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The Art of Accessorizing

Accessorizing — this is the icing on the cake; an aspect of decorating that reflects your personality and lifestyle. This is probably the most enjoyable part of the decorating process. The placement of accessories can make or break a room.

Lighting
Before you begin the accessorizing process, it is important to place your lighting in the room. This will ensure your lighting becomes a part of the "accessory story" you are about to tell.

Following are a few general guidelines when incorporating lighting into your room:

• Create a triangle with the placement of your lamps used for task lighting. This will insure uniform lighting in the room.

• Lamps used for task lighting should be approx. 28" to 32" tall. Optimum height should be 40" to 42" from floor. If your lamp is not tall enough, elevate it on hardback books with the dust jackets removed. Good task lighting should be positioned behind the reader's shoulder and the lamp shade should be slightly below the reader's nose.

• A good height for lamps on dressers or accent lighting is 20" to 24".

• Do not place the lamp square in the center of the table. Bring it toward the upholstery and closer to the reader.

• Dining room chandeliers should be about ½ the width of the table plus 9".

The lighting has been placed and it's time to move on to wall art and accessories.

Hanging Artwork
When accessorizing your space, begin with the focal wall in the room to make the most impact with the accessories you have. After decorating the focal wall, work clockwise around the room. Don’t try to “stretch” the art to fill the room. Focus on each area of the room and make it the best it can be. If there are empty areas when you are done, you will have a better idea of what accessories you will need to purchase to finish decorating the space. Here are some guidelines for working with accessories. Attention to detail is very important at this stage of the decorating game.

Eye level & who came up with that one?
Whose eye level are we using - the 6' husband or the 5' wife? When hanging artwork, it is important to consider the function of the room. If the room you are decorating is a room you are typically seated in, then the artwork needs to be placed lower so you can appreciate it while seated on the furniture. A good rule of thumb is to hang artwork so the center of the picture or group of pictures is approximately 54" from the floor. When placing artwork over a piece of furniture, such as a sofa or a table, hang it no higher than 6"– 9" over the furniture. Doing so will relate the art to the furniture.

Spacing is another important consideration. Many people tend to spread out the artwork so it seems to occupy a larger area. This tends to minimize the beauty of the accessory story. A good rule of thumb is to space wall art about a palm's width apart, which visually relates the items. If the pictures are smaller than a 12" x 18", decrease the space between pictures.

When creating a grouping in an area, lay it out on the floor beneath the space to get a feel for the composition you are trying to achieve. Pay close attention to the components of the grouping; they should relate either by subject or color.

Observe placement of dark and light frames as well as matting colors. You are trying to achieve a sense of balance by mixing the colors throughout the grouping. If you are unsure of your choices, cut out the shapes from kraft paper and tape it on the walls to get some sense of your grouping. Now visualize an imaginary line around the overall composition – does it fit inside a rough shape or form such as a rectangle, oval, triangle, or square?

• Groupings or single pictures should occupy about 2/3 of the space of the piece of furniture it is hanging over to achieve the proper proportion.

• Old rules say put the heavier piece on the bottom, but don't be afraid to break some rules. It will give the grouping a more interesting look.

• Tuck artwork in unusual places, for example, between the lamp table and lampshade. This will create a nice surprise for the eyes.

• Use accessories to expand a piece of furniture. If you have a vertical narrow piece of furniture, adding artwork on the side of it can expand the size and soften the strong vertical line.

• Repeating a line is visually interesting. A wreath over the mantle flanked by a round plate will pull the entire grouping together.

When adding a mirror to the wall art mixture, pay close attention to what is actually reflected in the mirror when you are seated in the room. Traditionalists place a mirror over a mantle but in most cases all that is reflected is the ceiling and light fixture. This is not the reflection you want your family and guests to focus on. A mirror should be used to expand space or reflect light into a room.

Area Rugs & Tablescapes
Area rugs are a valuable addition to almost every living or family room. The addition of a rug anchors the conversation area. It is important to relate the rug to the furniture grouping not allowing the rug to “float” alone in the center of the room. Also, make sure the rug is large enough for the space. A good rule of thumb is a 5' x 8' and no smaller than a 4' x 6'. When placing a rug in a dining area, it should be at least 6" wider than the space a chair pulled back would occupy. When in doubt, always go up in size, not down.

When creating tablescapes and shelf arrangements, gather collections that may be spread throughout your home. Make sure items you use for a tablescape arrangement are the correct size and scale for the surface. Also, remember to use highs and lows to create interest. Books minus their book jackets are wonderful "pedestals" to elevate accessories. Do not overfill the tabletops; leave some space so the tables have an actual function if needed for the occasional beverage. Here are a few other great tips:

• Odd numbers of accessories work better when clustered together. Using an odd number of objects, reinforces the rule about the triangle shape being visually pleasing to the human eye.

• If you have a collection of many small pieces, unify them by placing them on a tray.

• If you have two matching lamps, elevate one of them by placing a couple of handsome books under it. The elevated lamp should generally be at the left of the sofa. We "read" a room like we read a book: left to right.

• Bookshelves are more interesting when accessories are arranged in a zigzag pattern. On the top shelf, begin by creating the highest point with a tall accessory placed on the left moving toward the right with smaller accessories. On the second shelf, place the tallest accessory on the right moving toward the left with the smaller accessories and so on. If you have a number of shelves, then center one impressive piece on the shelf midway down the bookcase, and then return to the zigzag pattern.

• If you have a bookcase with adjustable shelves, create more interest by varying the space between the shelves. For an unexpected touch, remove one of the shelves and hang a mirror or picture to the back wall of the bookcase.

• Vary books with interesting objects to create dimension and add pockets of color to the shelves and the room. Repeat a color in a room at least three times to make it belong to the room.

• When unloading your bookshelves, remove items beginning with the bottom shelf working towards the top. When you are filling your bookshelves with accessories, reload your shelves starting with the top shelf working towards the bottom. This way, if you accidentally drop something, you will not chance breaking as many items.

• Accessories are a true reflection of the personality of the people that live in the home. As you shop for the missing pieces of your room, remember to purchase things that reflect your style and personality&not just something that "matches". Hotels have pictures that match...is that the look you want to achieve for your room?

Now stand back and look -- does the room look awesome? Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

 

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