How to Accessorize a Room

When it comes to adding accessories into the room things can go terribly wrong. How can you keep a room looking well designed and beautiful as opposed to cluttered and confusing?

Less is more. This is self explanatory or so I would think but I will go into an example anyway. I have a lovely tea table and wish to place a small lamp on it, now I want a book, and a small pot with violets, and this cute picture of my niece, and oh where did the table go? All these are great but you have to learn to say no. If it is a small area I would say the lamp and picture would be great, or the lamp and flowers. If you want the book and cannot let it go you could always stack one of the other items on top of it. But if you cannot see the table anymore I would guess it is not working out.

I have seen in many rooms, where on each surface or corner there is almost a separate theme, all competing with one another. Every room should have accessories but they shouldn't steal the show. If you have several very cute displays the room will feel like it has no anchor, the eye will travel from one display to the next and it will never stop on a focal point. Keep from creating separate scenes that challenge each other, focus points should be kept down to about one or two. Avoid making it appear like it's a shop(unless it's a shop). We have all done it; kept putting things in a room until there was not a clear spot in the room for anything. The first rule of accessories is keeping it simple.

Sets of three are a great rule to follow. When you accessorize use sets of three. A bowl, a wood ball, a marble ball. A centerpiece. This rule is really part of the rule of three; vary sizes and heights of your items to make them more visually appealing.

When you look for accessories, try not to buy them all at once, or it will look like you did. A great group of accessories doesn't want to seem like they were a set but a collection of items. This is true for furnishings; sets may seem like the greatest idea in the world, but think about how much better different items new and old come together much better.

One thing to remember is to decorate focal points first, putting less emphasis on other areas. Don't ignore the empty corner in the room, but don t put a table there and stack things all over it when a Ficus would do nicely.

Avoid the yard sale look. When I say yard sale, I mean some things just do not look good in any room. This is an obvious but common mistake in many houses I enter. Function is great but don't forget the aesthetics. Variety is the spice of life. But we can go too far. Eclectic is okay, however let's not mix lava lamps with chandeliers.

We have all seen the teen trying to grow up in her Barbie themed bedroom, my daughter for example; her grandmother offered to redecorate her room when she was 8, she did the normal redecoration, tweedy bird theme. My daughter is 11 now, how well do you think she is enjoying tweedy? We did change the room but I vowed to avoid themes unless it is a theme the child will never tire of, which doesn't exist. Besides bedrooms, we see themes in bathrooms with fish and shells; and kitchens and dining rooms that looked like sunflowers had thrown up in them, so we must remember it is okay to base our design off an idea but try not to go overboard.

There are great ways to display collections of items as long as they compliment and do not conquer, surpass, or contend with the room, often you will want to only select a few favorites pieces and store the rest in a box or wherever you store them. Display them artfully. Don't forget Art! Hang it! Either arrange into small collage like layouts or use a set of three or mix with shelving and lighting.

Use shelving, bookcases, or built-ins. They are great places to put our stuff! Get creative with your shelves. A few books stacked upright , an accessory, candles placed in front of your books, books stacked on their sides break up long boring rows of books, pictures, a collection, art or anything you want to display. Look at professionally designed rooms, and notice how they have created great shelves and bookcases. Keep away from creating too much clutter. Clutter will make it look ineffective.

A great way to start is to start with a blank slate. Table top, desktop, bookcase, shelve, or mantel. Add your functional items first, lighting, then decided what to accessorize and remember, the rule of three and less is more wherever you go. Go for the main attraction first, then work your way around. Lastly have fun with it.