How to give your special items pride of place

1. The Problem

I firmly believe that in order to feel connected to our homes, we need to be surrounded by personal pieces we really love. But it’s more than just having these items in your space. It’s the effective curation of these pieces that will help you create a welcoming and inspiring space to call home.

Your home is probably filled with all sorts of treasures collected over the years, but do your special pieces have pride of place? Are they displayed in a way that lets you enjoy them daily - or are they stuffed into spaces that don’t do them justice?

If your living room is feeling less than inspiring, it could have something to do with ineffective use of your art and accessories.

2. The Consequence

A room that has ineffective use of art and accessories, will mean:

  • your space doesn’t feel calm and inviting

  • your space may feel cluttered and uninspiring

  • you don’t get to appreciate your special pieces

3. The Solution

It’s really important to remember that styling of your space is done AFTER the larger pieces in the room are placed in a way that is pleasing to you. No amount of accessorising will make up for room that is arranged in a way that doesn’t work well for you.

The trick to creating a well curated space, is to create some structure that your pieces sit within.

Pieces should work well together and be displayed in a way that creates greater visual impact.

Instead of displaying items individually, try clustering a group of objects to create a display (vignette). The items can be based on a theme or completely random.

Vignettes

There are no hard and fast rules as to what can be displayed together, but here are some things to keep in mind when grouping objects to create greater visual impact:

  • Always start with an anchor piece - be it a piece of artwork, or a mirror, or a large ceramic jug. Height is needed to add impact.

  • Use varying sizes of objects that sit well next to each other (a mixture of larger pieces, and smaller lighter pieces.

  • Mix up textures - adding softness alongside more geometric rigid pieces will create nice visual interest.

  • Add metallic objects alongside more natural finishes

  • Add life - indoor plants really lift the look and feel of any interior

  • Work with odd numbered groupings

  • Cluster smaller objects together on a tray to help you appreciate the individual pieces more fully

  • Work within a similar colour palette, and repeat colours through the vignette

Art work

Depending on the surfaces you have available for such displays, you may also want to create clusters of artwork on the wall, creating greater impact by using a similar set of guidelines.

  • Display art in clusters rather than hanging pieces individually

  • Consider using art as a backdrop to a vignette, whether it hangs on the wall, or is propped on a sideboard

  • Don’t worry about matching your frames - different styles of frame create visual impact - you can add a metallic frame to your cluster of wooden frames too - get creative.

4. Examples

Here are some interesting examples of vignettes that show items that are nothing special individually, but that create real impact when displayed together. Anything can be used to create a vignette - whether that’s on a sideboard, on the wall, or even on a chair or chest as shown below.

What do you have that you could display? Why not have a go this weekend?

  • Books

  • Vases

  • Flowers

  • Candles

  • Ornaments

  • Photo frames

  • Dishes

  • Trays

  • Storage boxes

  • Clocks

  • China


Nicci TongComment