Find the beauty in small things
Learn how to take your style up a notch by creating little moments using well-crafted vignettes
THE word vignette originates from French, where it means little vine.
When it comes to interior design, a vignette is a group of objects that are displayed together – and they tend to be little as well.
Owner of Sydney business The Vignette Room Jennifer Jones says many people have vignettes in their homes without realising.
“A vignette is a bit of a curated style, a snapshot of pieces,” she says.
“People might not know exactly what they are creating but as soon as you group items together, without knowing it you’re creating a vignette.”
Jennifer says vignettes can include a variety of objects, including trays, vases, books and little decor objects.
“Visually, a grouping of three to five things is a pretty successful grouping,” she says
Setting the stage
If you’re wondering where to put your vignettes, there are no hard and fast rules.
“Any bare surface you have in your home is a good spot to create a vignette,” Jennifer says. “The most common spot is on a coffee table — we get a lot of questions about coffee table styling from people.”
Other locations include bathroom vanities, hall tables, bookshelves and bedside tables.
“Bedsides are usually a forgotten spot for creating little vignettes,” Jennifer says.
“They’re a great space to express what you’re about.”
If you’re not sure where to start or what might work well together, Jennifer says colour is a great starting point.
“Colour, scale and proportion are really key when we’re creating a successful vignette,” she says.
“Maybe use the overall room design as your inspiration and pick things that complement the room.
“It might be a bright colour from an artwork, or if you’ve got all black and whites, perhaps use that to make it work cohesively.”
She says you should think about layering the objects, choosing different heights and sizes. A variety of finishes will give the overall effect more depth.
Express yourself
For those who are feeling at a loss about which items to include, Jennifer says start with things you love or that represent who you are.
“I think it’s great to represent your interests so if you’re into fashion or interiors or art, pick a book that represents you as a person,” she says.
“Use that alongside something with a little bit of height such as a vase or a taller candlestick and then layer that with smaller pieces so you’ve got different heights.
“Then maybe add a little decorative object as well, that’s a great place to put a little metallic object such as a sphere.”
A natural element such as fresh flowers, a seashell or a small plant is a nice touch.
But Jennifer warns against overworking a space.
“I think the only thing to avoid is over-complicating things,” she says.
“You don’t want to just shove a whole bunch of items together, all the same height, all the same colour or have too many things happening at once.”
‘‘ COLOUR, SCALE AND PROPORTION ARE REALLY KEY WHEN WE’RE CREATING A SUCCESSFUL VIGNETTE.
JENNIFER JONES