So, I am
halfway through my Desgn on Dime segment and it has brought me to
Accessories. I hope that you are enjoying these how-to tips. Now accessories can be a very tricky part of
design. I’m sure with all the HGTV shows out there for the DIY-er’s it seems
pretty simple when they show you that they are placing perfectly matched
accessories in the space they just spent 25 minutes redoing. However, a very
common behind the scenes aspect to design is the scouting aspect of the perfect
accessory.
Some
designers will have their own accessory line, Brain Gluckstein, Debbie Travis, Lynda Reeves, Steven & Chris. And some will spend, spend, spend, when they
feel they have found the perfect piece but don’t quite have the perfect space,
yet. Often these designers have storage units, sometimes more than one, to
house their inventory of finds over years of flea market shopping, estate
sales, antique road shows, and liquidated companies. This is something I would
LOVE to do! Maybe, one day.
Accessorizing
is something I can speak a little bit about because of the experiences I’ve had
personally and professionally handling accessories for fun and for work. In
school, we didn’t have these “real life” accessories to place in our spaces.
Now when I think back to my school projects I don’t even think I put one type
of accessory on my presentation boards. When I moved into my very own space, I
went a little nutty. I didn’t really know what my personal decor style was, or
what sort of themes I wanted to go with in my own home. I scoured department stores,
clearance racks and even the dollar store for some good finds. I was watching
one of Sarah Richardson’s shows one day, and heard The Great Tommy Smythe say
something along the lines of ‘when dealing with accessories, take away 50% of
what you have and that is all you need...’ I thought, IMPOSSIBLE! Where am I
going to put all this stuff? What if I need it when I have a house instead of a
two bedroom apartment? So I carried on, and continued to buy fun finds wherever
they popped up.
When I got
the opportunity to work as a Showroom Decorator, I distinctively remember being
asked “Did you deal with accessories and room settings at your school?” I said,
No. I didn’t want to lie in a job interview. But I was determined to try my
best and I really was there to learn this aspect of design since it is
something I did not learn in my studies. When I got the job, I really didn’t know
what I was doing but, it is the kind of job you learn from quickly. You get to
see your work displayed in a real life room setting, and then you get to see
other’s reactions to this space. You get to walk away from the room and come
back the next day with a clear head and start all over again if you need too. I
loved this job. After about 4 months my confidence started to really grow and I
felt really comfortable using accessories to show off a space. After all I
learned at my job, I still did not down size my accessory inventory at home...
When I moved
this summer, packing was a nightmare. I didn’t know I had so much stuff accumulate
in almost 3 years into my sometimes small apartment. Because I knew the new
move was temporary, 2 years max, I decided to not unpack everything. A) Because
it would just be too much work to pack it up again in 730 plus 1 days, being a
leap year, and B) I really didn’t want to do all that dusting. So I carefully
organized my belongings in pretty little totes and stored a good chunk of what
I owned. And you know what, that Tommy Smythe was right! Now I am so happy with
my living spaces. They aren’t too cluttered; everything matches, and is
visually appealing. He better not quit his day job ;)
So after all
that, here are some tips I’ve learnt for to start properly accessorizing your
space...
1. Pick a theme – this might be hard for
someone who is just getting their own space or even for someone who has their own
space but knows it is way over cluttered. Try and find a common theme in the
things you like. It could be their purpose, clay pots, or their colour, earth
tones, or simply a collection of shot glasses over years of travel, alcohol? Lol.
Each theme can branch off into a larger theme, clay pots could be bright
colours, flowers and nature. Earth tones could be greens with natural elements
of straw and organic shapes. Shot glasses could be showcased in a contemporary
space with leather furniture and metal accents.
2. Keep the themes consistent –
Accessories should relate to one another if they are going to be in the same
room together. If you chose to go with an Earthy theme, have picture frames
that are wood tones, browns, and gold. Have accessories that relate, like
animal figurines, different colour glass bottles or grass woven fruit shapes as
examples.
3. Keep the styles consistent – Whether you
are a traditional person or modern, country, eclectic, contemporary, rustic, transitional
(bet you didn’t think there were so many) find what you like and keep the style
consistent for visual impact, at least within the same room. I like to change
up styles and themes throughout rooms so it doesn’t become to minuteness for
me.
4. Most of all, Have Fun – It is VERY
important for you to love the space you live in, not the space your in-laws
visit once a year when your stuffing a turkey. Your home is yours and you
should love it. Don’t be afraid to have fun and experiment with your style from
time to time. Switch accessories up move them from room to room for a quick
update. If you don’t like it, just move them back. I admitted I didn’t know
what I was doing with accessorizing when I first got my home, but no one ever
said “ hey, that giant blue apple doesn’t match anything”
Some great
places I like to go to for room inspiration is in fact, furniture show rooms.
You’ll know very quickly if they have a good decorator or not. One day I spent
the afternoon near Vaughn Mills perusing the showrooms there, Leon’s, Lazy Boy,
Urban Barn and Bowrings. You can really see all the different styles within
these spaces and which demographic they are appealing to. If you can’t get out,
just be aware of this next time you’re looking through your favourite magazine
or on your favourite website. Tv shows can be a great inspiration too.
Come back
soon, and Ill share with you some more Desgn on a Dime tips!
-AR
