Styling is one of the most important things to consider when renovating or completing a room. For me styling is when I’m in my element, as this is the most important part of finalising a space and the time to add all those finishing touches, which help to transform a house to a home. Styling can completely transform a space to achieve your perfect look and feel by bringing the whole room together through accessories. I love going to many different shops to find all those special, quirky items such as cosy cushions which add colours and textures to accessorise areas of the room. I believe this finally brings the room to life and reflects your own personal taste and style.
Whether your project is residential or commercial, including; home staging, product styling for photo-shoots and on set styling – I can help you create a unique way of putting items together to create photogenic, elegant and creative spaces. When designing a space there are some simple rules I follow each time no matter the size, style or budget of the project. These rules I want to share with you to help you achieve the most out of your space and pull the room together through accessorising.
1- Group your pieces into clusters
This is what I have done here with the lamp. By selecting smaller objects and arranging them together they become an eye-catching design element and more effective than if they were placed individually. As William Morris says, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. If there's something you love, whether it's a piece of artwork, accessories, lamps or furniture, think about how best to work your design of your room around it. It's pieces like these that create homes/rooms that are individual and polished which capture the personality of those living it.
2- Greenery
If you are rubbish at remembering to water plants like me 😂 You can find very beautiful faux plants to suit any style of home, my go to shops for these are, IKEA, Cox & Cox, Hudson Home and Neptune. They all have some really cost effective pieces that bring that indoor/outdoor vibe to your home, making spaces feel larger and fresh.
3- Statement artwork
Make sure you add at least one key piece to your space. Go big!! Make a statement, set the scene for your room and base your accessories around this theme. Artwork allows there to be a focal point to a room and immediately draws your eye. If you are styling your home ready for sale, did you know that buyers linger in a furnished home an average of 40 minutes? So, having stimulating/inspiring statement pieces is key to make potential buyers linger for longer
and increase the attraction of your home.
If you are selecting artwork for your forever home, I think it is important to choose pieces which have meaning to you, as well as looking great. For instance, in the landscape image below, this was a hand painted piece of Dartmoor which had purpose and meaning to the family. You don’t have to apply this in every art piece but a couple of sentimental pieces in your home can make you feel relaxed and harmonious.
4- Single frames/Gallery artwork
When selecting smaller frames to fill spaces on walls, my advice is to fill these with memories, family photos, holidays, things that make you reflect and feel at home.
If you are creating a collage wall, have a mixture of ‘art’ and memories. This will help to create impact for your gallery wall, as you will have so many eye-catching pieces you eye will be drawn to the gallery as a whole at first before the individual frames.
Don’t forget to play around with sizes, a mixture of text, family memories and art imagery to get a polished look.
5. Candles and diffusers
This is more of a personal tip but one I highly recommend. Adding these to your design will help please your other senses and add a calming, relaxed and homely feel to your space. My go to scents are, Lime and Basil by the white company, Freesia & Cedar by Stone and Glow or anything with coconut.
6- Patterns & textures
Bring in pattern using cushions, rugs, and throws. The patterns do not have to be over the top, subtle patterns can work just as well, as they help to add texture/layers to the room and set the mood. In each of these images below I have selected cushions which compliment each other, making sure that they share certain elements such as the zebra stripe cushion has black in it but then adding a block black fur cushion to the back to balance the colour.
7- Colour balance
If you have gone for neutral/plain colours in your larger items like sofas and curtains and planning on introducing colour in your cushions, artwork, and accessories then this one’s for you. Using colour ratio allows you to create schemes that feel effortlessly harmonious by balancing colours across the room.
For instance, in this scheme below. I have a grey check sofa, a plain grey sofa and a navy velvet armchair which are sat in different areas of the room. When choosing cushions and throws for the space, I made sure I had navy velvet cushions to bring the navy over onto the check and plain sofas. I did the same for the check sofa too and it allowed the colours to balance across the room and create a pulled together look. I also introduced ochre to this scheme as it was something my client wanted, but only a small amount. Keeping this colour to smaller pieces allows for a change up of colour scheme later down the line and an affordable option to change up the look of a room, without a large expense. This rule can also be used for the accessories you select. I added navy vases and candles to introduce more blue and help balance the colour of the navy armchair across to the side tables and shelves etc. I also used navy velvet curtains in the space which sit over the opposite side of the room to the navy velvet armchair. The entire room now has a complete flow of colour. Give it a try.
8- Lighting
The correct lighting in a room can make all the difference and you don’t have to spend a lot of money. If your budget allows, then I’m a big fan of having a feature ceiling light fitting. However, if you can’t stretch to that expense, then ceiling light shades can work just as well. For me though, lamps/floor lamps are the biggest contribution towards lighting in a room and can exert the ultimate cosy feel.
Go big or go home is my advice, oversized lamps can be a beautiful feature to any room and make just as much of a statement as a ceiling fitting.
Transformation
Here are some examples shots of rooms which have been completely redesigned and decorated with all the new furniture in place ready, showcasing the impact of how much styling really can transform a room…
Room before Styling
Room after styling