We love… Home accessories

By paying attention to the surrounding environment, accessories can also be used to enhance a room’s interior style through adding different textures and using colour.

With regards to interior design, many people might not be sure what constitutes an ‘accessory’. Accessories in this case are those finishing touches that add personality and enhance the aesthetic of a room. Accessories can be a range of different things, from wall art, to ornaments, antiques or modern sculptures, to keepsakes, collectibles and memorabilia.

Ultimately, any and every accessory should reflect the homeowner’s taste, as well as support the interior design of the room, rather than work against it. For example, whilst someone can like both vintage and modern styles, an old dark wood Victorian clock would look out of place in a minimalist room with clean lines and a light palette.

By paying attention to the surrounding environment, accessories can also be used to enhance a room’s interior style through adding different textures and using colour. Different textures and materials will help add variety and interest to the room; it can help soften the impact of bold decor. Cushions are a good way of doing this, for example. Likewise, in a neutrally decorated room, accessories can be used to add splashes of colour or pattern, adding a new dynamic to the decor and giving focal points which provide structure to a room.

In order to really achieve a ‘tied together’ look, accessories should always be the last touch. Their function is to add the finishing touches to complete and pull together all the elements of interior decor in a space – for example, in an open plan kitchen / living room area, there might be two or three separate colours used in order to create a psychological, rather than physical, divide between the two areas. To bring the two rooms together and make the interior design cohesive, accessories such as a rug, which contains all colours within the space could be used, placed within a central area. In addition, using a few other cleverly placed accessories such as a vase or ornamental bowl can help bring elements together. For example, in a grey coloured kitchen and blue living area, adding a grey item in the blue area and vice versa will help gel the two together and create a natural flow between the spaces.

Without accessories, a room can feel unfinished, unloved and uninspired. Up to 20 per cent of any design project will involve the purchasing and placing of accessories as finishing touches, so it’s vital that this is considered from the start. Put some budget aside and as you plan your room think about accessory style, colour and placement – it will really make your house feel like a home.