Tips on Accessorizing Your Home
Every room has accessories: lamps, rugs, decorative objects. Like putting on the right belt, bracelet and earrings, home accessories pull your space together and give it polish. When it comes to decor, if you’re looking for a change without paint fumes or the cost of new furniture, look no further than to accessories. Here are our tips on how to refresh a room using only accessories.
START WITH A BLANK SLATE AND A PLAN
Accessorizing seems easy enough, but there’s a definite art to it. If you can, start with a blank slate by moving all of your existing accessories out of the room. This includes lamps, art, throw pillows and decorative objects like vases and coffee table books. Now you can rearrange the furniture and start to think about what you want to do with the space.
Before you go shopping, make a plan. This is a quick exercise that will save you from making multiple trips (obviously not ideal during this pandemic) and buying the wrong things. Here’s how to do it. Start with a list of the big items you need, like a rug, mirror or artwork, then move on to small objects. Now decide which objects stand alone, and which ones will be in a group, such as a group of vases or a little coffee table vignette. Finally, consider the size and textures of your pieces, from the rug to the coffee table book. Aim to have a variety of textures and sizes that will look great (more on this in a minute).
HOW TO SELECT THE COLOURS FOR YOUR ROOM
Next, decide on your new colour palette. This is where you can really change things up. It’s amazing how accessories can completely change the look and feel of a space. One way to approach colour is to decide what you want your room to feel like — relaxing, chic, bold. Write it down. Now, consider your furniture. If you have neutral furniture like wood, metal, creams, grey or beiges, then the colour wheel is your oyster. If not, you need to be more careful not just about the colours, but also about their undertones. Use the colour wheel to pick a monochromatic, analog (aka adjacent), or complementary palette. For more on this, read our recent blog on paints. You might like to explore the trendy colours, too, as they can be a fun way to make your room feel current. If this resonates, take a look at Elephant Grey or First Light by Benjamin Moore — two of our favourites this year.
BEFORE YOU SHOP
We designers love to use old treasures and upcycle dated objects, and you can do this too. Is there a family heirloom you have hidden in a box in your basement or a piece in another room that would be better in this space? You might also find a treasure in one of your local antique shops. Keep in mind, you can give these pieces a whole new life by refurbishing or repainting them.
AVOID THESE PITFALLS
Lastly, let’s ensure you avoid these five DIY decor pitfalls!
Don’t buy a rug that’s too small. Measure the room to ensure that the legs of the furniture — or at the least the front legs — sit on the run.
Don’t match everything. If your furniture is all the same covering and all of the accessories you buy are the same finish, size or shape, the end result is likely to fall flat. Add visual interest with complementary but diverse textures, shapes and sizes.
Don’t hang your art too high. Art is best hung at eye level or to work with specific furnishing like a low bookshelf or high table.
Don’t buy pieces that are too small. If you have a huge wall, don’t hang an 8”x10” picture because it’ll look out of place. Give the wall the art it deserves. If you need help determining which art pieces should go where talk to a designer or a professional art hanger they are really helpful with location and will hang it all for you with the right hangers...using a hook that is too small for the piece will end in disaster.
Remember, the great thing about refreshing with accessories is that you can make a big change on a shoestring budget. We hope these tips help you to nail it. Please share the before and after photos of your accessorizing project by tagging @dicksondesigngroup on social so we can see and share them.