To help you create the look you want for your home, consider the following universal-style principles that will take your home from “what a lovely home” to “wow…what an amazing place”!
1. Color
Experts recommend limiting color choices to no more than three or four. Choose accent colors pulled from your favorite piece of art, the color of your furniture or the beautiful Persian rug gifted from your great-grandmother and use only accessories that have those colors.
2. Shape
A mixture of shapes can add depth to the piece(s) that you’re styling. For example, balance out angular furniture with a mixture of both angular and round and/or curvy sculptures, baskets, etc.
3. Height
Create an appealing arrangement by varying the heights of your accessories. For example, place a tall lamp next to something that’s shorter, such as a stack of books to balance out the look.
4. Texture
Mix textures; clear and/or opaque ceramic, chipped paint finish, raw wood, polished brass…vary textures to create a strong visual appeal.
5. Negative space
Just as a photo benefits from negative space, so too does styling furniture. Stack or place items together in one area of your furniture, leaving some areas completely bare.
Not only does this draw the eye towards the items you’ve placed on the table, it will keep clutter down when using the furniture (e.g. setting your purse and car keys on the table when getting home)
6. Furniture arrangement
Consider “weight” when placing furniture.
For example, a single console table can seem to get swallowed up when placed by itself next to a wall. Flank a small table on either side by a chair, to extend its width and make it appear more “grounded” and symmetrical.
Note: be sure that the height of your chairs exceeds that of the table.
7. Accessory arrangement
When trying to fill a large space (e.g. bookshelves) order your accessories in groupings of three. For example, two books placed horizontally with a flower arrangement sitting on top.
Or, three books standing vertically, their covers (rather than the spines) faced outward. Be sure to leave negative space to prevent a crowded, cluttered look.
Here’s a tip if you’re having difficulty deciding how you want to style your furniture. Pull everything you want to use together; photos, boxes, flower arrangements, etc and set them where you can see everything at once.
Now, when you set things in place you can look over everything you want to use and easily decide on an arrangement that appeals to you. Remember to vary shapes, heights, textures, colors, etc. to pull everything together.
