Accessories take a home from ordinary to extraordinary. They tell a story, personalize your space, while adding depth and interest to every room. At Furniture Mart (soon to be 5th & Main Furniture by Freed’s) and Ashley Homestore, we understand accessories can be daunting. We’ve put together the basic principles to keep in mind so you can accessorize with ease.
Accessories should be unique to you. One of the best ways to accessorize is to start by looking for personal items around your home. Check out the ancient stack of heirloom pieces sitting in the attic that were once great-grandma’s. Consider using your baby’s first pair of shoes, tucked away in your basement. Certainly search through trinkets and souvenirs from family vacations. Even old wedding invites of close family members make great accessories, when framed. With personal pieces, it’s not necessarily the quality of the piece, it’s how it is displayed. When old items are mixed with new, you are able to create a story waiting to be told to anyone who visits your home.
Avoid placing individual accessories throughout your room. Individual accessories tend to get lost in a large, expansive space. Make more of an impact by bundling accessories together in groups of two to four. Each item in the bundle should be similar in color palette or character. Place your bundles in pyramid formation, starting with the tallest accessory in the back. Books are a great way to add color and height variation in accessory groupings.
Using properly sized accessories is key. Pay attention to scale. You don’t want your accessories to feel too large or too small for the surface they are living on. Whether it be your coffee table, mantle, or dining table, you need to ensure the size feels right. Letting an accessory overpower the piece of furniture it is on takes away from the beauty of the furniture.
Don’t let accessories become cluttered. In addition to using the appropriate scale, be mindful of the total quantity of accessories you have in a room. You certainly don’t need accessories on every table, mantle, hearth, dresser, and wall. Many accessories give the eye an overwhelming amount of colors and textures to take in at once. An abundance of accessories also takes away from the beauty and interest of the accessories in place. For an average sized living room, three to four groups of accessories are plenty.
Own your accent color. As we have discussed in previous articles, I firmly believe more permanent parts of a room should be neutral. This includes your paint color, floor coverings, and large pieces of furniture. Accessories allow you to explore your accent color because they are easy to switch out when you are ready for a change. Whatever color you land on for your accent, own it with your accessories. Feature your accent color in throw pillows, vases, books, picture frames and wall art.
Above all else, however, have fun with your accessories. If you don’t take your attempt at accessorizing too seriously, neither will your friends and family. You are the one who gets to live with these items in your space. Make sure you love them—and make sure they reflect you and the story you live to tell. Please stop by Furniture Mart and Ashley HomeStore to fall in love with unique accessories that express you.