After you've painted the walls in your home a great colour and placed the furniture in a pleasing arrangement, you'll want to tackle the final (and I think the most enjoyable) part of the decorating process: accessorizing.
Accessorizing your rooms involves adding those special finishing touches that give your space personality. A room won't feel complete without a few well-placed accessories that pull the look together.
I like to think of the process of accessorizing a room in terms of creating small scenes throughout a room that capture the eye and imagination. The fun part of this phase comes into play when choosing which accessories to use in any given room. You can use fanciful items that reflect your personal taste. From vintage hats, purses and sewing notions to architectural salvage finds, the sky is the limit. If you're more of a traditionalist you can use common decor items, like the lovely blue vases pictured here, to a pleasing outcome. Their unique shapes and colours provide great lines and a layering of colour against the blue wall.
Sometimes, the accessory itself needs to be the focus. In the photograph of the blue vases, for instance, the vases take centre stage. Each vase has a unique shape and colour, which makes them interesting in and of themselves.
Other times, it's more about the arrangement than the actual accessory. In our second photograph, the display is what catches the eye, not each individual item. In these instances, the placement of items is important.
The trick to a successful outcome is in the arrangement. How you present said items will have an impact on how much visual verve they will have. If we dissect the arrangement in our second photograph, you can see there are several underlying methods at play. The small, antique oak chest set against the lovely green wall is charming, but without adornment, it would be heavy and dark. The choice to make the scene pop with shots of cream accents is a good one. Note how the number three comes into play when accessorizing. The designer, Heather Nette King for Dulux, used a triangle of cream with the two white ceramic dishes and the white tulips. Also, small, plain milk bottles on their own would be rather boring, but place them in a trio and add tall flowers and they become a charming scene within the scene. As well, a trio of green can be found by way of the fronds atop the arrangement, the tulip stems and a small green plant placed on the small ceramic dish.
If you don't have three matching items, like the milk bottles, you could use three containers of similar size to the same outcome. It's the cluster that's the focus, not necessarily each individual piece, in this instance.
Use height to create drama
The simple fronds placed in a clear vase atop the arrangement catch the eye. The use of height creates visual drama and encapsulates the overall scene by creating an invisible triangle. You could use something like a tall candle holder, statue or other, similar item to the same end.
Throw in something unusual
The dark orb sitting on the book, while not my particular taste, is interesting. The shock of something unusual in shape can be a fun addition to your display. A framed black-and-white vintage photograph, a mantle clock or a chunky candle in the right shape and colour could work just as well. At this point, you want to play with the options for placing an item and see what it does for you.
I love how the small creamer was placed in an open drawer. This is a unique touch that may have been a happy accident and something one would not normally consider. If you don't have a creamer, you could drape a pair of white vintage gloves or string of pearls from a partially opened drawer and replace the orb with a vintage hat. The possibilities are endless.
This particular scene can be updated throughout the year. In the fall, you could use dried floral touches in autumn colours to change the look. During the holidays, you could replace the fauna with bright red poinsettias. Gerbera in place of the tulips would look smashing at any time.
The great part about this whole setting is that when you break it down, you've basically got a few mismatched dishes and vases you can probably find in your own cupboard or at the very most, for a few dollars at a thrift store. Simply through proper placement, they become a visual delight.
You probably have some interesting items sitting in a closet that you could gather right now to make a quick update to your decor. Give it a try. Practice makes perfect.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
