How To Use Decorative Home Accessories
Just like icing completes a cake, your home’s decorative accessories complete your interior styling. With the right accessories, you can show off your family’s personality and interests while creating a welcoming and eye-catching space.
If you’re unsure how to use decorative home accessories effectively, you aren’t alone! Here we share some simple tips on accessorizing that you can start trying today:
Don’t Overcrowd
When decorating your home, overcrowding is an easy trap to fall into. While it can be done, grouping many items together often results in the room feeling cluttered and busy.
Instead of filling each area with hundreds of items, choose a few that really capture your style. As a rule of thumb, stick to one to three items per area.
Balance Proportions
Consider the size of each room to ensure you use accessories of the right scale. Too small for the space, and the item will look awkward and lost. Too big, and the item completely overwhelms the space.
If the space needs to serve multiple purposes, like a desk, kitchen counter, or dining room table, play with height to ensure functionality. Tall vases with simple floral arrangements, slim table lamps, and leggy sculptures are the way to go.
Play With Texture
For a room that feels flat or boring, introduce textural accessories. This eliminates the need to re-do the entire room while adding depth and interest to the space.
When choosing textures to introduce, think about what your room already has. Contrasting textures make your decor stand out and they ooze intentionality. In a rough, organic room, think of adding satin pillows or curtains and smooth, shiny vases and sculptures. In a sleek and modern room, soften harsh edges by incorporating frosted glass and woven elements.
Throw pillows are a great place to play with different textures. If you choose items within the same color family, you can go wild with textures and keep the room cohesive.
Introduce Color
For larger furniture pieces, invest in timeless neutral pieces. Then, use decorative accessories to play with color. Colorful accessories allow you to dip your toes into color, without needing to replace expensive pieces to keep up with trends.
Here are some ideas for bringing color into your space:
- Throw pillows
- Throw blankets
- Photo frames
- Wall art
- Vases
- Plant pots
- Sculptures and other shelf decor pieces
- Lampshades or lamp bases
Accessorize with items in varying shades of two or three chosen colors. This keeps your room cohesive without making it feel flat and boring.
Make Use Of Asymmetry
While some symmetry can be a good thing, too much of it is visually boring. By playing around with asymmetry, you add weight and depth to the interior.
When arranging decor items on a surface, start with the largest items at the back. Then add smaller items of varying heights in front of that main decor piece.
Group items so that things feel balanced, not symmetrical. For example, instead of decorating your mantel with a large mirror flanked by matching candlesticks, group candlesticks of different heights on one side of the mirror.
Layer Your Accessories
When accessorizing a room, start with your largest pieces first. This includes large mirrors, wall art, tall lamps, custom area rugs, and large plants and pots. Working from big to small ensures you don’t have awkward spaces filled with too-tiny objects and cramped corners stuffed with huge décor pieces. Once you’ve placed the large items, look for areas in the room that feel empty or lifeless. When you move on to medium- and small-sized objects, start by filling those areas to ensure the room feels balanced and complete.