny paper cover.
2. Sculptural objects. Large vases, pitchers and bowls fill up space and have presence from afar. Fill with small stuff to give it visual oomph: Fill a glass ice bucket with wine corks, a bowl with vintage photos or a jar with river rocks.
3. Art. Pieces can be framed, unframed, a child’s creation or something found. Whatever it is, it should be loved.
4. Clear items. Acrylic boxes and glass bowls are great for layering without blocking what’s behind them.
5. The good stuff. Why relegate all that pretty cut crystal, porcelain and family silver to the back of the cabinet? Take it out so you can truly appreciate it — you’ll be amazed by how sleek these pieces look next to modern items.
6. Vacation mementos. A stunning postcard or piece of driftwood from the shore will make you happy every time you see it.
7. Trays. A must for uniting random objects
8. Collections. Don’t think you have one? Three like items make a collection, so look around and see what you find.
9. Reflective elements. Seek out items that catch light, like a mirrored box, a gilded frame or a silver bowl.
10. Fresh greens. Nothing brings an arrangement more to life than … life. Air plants and succulents are hardy choices that require minimal care.
Shop Your Home for 10 Shelf + Vignette Staples
1. Books. Books are representations of our passions and our histories, and give others glimpses into our interests. That being said, some books are better for display than others: Relegate your self-help guides to a private spot. Peek under a book jacket and you just might find a gem underneath — something textured and rustic and altogether better than that shiny paper cover.
2. Sculptural objects. Large vases, pitchers and bowls fill up space and have presence from afar. Fill with small stuff to give it visual oomph: Fill a glass ice bucket with wine corks, a bowl with vintage photos or a jar with river rocks.
3. Art. Pieces can be framed, unframed, a child’s creation or something found. Whatever it is, it should be loved.
4. Clear items. Acrylic boxes and glass bowls are great for layering without blocking what’s behind them.
5. The good stuff. Why relegate all that pretty cut crystal, porcelain and family silver to the back of the cabinet? Take it out so you can truly appreciate it — you’ll be amazed by how sleek these pieces look next to modern items.
6. Vacation mementos. A stunning postcard or piece of driftwood from the shore will make you happy every time you see it.
7. Trays. A must for uniting random objects
8. Collections. Don’t think you have one? Three like items make a collection, so look around and see what you find.
9. Reflective elements. Seek out items that catch light, like a mirrored box, a gilded frame or a silver bowl.
10. Fresh greens. Nothing brings an arrangement more to life than … life. Air plants and succulents are hardy choices that require minimal care.
Simon & Schuster
Photo from Domino
Four Prime Places for a Vignette
1. Bar cart
Edit down your bottles to the spirits you’ll most likely serve — and to the prettiest. Pour anything with questionable packaging into decanters — they make everything special. Always include something unexpected: a cactus, sculpture, stacks of cool books. The best trick for making a bar cart feel stylish: treating the wall behind it. Black paint gives the cart pictured here a moody quality. A leaned piece of art ties to the image on the wall so the cart feels like an intentional part of the decor.
Four Prime Places for a Vignette
1. Bar cart
Edit down your bottles to the spirits you’ll most likely serve — and to the prettiest. Pour anything with questionable packaging into decanters — they make everything special. Always include something unexpected: a cactus, sculpture, stacks of cool books. The best trick for making a bar cart feel stylish: treating the wall behind it. Black paint gives the cart pictured here a moody quality. A leaned piece of art ties to the image on the wall so the cart feels like an intentional part of the decor.
Simon & Schuster
Photo from Domino
2. Mantel
Balance the heft of a fireplace with a large piece of art, then use their colors to dictate the rest of the scheme. Here, black and white reign, but a bright yellow vase filled with confectionary-pink flowers lightens the mood and ties to the stack of colorful books. Aim for a mix of heights to keep the eye moving; a stack of books is a nice element to balance. Two leaning mirrors loosen up the scheme while reflecting the ceiling to foster the illusion of height. Filling a nonworking or out-of-season fireplace with a plant gives the space life.
2. Mantel
Balance the heft of a fireplace with a large piece of art, then use their colors to dictate the rest of the scheme. Here, black and white reign, but a bright yellow vase filled with confectionary-pink flowers lightens the mood and ties to the stack of colorful books. Aim for a mix of heights to keep the eye moving; a stack of books is a nice element to balance. Two leaning mirrors loosen up the scheme while reflecting the ceiling to foster the illusion of height. Filling a nonworking or out-of-season fireplace with a plant gives the space life.
Simon & Schuster
Photo by Wing Ta/Kate Arends
3. Dresser
Think layers here. Echo the shape of the dresser with art and work forward, leaning a smaller piece in front and adding elements of various sizes, shapes and colors. In a bedroom, a subdued color palette is soothing, and personal touches, like a pretty dish for favorite jewelry or a painting done by a friend, make sense. A mix of textures (shiny, matte, rough, smooth) and heights (high, low) creates an intriguing landscape.
When you’re happy with your vignette, take a photo of it. This way if you move stuff around for dusting (or a curious kid plays around with your perfect positioning), you can easily re-create the look.
3. Dresser
Think layers here. Echo the shape of the dresser with art and work forward, leaning a smaller piece in front and adding elements of various sizes, shapes and colors. In a bedroom, a subdued color palette is soothing, and personal touches, like a pretty dish for favorite jewelry or a painting done by a friend, make sense. A mix of textures (shiny, matte, rough, smooth) and heights (high, low) creates an intriguing landscape.
When you’re happy with your vignette, take a photo of it. This way if you move stuff around for dusting (or a curious kid plays around with your perfect positioning), you can easily re-create the look.
Simon & Schuster
Photo by Laure Joliet/Elise Joseph
4. Coffee Table
The best view is from above, so style accordingly. For a geometric take, choose items that mimic the shape of the table — boxes, books and matchboxes fill a square table and take on the effect of a gallery wall. Stacks are good — they give depth to a large horizontal plane. Include a plant or flowers for color. And don’t forget a beautiful box to hide not-so-beautiful remote controls.
4. Coffee Table
The best view is from above, so style accordingly. For a geometric take, choose items that mimic the shape of the table — boxes, books and matchboxes fill a square table and take on the effect of a gallery wall. Stacks are good — they give depth to a large horizontal plane. Include a plant or flowers for color. And don’t forget a beautiful box to hide not-so-beautiful remote controls.
Simon & Schuster
Photo by Michael Wiltbank
Style Skills: Use Shelves to …
Turn plants into wall art. A mini perch for plants elevates greenery to art status. Set pots at different heights for a cute vertical garden.
Style Skills: Use Shelves to …
Turn plants into wall art. A mini perch for plants elevates greenery to art status. Set pots at different heights for a cute vertical garden.
Simon & Schuster
Photo by Michael Wiltbank
Serve up martinis. The convenience of a built-in shelf makes a spirited spot for nightcap necessities.
Learn more about this book
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Personal Style: 50 Clever Real-Life Kitchen Design Details
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Serve up martinis. The convenience of a built-in shelf makes a spirited spot for nightcap necessities.
Learn more about this book
More Style Guides on Houzz
So Your Style Is …
Personal Style: 50 Clever Real-Life Kitchen Design Details
Personal Style: 50 Bath Designs From Creative Owners and Renters
10 Porches With Personal Style
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Started with bears----everyone gave me bears. I like cute, not "cutesy" things. Got both. Did elephants many years ago. Got elephants. Bells, same. Switched to bunnies. Received bunnies. Most I have really liked. Won't buy any more for myself unless they "speak" to me. Bunnies everywhere, inside house and out. Master closet has half of them on shelves. Enough. :-)
Maybe communication is our problem here, if we explain to friends and relatives the meaning and purpose of collections they will understand you are not collecting that item but the memories they stir up so hopefully they will understand that adding more frogs, bears, whatever is meaningless to the purpose of your collection....................... maybe.
My collections are limited to what I am prepared to move and dust every week. I just can't help being a Capricorn.
There is wisdom here. I'm digitally cataloging my collections with the CatalogIt app but have been looking for a ways to display collections physically and tastefully without taking up a lot of space-- thanks for the inspiration and thoughtful point-of-view.