Accessories are important. They just are. Here's why

Years ago, Nate Berkus was on The Oprah Show and said someone new should be able to walk though your home and know who you love, who and what you worship, where you've been and where you're at now, and what your personality is like. They should feel your soul by how your home presents itself in your life. We honor that completely. 

Accessories allow for individuality, personality, and bring charm to your home. Accessories are arguably one of the most important aspects of a living space, but the accessories should follow the theme of the room and contribute towards the unity of the room. In other words- they gotta make sense. Perhaps we place a plant from the country you grew up in in your bedroom and every time you look at it you are reminded of a beloved family member. Wall art that speaks to you when you walk by it. Vases filled with your favorite flowers. Sculptures that move you.

A few kinds of accessories:

1. Books:  Not all books should be placed vertically on bookshelves - we position some horizontally for interest. A neat arrangement is to group books according to their size or colour. Unless it's a proper library we like to add other items of interest to break up the shelves to not appear too heavy. We also like to place books all over the house! 

2. Clocks: Grandfather clocks lean on the traditional side and are usually inherited. Modern clocks of unusual designs and materials, such as cubes or spheres of glass are in harmony with modern decor. Even though everyone has the time on their phone, we love a great clock with some visual interest. 

3. Lamps: Wisely selected lamps and light fixtures are extremely important in determining the characters of a room. Yes, they are for function, but it is no less important to choose designs that emphasise the spirit of the room.

4. Mirrors: In some areas such as bedrooms and dressing rooms, mirrors are essential (e.g. entrance halls). In other rooms, they are more decorative than functional. Mirrors produce a feeling of spaciousness, and we love them! 

5. Pictures/Wall Art: The colour and textures of pictures should harmonize with those used in the room. Scale is SO IMPORTANT when selecting art and its placement. Eye level is best! It can be more interesting to group several pictures rather than to use only one, unless it's a big one! 

6. Pillows: Bed pillows and throw pillows are a fun element to add comfort and color to your space. We love custom pillows, but our favorite hack is to buy a less pricey pillow and high end inserts and swap the basic insert for your good one. Wholaaa you have a great pillow!  

7. Nature: Potted trees and plants or vases with flowers. These don't have to be changed out constantly as we have several ways to preserve your favorites or grow real plants in your home. We recommend having at least a few real plants in the house for the health benefits, but then you can go faux as long as they look realistic! 

Add a splash of flare to your space by incorporating funky lamps, vases, or textured window treatments in new colors.  Fun accessories are really the items that can be trendy and not always timeless. Something that guest can look at and say “thats so her.”

These are the final details. Stopping short of this very important final step is much like getting dressed up without putting on shoes! 

*This arrangement from Botanica in Charlotte lasts for years! It's completely preserved and you'd never know it wasnt arranged that morning! 

5 Do's and Don'ts:

Don’t:

• Randomize styling. Remember you are telling your story

• Clutter and limit your collections of items. Not all pieces of a collection need to be displayed at the same time

• Buy random things without knowing exactly where you want to place it when you get home

• Display things that don't make sense with what stage of life you are in. Toddlers and crystal don't make sense together. 

• Go crazy. If your husband hates 8 pillows on the bed you share, instead do a couple big ones, a bolster and deck your guest bedroom out in all the pillows you want. We want to honor every member of your family. 

Do:

• Create layers- think 2 large books, a picture frame on top, a small vase of flowers next to it. 

• Pay attention to scale and placement. We can't say this enough - the middle of a pic should be about 60" from the floor. You don't want to crane your neck to look at something inside your house. That's what we go to Italy for! 

• Stay within a color theme 

• Do at least 3 different kinds of lighting placement- high, medium, and low

• Take pictures that can be framed on your travels or events instead of bringing home trinkets

A lot of people leave this on the back burner, but we don't allow that. We work accessories into the budget from day one. We know how important they are and they perfectly tie up the project with a bow! 

XOXO-

Brit