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Accessorizing adds warmth and interest to any room. This is also an area where you can express your own unique style, using objects that you’ve collected over the years because they have special appeal. But it’s important to use accessories that fit with the style of the décor you’ve chosen in order to create a more harmonious feel.

 

When choosing the accessories for your decorating project, pay careful attention to the mood each object projects. Does it match the style of your room? Do those sleek, silver, contemporary picture frames stick out like a sore thumb on your rustic country display shelf? With practice, you can train your eye to look for these details. 

 

How many accessories should you use in your room? The style of your room’s décor will help you decide how many to display. Some decorating styles, such as Victorian or English cottage, require many accessories to achieve their look, while a contemporary style uses very few.

 

Start by removing all the accessories in your room. Then try adding a few objects at a time; stopping occasionally to decide whether you have enough, too many or too few. Remember to consider the decorating style and mood you want to create—does it require more accessories or not as many.

 

Hanging Wall Art:

 

Wall art accessories include paintings, framed prints, tapestries, framed mirrors, wall screens and even some three dimensional objects such as sculptures, ornamental metalwork and sconces. Wall art is a very important part of the room’s décor; therefore, it’s important to display these pieces effectively.

 

A common tendency when displaying a piece of framed art is hanging it too high, so it looks like it’s “floating” by itself on the wall. Hang wall art pieces low enough so they appear to be part of a grouping of furniture beneath them. 

 

When displaying a piece of art over a sofa, hang it only about eight to ten inches above the sofa back.

 

Wall art can help establish the focal point of a room. A focal point should create sufficient impact to draw your attention, such as a large framed mirror hung over a chest of drawers in the foyer or a painting hung over the fireplace mantel.

 

When hanging a large piece of wall art, check to see that its scale and shape are a good fit for the space where it will be hung. For example, the shape of the wall space above a sofa is usually a horizontal, rectangular shape. Therefore, the best shape for artwork to fit this space is a rectangular or oval shape, hung horizontally. If the wall space is square, use a square or round piece of artwork.

 

Next, check the size of the wall art. Does it appear to be too large for the scale of the sofa, or is it too small to create the impact you want? If you don’t have one piece of artwork that is large enough, use several smaller pieces in a grouping.  

 

Arranging Accessories in the Room:

 

The second category for accessories includes items such as vases, throw pillows, sculptures, plants, candelabras, framed photographs, and clocks, which are placed on the floor, tables, shelves or sofas and chairs. 

 

Remember to keep your decorating style in mind when choosing the number and type of accessories you want to include in your room.

 

When displaying small items, group similar objects together to create more of an impact (these might be objects made up of similar materials, such as silver, crystal or wood, or theme-related items, such as birdcages, angels or vases).

 

When arranging a group of accessories on a table or shelf, use objects of varying heights, shapes, textures and sizes to create a more interesting display. When decorating a bookcase with a mixture of books and accessories, try not to overcrowd the shelves. Leave some space in your arrangement to avoid a cluttered look. 

 

During the accessorizing process, don’t forget to address the empty corners in your room. You might add a tall plant, a folding screen or a lighted curio cabinet.

 

Accessories add the finishing touch to any decorating project. Just keep in mind the number of accessories needed for the decorating style you’ve chosen, and try to use objects that fit with the mood, color and style of your room.

 

Get more accessorizing ideas from No Rules-Just Fun Decorating and Ten Common Home Decorating Mistakes. Check out our other decorating books below.

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