Article by Karen Haller Interiors Ltd
Have you found yourself bringing home beautiful treasures from your travels, flea markets or whilst out in nature, but been left wondering how to display them?
Styling is the art of creating a visual impact with beautiful displays of collectibles. It’s about personalising your space with the objects and those special finds that you love.
If you’ve ever wondered how to display your favourite things, here are 5 tips to get you started.
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1. Clear & clean
The best way to start is by clearing out the room, including everything off the walls. That way you can start from a blank canvas. It’s also the ideal opportunity to do a good clean and throw out. That’s probably not the first thing you wanted to hear, but it will be worth it.
Then look at what you have. If you love it, then show it. With essentials that you don‟t need to put on display, store it. For the rest, bin it or give to charity.
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2. Make a display of it
How you group your objects will give a different feel to the room. Grouping in even numbers or pairs gives a look of harmony and balance if you are looking to create an elegant style. Grouping in odd numbers will give a more relaxed, informal, quirky look. You’ll be creating what is known as vignettes, small collections of interest.
If space is limited then why not turn your everyday items into a beautiful display.
Group your treasures that are similar in themes, textures or colours. Themes could be collections from your travels or similar objects such as photo frames. When it comes to textures, how it feels to the touch – smooth, matt or rough.
It’s very easy to stray into the realms of clutter. Less is more.
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3. Light & Shade
When it comes to selecting the colours for your room, try to keep the colours within the same tonal group. All colours are either warm (yellow based) or cool (blue based). They then fall into one of four colour groups – clear and bright (no black or grey added), muted with grey or black or bold and intense.
If you want to try out a new colour but you’re not sure if you’ll like it, the safest way is to bring it in as an accent colour.
4. Experiment
A great friend and fellow stylist Lisa Madigan is right when she says “Be brave…trust your instincts… don’t be afraid to mix old with new. Don’t take it too seriously, have a bit of fun!”
Remember, this is all about experimenting, if you don‟t like it just change it. Even professional stylists experiment until it feels right.
5. Love your home
If you nurture and love your home, it will nurture and love you in return. Take the time. You’ll be amazed where you’ll find your next treasure. It’s not about how much it costs, but that you love it. It may be a shell off the beach, or a find at your local flea market or charity store.
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Take a rainy day and try out your new styling skills. I’d love to hear how you went.
So remember, if you style in a way that is an expression of your authentic self, you can’t go wrong!
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Happy Styling!!
Lots of Love,
Karen x
Karen specialises in holistic interior design and colour psychology www.karenhallerinteriors.co.uk
very useful advice, I keep accumulating objects I buy on holiday and never know how to arrange them when I get home…
That is so interesting about even/uneven numbers of things, I never thought about it! I have a question instead about flowers: how important is number for those? and how about colours? Can I get away with an orchid in a room that’s painted light yellow? Thanks!
Hi Claire,
Pleased the article was of help to you. If you find you have lots of objects, don’t feel you have to have them all out on display at once. By changing your displays is a simple and quick way to give your interiors a fresh look.
Have fun experimenting!
Karen x
I love the collection of objects on the wall. That eclectic mix is so nice – but how do you stop it from looking cluttered?
Hi Marianne,
Glad you found the article interesting.
In regards to flowers look at the proportion and size of the flowers to the size and shape of the vase/vessel. A vase with a narrow neck showcases a single stem beautifully. A vase tightly packed with the same flower, e.g. straight stemmed roses looks stunning as does a loosely arranged whimsical posy. Check out your local florist for ideas. Some florist hold flower arranging workshops.
If you can buy an orchid whose flowers are a warm colour as it will harmonious better with the yellow walls (which I’m assuming is a warm yellow).
Hope that is of help to you.
Karenx
Hi Tam,
Thank you for your query.
Clutter is subjective. One person’s beloved collection is another person’s clutter. As long as when you walk into the space you don’t feel overwhelmed by the collection and it’s visually appealing to you then you’re on the right track!
Have fun developing your style.
Karenx