How to Choose Decorative Accessories

Something magical happens in a room where the objects are displayed with imagination. There's a sense of excitement, of delight. Your home and its surfaces become a sort of stage set, one that reveals your true self through the treasures you prize and exhibit. Creating dramatic, graceful arrangements with cherished possessions is not only fun, you're also adding key element no home should be without: a distinctive decorative personality.



The art of display is nothing more than arranging objects attractively, into compositions that look good to your eye. don't think of displays as static and not-to-be-touched, but as everchanging with the seasons or your moods or any new enthusiasm. Use a tabletop, vanity, bookcase, buffet table, kitchen breakfast bar, any flat surface will do. Start by gathering a group of accessories, a stack of leather bound books, a vase or beautiful lamp, photos in interesting wood frames, maybe a porcelain candle stick. Anything works as long as it looks good. Your mission is to "style" the dissimilar objects to a harmonious, pleasing whole. Begin by choosing one of the objects as a focal point. Place the object near the center, but not dead-center. Think spatially-you want an object with good height to add visual interest to your arrangement.

Generally, place taller objects in the back, lower objects in front. Try to fill in the space around your focal point with smaller pieces of varying heights and shapes-and take full advantage of the entire display area. Say our focal point is a lovely buffet lamp. You might add candlesticks to one side for asymmetrical balance, stack a group of books on the other and top them with a conch shell, or put a small vase on a pedestal.

Figurines, art pottery, Asian boxes, baskets, architectural artifacts-anything can be used. Keep moving things around, slowly adding ingredients as if you were mixing a cake. If you like the Victorian style of cluttered table tops groaning with books, lamps, and decorative objects, add more pieces. If your home is more Zen-like and minimal, use fewer, choosing for maximal effect. Consider what textures and shapes will be interesting together. The eye responds to unexpected combinations of materials: glass with silver and wood, plastic with natural and woven pieces, shiny metals juxtaposed with rust. Play with different shapes, textures and contrasting heights, searching for balance and variety, periodically stepping back from your compostion-in-progress to assess your room's new look. You'll love the results.