Our 3 Tips for Home Accessory Perfection
One of the biggest home decorating challenges is knowing how to arrange your accessories, whether they are on a bookcase, shelf, tabletop or fireplace. Here is shades4seasons three-step system to transform your boring or cluttered rooms into charming spaces!
Harmony and Contrast
When arranging a space with accessories, one has to keep in mind that the most important thing to avoid here is boredom! This has a lot less to do with the objects you choose than the way in which you choose to display them. To keep an arrangement from putting your guests to sleep, remember to keep a balance of harmony (arrangements that feel like they go together, like similar colours or styles) and contrast (arrangements that spice things up such as contrasting textures, round against straight line, etc.). The stunning starburst design silver vase shown here is a good example: it complements the adjacent small silver figurine whilst contrasting with the straight lines of the table on which it stands and the light colour of the wall behind. You want a bit of harmony and contrast in your arrangements. Perhaps you could create harmony by repeating a square shape or a particular colour, and then add contrast by sitting a rounded object such as a candleholder next to a rough basket.
Scale and Shape
Make sure that the items you are using fit into their new homes scale; you don’t want one tiny paperweight on a large kitchen table, and you also want to steer clear of using a huge ceiling high arrangement of flowers on a tiny end table. Most people tend to use things that are too small for their surroundings, however. If you have small accessories you would like to display but want to make them stand out more in an arrangement, try grouping them on a plate or a fabric covered box. You can also give them height by perching them atop stacked books or baskets.
Layer and Soften
Once you’ve chosen your objects for the space following the design principles above, now it’s time to layer and soften. Start with a larger, taller piece slightly off centre. This will be the defining piece in your arrangement. Now work to the outer edges in layers. Add a taller background layer, a middle-sized medium height layer, and your tiniest objects in the front. Keep the eye moving up and down as it purveys the arrangement from left to right for interest. Add some fabric or twisted ribbon to soften the edges of the shelf or table, to bring in colour, and to highlight certain objects.
Above all, keep trying new combinations of items until you find an arrangement that works for you. Use pieces in unusual ways. Tuck flowers or a live plant into an arrangement that seems too static. Even professional designers will occasionally be surprised by trying things in a new way! And remember, if your arrangement still looks cluttered and lost, chances are you are trying to display too much. Have a prop box or closet where you can keep some of your treasures, and switch them out a couple of times a year for a fresh new look without spending pounds! Get some more home accessory inspiration at shades4seasons!
