Anyone can buy furniture but it’s really styling a space that is most challenging, even if you consider yourself a design enthusiast.
What do we mean by styling a space? It means accessorizing. It’s the artwork, vases, accent furniture like side tables and even accent chairs that help give character to a space.
Styling is what takes something that’s basic and gives it that oomph. Let’s draw a comparison to illustrate what we mean.
Imagine your living room as an outfit. We all have a jeans and t-shirt outfit we love, right? Now, if we accessorize this outfit with a sleek black blazer, add some layered necklaces, a funky hat and stylish heels, that gives it a whole elevated vibe. Compare that to accessorizing with a cardigan, simple earrings and some runners that gives it a whole different feel.
Styling your home is very similar. Depending on the items you choose, you can make the room look and feel very different.
There are 3 mistakes we see people make when it comes to styling or accessorizing their spaces. Good news is that they are easy to fix, if you know what you’re doing.
#1: Getting Scale Right
If you’ve been a regular subscriber to our newsletter and blog posts, then you know, we emphasize this a lot. Scale is one of the most important aspects of interior decorating. It applies not only to accessories but even the main pieces of furniture you choose for your space.
More often than not, the scale issues we see are with items that are simply not large enough. Rarely, we see accessories that are too big for a space. If you don’t get your scale right in your accessories, you’ll end up with a space that has a lot of clutter.
Artwork is probably one of the easiest ways to illustrate this.
The artwork in the image below is a styling miss. Can you tell? It’s way too small for the size of the wall. Also, it’s hung way too high.
Let’s fix it with a piece of art with proper scale.
Scale is important not just for art but for everything you style. From table top accessories to throw pillows and more.
#2: Not Layering Pieces
The styling faux pas we see often is layering. People often place a single item – could be an accessory or even a piece of furniture – on it’s own. With a few exceptions, this will usually make it feel like something is missing.
The exception is if you have a piece that is so striking on it’s own that you want 100% of the attention to go to that piece and nothing else.
Layering gives the space interest and depth.
Let’s take an example of a space that is layered well. Isn’t this a gorgeous little nook? It seems to be really functional as well as beautiful to look at.
Why does this work? You could argue the yellow chair on it’s own could work but it probably will look really lonely if it wasn’t layered with the side table, the artwork, and the lamp. Together, they create a welcoming space that is perfect for reading a book or just relaxing with an adult beverage, no?
#3: Not Allocating Budget to Styling
This is the biggest culprit when it comes to styling. It’s hard to imagine that we need to spend this much for styling. Underestimating the budget you need for accessorizing is the reason scale and layering are an issue in styling.
Purchasing items that can stand on their own or have the larger scale you need is going to cost you more than buying an item that is smaller. You will need less items in the long run but I wish I could say that would even out the spend but the reality is larger accessories are just costly.
Our advice is to always start with a plan for your home’s decor and know the items you need and purchase them as you are able to. This will help you create a home you love over a period of time.
