The Best Way to Accessorize for a
Room You’ll Never Want to Leave

Sometimes, all a room needs is some accessories to pull everything together! Here in Western Massachusetts, we see homes all the time that have furniture that all works together, but the client just needs the finishing touches. It needs to be pulled together. It happens all the time, and that’s what we’re here for! It’s actually my favorite thing to do! I LOVE decorating and accessorizing. It’s fun to me because it’s like a challenge, using what people already have and making it all come to life. Since it’s such a common problem, I wanted to share my tips and tricks with you, some things you need to pay attention to in order to create a perfectly pulled together room!

Scale– Scale is a really important part of decorating a room. If you have a large sofa, you can’t put a teeny little lamp next to it, or a small picture over it, and expect them to look like a magazine. If you’ve got two end tables, get two good size matching lamps to put on them. Find a piece of artwork, that’s at least ⅔ the size of your sofa, that brings in all of the colors in your room. Your art really does need to be bigger than you think. Also, your tables should be large enough in comparison to your other furniture. The end tables should be comparable to the sofa’s arm height, tall enough to easily reach from the sofa, and be large enough to fit a lamp, a drink and maybe a candle. Your coffee table should also be about ⅔ of the width of the sofa and no higher than the seat height of the sofa. There should be enough room for decorative items and for people to put food or drink on. Did I mention how many homes I go into that don’t have a coffee table! You need a coffee table. If you are hesitant because of little kids, go with an ottoman for soft edges and simply add a tray so that you have a hard surface to put drinks down on.

Rug– Rugs are the number one mistake that we see. Small little area rugs that only fit under the coffee table and don’t reach the furniture, tiny little scatter rugs on either side of the bed. PLEASE don’t do it!! Don’t even get me going on runners next to the bed! The best rule of thumb is to measure 18” in from each wall, and the result is the size rug you’ll need to fit that room. In a bedroom, you should be able to walk all the way around the bed and be on the rug. Another thing to keep in mind is that in a family room or living room, the front feet of all furniture should be on the rug. The rug acts as a base for a “conversation area”. Don’t leave your friends on the loveseat out of the group. Grab our Area Rug Do’s and Don’ts eBook here!! You should be able to have a comfortable conversation from all of your furniture without yelling.

Window treatments– A lot of people have trouble with window treatments. I’m sorry, but the days of curtains and valances are gone! They went the way of the wallpaper border! In fact, we have an entire video of things in your home that are making you look old! Check that out here. The best way to get the most light out of your window and make your room look taller is to hang your draperies high and wide. I say it all the time. LOL Hang your rod at the ceiling or at least half way between the ceiling and the top of the trim. You want the inside of the drapery panels to come just to the inside of the trim and not covering your window. They should also end just above the floor. Download this window treatment tip sheet to print and take with you when you’re measuring. Also, don’t be afraid of layering. You can layer draperies with roman shades, or sheers to add privacy and some more texture.

The Rule of 3– When you’re grouping accessories or tchotchkes, use three different sized items. You can have three different size candle holders on your fireplace mantel. Or on a foyer table, lean a large painting against the wall with a good size lamp and a plant. It’s all about odd numbers. Even the above photo with the clock on the wall, tall plan and plate is a good example. The rule of 3 gets your eye moving so you see it as a whole, and not just one item.

Only buy what you LOVE– What’s the best way to collect a bunch of items you don’t like, that you end up donating in a year? Buying things that you don’t absolutely love. If you have a personal connection to something and you just HAVE to have it in your home, get it! But if you see something and think “maybe this will work with what I have but I don’t love it”… don’t do it. I ask my clients all the time “Do you love it?” If their response is “It’s ok.” My response is always “Ok is not what we’re going for. There are enough options in the world today that you should love it, not think it’s ok.” In fact, Details is know for personalizing homes for our clients. Your home should be a reflection of you and your family. I like to learn about our clients and their likes and dislikes, and then take that into account when decorating their room. If you like clowns, I’ll give you clowns, in a nice, put together way like the below photo. These are actually antique, brass bookends that I found at the Brimfield Antique Show. They were perfect for our clown collection client! They may not be for you, but this client loves them! And see that pinecone in the back? This client’s home is in the woods, hence the pinecone.

Pillows– Don’t just stick with the pillows that came with your sofa. Get some pillows in contrasting colors or a fun pattern that doesn’t conflict with your sofa. It will create some visual interest and texture. Don’t forget to throw a pillow on the chairs in the room as well. They can help pull everything together. If there’s a color in a pillow that isn’t anywhere else in your room, bring in another accessory or a piece of art with the same color. It will start to make sense if you carry it through.

Texture– Keep in mind when you’re buying pillows and accessories to bring in different textures to create interest. In a room with a lot of upholstery, bring in some wood, wicker baskets or metal. Your eye needs a break from all one type of texture. It will give visual interest and warmth. Think about adding a throw as well. You can bring in some more color and fun texture with that too! Texture is super important if you’re not using much color in a space.

Plants– My last tip is to always add plants! Put a little one in a cute pot on the coffee table, a large one in the corner of the room to take up some dead space, and maybe a small one on your nightstand. They can really make a room, they bring in texture like we talked about above, and they bring in some color and nature. Plants will soften a room where you need something but you’re not quite sure what to put there. They’re also great for air quality. You can get decorative and use some pretty and unique plant stands or pots, or use simple ones to blend right in with the decor.

I hope these tips help you give your room a facelift! If you’re still unsure of how to put it all together, take a look at our Room Refresh Makeover Special! We’ll come in and help you with everything I just talked about. Happy decorating!

Pin this post to save it for later!