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Displaying accessories successfully
A house becomes a home when the owner’s personality
is reflected in the décor. The best way to accomplish
this is through accessories. Family photos, your mother’s
teacups, and the ceramic box your daughter made in third
grade—all of those cherished treasures deserve
a special place in your home. How do you display accessories
successfully? When I redesign a home, I keep several
things in mind when arranging my clients’ accessories.
- Arrange accessories in odd-numbered groupings.
On any surface such as a coffee table or chest of
drawers, arrange accessories in groups of three, five,
or even seven if the surface is large enough. One
large-scale item, like a ceramic urn or pot, can also
work well.
- Arrange accessories of varying heights in a pyramid
or triangular shape. Use a tall item like a lamp,
pillar candle or sculpture in the center. The next
item should be approximately 2/3 the height of the
tallest item. The last item should be about 1/3 the
height of the tallest item. Boxes or books can be
used to raise items to the desired height.
- Group like items together rather than scatter them
throughout the room. Your collection of antique cameras,
for example, will have more impact if you group them
together in a bookcase. Try mixing in some old photographs
or other related items to add interest and build on
the theme. Collections of small items such as buttons
or shells can be displayed in glass bowls or vases.
- Arrange a grouping of accessories on a tray to give
it more impact and importance.
- Plants and flowers add life, color and texture
to your groupings. If you have a green thumb, real
plants are best, but high-quality silks work well
also.
- Use platters, plates or trays to create backdrops
for other accessories. This looks especially nice
in china cabinets, bookcases, and that area above
the kitchen cabinets.
- Use accessories to accentuate the theme or color
in artwork. For example, a red vase placed in front
of a painting will highlight the red found in that
painting. Another example: Place an antique musical
instrument alongside a painting with a musical theme.
- Large-scale rooms need large-scale accessories.
Small items will just get lost in the room.
- Resist the urge to fill every inch of shelf or
tabletop space. Leaving some “white space”
will allow the eye to rest and also to focus on the
accessories that are there.
- If your sofa is arranged so the back of it is showing,
add interest by arranging accessories on the floor.
In the photo, you see that we used a stack of boxes,
a plant and a tall candle to create a grouping. The
area rug corrals the grouping, and the gold throw
blanket creates an attractive backdrop.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on May 14, 2005.
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back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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