Accessorising Your Interiors…Where to Start
Deciding where to start with your home accessories can be a tough task. What to buy and how to use them can sometimes seem like a bit of challenge, particularly if you’re starting from scratch. Generally a good rule of thumb is to ensure they have a function as well as being lovely to look at. If they have a purpose as well as being decorative, you’ll not only have the perfect excuse to buy them but the item will actually become an integral part of your home. Accessories you’ve bought on a whim with no real ‘need’ will often remain a bit of a spare part, so finding something that serves a purpose is an ideal place to start. We’ve listed some essential accessories and detailed some tips on how to choose and use a style that’s right for you.
Lighting is probably the most effective way of accessorising your home, if you’re looking to make it feel a little more warm and inviting. If you’re spending time in your living room with your main light on full beam and wondering why you can never seem to wind down, you need to introduce some lower lighting to your surroundings as soon as possible.
If you can angle your lighting so that it shines against the wall, rather than into the room, you will create a soft, warmer light and ultimately, a cosier atmosphere.
Try a mixture of freestanding lamps and smaller table lamps to light your room and vary the height as much as possible. Perch lamps on top of book cases or nestle them down at ground level, angling them up the wall behind an object you want to showcase. Lighting can create calm but can also illuminate some of your favourite artwork, plants or pieces of furniture, so use it where you can to add a little drama.
As far as we’re concerned you can never have too many cushions! They’re wonderful for softening your surroundings, propping you up in bed while you have a cuppa and they offer the perfect head rest when you’re full stretch on the sofa. Cushions also provide you with a simple, easy way to add texture and vibrancy to your interiors, without committing bags of cash towards one particular look. If your current sofa is looking a little tired, smothering it in cushions and a couple of throws can be a low cost way of revamping it and refreshing it’s style.
When it comes to selecting the style of cushions and throws you want to buy, it’s good to be eclectic. If you want to make things interesting, mix your styles and textures, while linking them together with one key colour that you continue across other areas of the room.
Picking a colour that you can weave through everything is a great way of maintaining some consistency and helping your collection look at little more cohesive. We love mixing boot fair buys with high street brands and then treating ourselves to the occasional ‘indulgence’ piece from a boutique. The trick is that you don’t need to find it all at once, its fun to build your collection and make it up as you go along! Accompanying your collection with a throw or two in a matching colour can also tie the whole look together, while providing a comforting wrap on colder days.
With so many of us opting for open plan living these days, rugs can help to identify some zonal areas in one larger room. Rugs can often make a smaller space seem cluttered, so try to avoid using them if you’ve only got limited floor area to play with. They’re best suited on top of wooden floors, where the contrast of wood and weave work well together, plus they can provide some much needed protection from draughty floorboards.
The style of rug you choose can really make or break the look of a room. Something too bold can be a little too distracting and selecting something too neutral and pale can create little impact.
If you’re going for a neutral colour, opting for a natural material like our Coconut Rug will give you a hardwearing surface and a great texture.
If you want to go a little bolder and the colour ties in with your scheme, choosing something like our Balki or Damara rug can give you an impactful look with a bold, contemporary geometric pattern.
These lend themselves really well to contemporary living spaces, but if you’re more of a traditionalist take a look at our Asilah or Sumela rugs. These are beautifully rustic and give a room that warm cosy feeling.
Mirrors are often used as a way of making a room look a little lighter and more spacious, but they’re also a great way of accentuating the period of your property. One way to emphasise the character of your home is to find a mirror that complements the era of the build.
Whether it’s an ornate Georgian style frame, a fanned glass art deco piece, or even a simple contemporary mirror with modern clean lines; do your homework and select a style that really works with the period of your property. If you find the right fit, your mirror will become an integral part of your interior architecture, rather than just a humble accessory.
Clocks are a wonderful way to accessorise, they give great punctuation to spaces and like all good accessories, provide a practical use for you and your family. Clocks are another item that really need to summarise the style of your home or the look you’re trying to achieve. Think about how graphic, contemporary or traditional you want to be with your clock face. Roman numerals don’t really belong in a contemporary home, just as a graphic, station clock style like our Newgate Luggage Clock, don’t really belong in a Georgian manner house.
Selecting the right style of clock can make a bold style statement and really tie your interiors look together. If you’re looking for something striking and contemporary, take some time to look at our range of retro London Clocks, in Chartreuse , Blue & Red.
Artwork
Your artwork, like your books, provides an open window to your personality. Your home should be filled with art that makes you happy and tells a story about you. Displaying artwork that complements the rest of your accessories or vice versa is integral to getting your interiors to work, so it can be useful to link featured colours in your prints, to accessory colours or painted walls around the room.
Take a look at our blog post on curating your space for even more tips on arranging artwork in your living space.
Accessories aren’t just about adding prettiness and texture, they’re often practical pieces that can make daily life a little easier. Baskets can be a huge asset around the home, our Tarsilia Laundry Basket, is perfect for housing dirty washing and keeping it hidden from eye shot. Baskets like this can create a feature and add a touch of texture to a room. This style would work particularly well in a bathroom where it’s round shape and wicker finish would soften the hard tiling and metal fixtures you find there.
We also supply wicker log baskets, and these wonderful chest baskets which are great for providing extra bedroom or living room storage. Add a cushion or two and you’ve even got an occasional seat. If you’re looking for something a little more industrial, our Malachy Storage Unit provides a great little spot for some books or toiletries in a bathroom area.
For even more options and inspiration, take a look at our full range of Accessories on The Cotswold Company website.
