Styling 101
Accents and accessories are the finishing touches for any room. Here’s how to arrange your elements with confidence and flair.
1. SHELVES
Kirsten says to add a mix to shelves
for a more dynamic display. “You can style books along with a variety
of decorative pieces,” she writes. “Stacking books next to a collection of pottery with a plant topping the books is a simple yet beautiful look.” Just
be sure to arrange your display in collections of odd numbers, and vary
the finishes from wood to metal to ceramic for a more interesting look.
Your toys are the books, vases, flowers and personal totems you’ve collected along the way that can be arranged and rearranged to your heart’s content. And in the décor world we call this styling!
Blogger turned interior designer Kirsten Grove devoted her entire first book, Simply Styling, to this topic, partly because it’s hard to know the rules for feathering the corners of your nest and partly because it’s these little elements that can be the most personal and most reflective of your style. “A comfortable space filled with personal touches can be fresh, exciting and accessible,” she writes.
But this doesn’t mean it’s easy. “Pattern and placement can activate or clutter a space,” she adds. The key is getting that balance. Here are the four most common areas of the home that tend to need a good dose of styling, along with Kirsten’s tips for really making them shine.
2. THE MANTEL
The mantel offers a limited amount of space to make one of the most impactful design statements in any living room. So here a few rules do help: “Choose items that differ in height,” she says. And play with textures and asymmetry. Perfectly symmetrical arrangements will feel timeless and traditional. But small collections can feel more artistic and personal.
3. COUNTERTOPS
Whether it’s the kitchen, bathroom or even a sideboard, the main surfaces of your home are prime real estate for display. Clutter is the enemy here, so Kirsten says in these spaces you should keep both form and function in mind. Also, use containers like trays and baskets to keep small groupings together.
4. WALLS
Choosing the right art for a room can feel daunting. Gallery walls are a great way to get some flexibility and have more fun with it! Kirsten prefers to mix and match the frames for a more relaxed and less staged look. Black and white groupings give a room a classic feel, while mixing in vintage elements (think mirrors, wall weavings or found objects) can “feel grand and beautiful.”