Accessories are the finishing touch in a room. Like a woman’s jewelry, you’d never wear it all at once. You would edit. As a professional interior designer in Bergen County, NJ, I advise my clients to leave a sum in the budget for the accessories in the space.
Accessories can be smaller pieces of furniture like an ottoman or screen. These are important additions that fill a void in a room.
Pillows are the easiest and quickest ways to add color, texture and style to a neutral palette. They can change the mood of a space such as fall or summer and especially holidays.
Display art defines you and brings out the personality of the space.
Flowers, mirrors, baskets, vases, books, sculpture, lighting, an area rug or a throw all qualify.
Choose quality over quality. One specially chosen, unique piece may work better than loads of tiny knickknacks that have no real value.
#1. What should you consider?
Proportion.
Accessories should not be too large or too small. Study the scale andproportion of the piece you want to use in relation to its surroundings to see what fits best.
Texture and color.
A pop of color adds visual interest and contrast. It makes the space more interesting.
Asymmetrical arrangements.
Think about dividing the space in half. One side is not the same as the other. It is not equal balance.
Think of a mantle. In the middle is a mirror. On the right is a tall vase. On the left are three candlesticks. One is tall, the next is medium and there is a smaller one. These balance the weight of the vase on the other side.
An asymmetrical arrangement is more difficult to get right.
Symmetrical arrangements.
Let’s go back to the mantle. Divide the space in half. This is all about equal balance. What is on the right is exactly the same as what is on the right. That was easy. The hard part here is selecting the objects that are interesting and complete the arrangement.
Today, people are not interested in lots of clutter which they equate to accessories.
But you do need some things so your space is not cold and boring. Bring energy into your designs with objects that matter to you and express your interests and personality.
