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Original article featured in Cambridgeshire Agenda July 2009. Photographs from Decorating with Blue and White by Gail Abbott, Cico Books; Mark Scott Photography; Mark Box Photography. All in the Detail Whether you are planning your decorating scheme from scratch or simply sprucing up a room or two, concentrating on the finishing details will make maximum impact from minimal investment. Cate Burren of Angel and Blume interior design reveals the styling secrets of the professionals. Styling a room is as simple, and as complicated, as putting in the finishing details – just as an outfit looks bland without the shoes, hat, jewellery, scarf and bag, a home will look only look welcoming and personal through the careful addition of lamps, pictures, books, flowers, cushions, rugs and so on. The wonderfully casual yet complete look in homes seen in modern day interiors books and magazines is only achieved through very careful placement of the owners’ accessories, or other props. When you visit homes that have been accessorised well, the effect is always to reveal the owners’ personality in the best light without a hint of the effort and inherent style that went into creating the finished appearance. |
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What are the accessories? Styling a home is about looking at every detail and seeing things that you may have looked at hundreds of times with a new clear vision. Accessories tend to be smaller, less permanent possessions and when you start to really look, this covers a multitude of possibilities. For example, kitchen accessories (which are often forgotten) can dramatically change the look of this very important room – tea towels, pots and pans, window blinds, cookery books on a shelf, table linen and settings, china and glassware well displayed will either make or break the impression that the room makes. Past, present and future For me the most important consideration when accessorising a home is to ensure that personal possessions are the given pride of place - accentuate the picture, vase, books or curiosity that you love which recalls treasured memories and build from there. In her wonderful book ‘Home is where the heart is’ Isle Crawford ably explains that your home should be about your own story. She says ‘dodgy books, cringe-making photos of hairstyles you’d rather forget about, a mix of furniture, and the odd beautiful piece picked up over years of travel can cohabit’. We can get terribly tied up in what is tasteful and stylish and forget that ones own personality in the home is the most engaging and intriguing part of the design of a home. What of course this doesn’t allow is permission to fill your home with every last piece of paraphernalia – being selective is everything and the best presentation will mix old nostalgia with new found accessories. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Curiosities versus clutter One of the deliberations of our time is not about how to acquire new accessories, but how to manage and streamline our sometimes overwhelming collection of possessions. Often styling is as much about removing objects as introducing new things – interiors can be transformed by decluttering spaces and allowing the beautiful pieces to have space to be enjoyed. My advice would always be to try to adopt the most honest approach and to be realistic about a possession’s importance. If you are holding on to things, to use the much quoted William Morris maxim ‘without knowing them to be useful or believing them to be beautiful’, then it may be time to let them go, or to tactfully store them in the attic. Conjuring up an atmosphere Unfortunately the only way to really create a good look with your accessories is to put in time and effort both at home and at the shops. Look very carefully at the spaces that you have and consider the best type of accessories – these may include lamps, cushions, pictures, books, collections, clocks, mirrors, rugs, flowers and plants - then look at what you own and like. Once you know what you need and are ready to hit the shops, be sure to know and follow your own style and to add items one at a time, standing back to consider the impact as you go along. |
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Angel + Blume’s top ten places to look for beautiful accessories 1. Graham and Green
www.grahamandgreen.com Art deco, retro and modern accessories and furniture. Mail order |
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