Accessories add the final touches to your room to make it look complete but most importantly, welcoming. Through my experience in the design world, I have found that a majority of my clients don’t know exactly how to accessorize like a pro. Accessories are a significant step that shouldn’t be skipped or done without thought and planning. Accessories can make or break the room; it can make the room look unimpressive or cluttered. Let’s go over the basics on how to avoid this mistake.
SCALE:
Smaller accessories get lost easily. Using small accessories can clutter the aesthetics leaving the arrangement feeling meaningless and chinchy. It helps to use larger pieces but less of them. Meaning, buy less and buy bigger. We often use parts that are smaller in scale because it is more comfortable for us. We worry “will this be too big and bold?” Let me answer that question for you, NO! The accessories are going to look and feel better when they are larger and have a personality. If you do have a collection of small pieces that you want to place together, be sure to use bases and set them at staggering heights so that they make a meaningful impact and don’t get lost in the mix. Also, be sure to incorporate varying heights. When choosing the size of your accessories keep your room and the overall balance in mind. You don’t want to add a tall centerpiece to your coffee table that will block the view of the TV, nor do you want to add a piece that is not going to compliment the size of the table well. If you find an accessory you can’t live without, but the height isn’t quite where it needs to be, add a base or a stack of books to make the piece taller.
QUANTITY:
If you take nothing else away from this subtopic, hilite, underline, and bold these words “ODD NUMBERS.” You need to group together a minimum of 3 objects in order to create a pattern in your mind. It also allows our eye to move around which keeps the decor more aesthetically pleasing. Vignettes and clusters look better and are visually interesting when you use 3 pieces of decor verses 2. It’s not very often that I will advise you to buy matching items, very rarely is it necessary. It indeed creates a more professional look and allows for balance that isn’t matchy-matchy. While there are exceptions to all rules, this is a great tip to keep in mind while you’re styling or shopping for your room. Say it with me, “3, 5, 7, 9”.
BASE:
Adding a base to accessories can help elevate the decor letting that piece become more distinct in nature. I like for my bases to be less noticeable in many cases; you don’t have to intend for it to be noticeable. Finding solid color bases or even an acrylic or glass material is easy. Something I often use as a base is a stack of books. I am quite obsessed with designer books and love using them all over the house. They are my go to when I need to create height and add visual value to the piece. To use books as the base, I stack them in order (bottom to top) from largest to smallest. I try to use books with a purpose behind them. I distribute books by topic, keeping color and size in mind. For example, I have a stack of interior design books coupled together on my coffee table. I feel that every room needs a stack of books or magazines. However, budget matters, so I often pair books together that complement each other aesthetically, like you will see in our chill spot. If I am accessorizing with pinks, I may use pink books! Some of my favorite tabletop books can be found here; most will be to you in 2 days, Prime members.
MIX STYLES:
If you follow me on Instagram (which hopefully you do), you will see that I love mirrored textures. I am capable of going too glam, so I have thought long and hard about this subtopic. It is imperative that you mix materials, colors, textures, and styles. What does this mean? Let’s use the mirrored credenza from my living room as an example. I LOVE this piece and all the fabulousness that comes with it. However, this piece can be overwhelming and too formal if I don’t incorporate natural elements into the decor on top as well as surrounding this unit. I have leather embossed lamps which bring great height and texture to the sides. In the same room, I recently added a wooden coffee table that plays well with the mirrored piece. I used pillows of all textures with fun prints and colors to create visual interest that creates a mixed pillowscape. Neutral, organic color tones paired with bright colors, mirrored accents and natural wood tones ground the space and creates a well-balanced space. Check out my full living room post here!
DETAILS:
I love display boxes. Display boxes allow you to feature an item that isn’t big enough independently. Another bonus, they are also great to protect special pieces from dust. The geode I have here would be a real pain to dust plus the size of the agate alone wouldn’t work here without the display box. The box makes me feel like the stone is essential but also makes it more purposeful. This display box also brings in another natural element, wood. The wooden base paired with the glass case and brass accented trim pull together nicely. I mean, and let’s not forget the oversized piece of art that adds in lots of color, texture, and movement bringing the focal point up. Together these elements ground the credenza and let its beauty shine through.
My love for mercury glass is also extreme. However, I noticed that I had way too much in my house leaving the space feeling less than impressive. Don’t get me wrong, mercury glass is fabulous but I had too much so each piece got lost in the mix. I needed other elements so that the glass could make a statement. I couldn’t appreciate the glass pieces as a whole or individually because I had too much which made the room feel boring. Another mistake I have made is using too many contemporary pieces. I am slowly (as the budget allows) adding in more modern elements so that I have a better mix, keeping the eye moving and the impact big. Pair the glossy pieces with textured wood tones, the smooth pillow with a woven, textured pillow, and the bright colors with neutral tones. Remember, opposites attract!
Conclusion:
Accessories should tell a story and reflect you in the room. These pieces are the perfect way to add character to your home or office. Maybe you love stripes, but you don’t have the budget to add striped wallpaper to your walls? Add a sizeable striped piece of art that will give you a wow factor but also won’t break the bank. Find ways to incorporate your personality in ways that make sense for your home and your budget. Accessorizing won’t happen overnight, but in the end, the story being told should be yours. Make it you and make it pretty! While there are many more points that I could add to this post, I think it is best to stop here so that I don’t provide you with too much information at once. If you’d like to learn more about this, please let me know, and I can do a follow-up blog post with more tips on how to accessorize like a pro! Now you know how to accessorize like a pro!
In celebration of the Nordstrom #NSALE Lili Alessandra, a maker of fine linens and soft furnishings on Nordstrom.com, and I have partnered with a few of my favorite bloggers to give away a $400 Nordstrom gift card! Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter. You’ll receive one entry per completion. This giveaway is open internationally and ends on 8/3. Winner will be announced here. Good luck!
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