a beginners guide to: buying accessories

GUIDES

Jan 1

Accessories are everything. And they should be what differentiate a home (or any space) from a showroom. By adding our personality to the mix it should speak volumes about ourselves and reflect our taste, our lifestyle, our travels, and our interests.

Rule #1 when buying accessories :YOU.MUST.NOT.RUSH.

Now, we know that when getting a new place you may want it to look ‘lived in and cozy’ right away, but we strongly advise that you to take your time. Go to flea markets, buy authentic, hand-made artisanal objects on your trips, support that upcoming artist you met at that show, or buy a limited-edition item at those cute little museum gift-shops. Whatever it is, accessories should be purchased with intention.

We can’t stress this enough: Nothing is tackier than a house full of generic, meaningless “decorations”. We can almost always tell it was mindlessly purchased for the sake of filling out an awkward empty space. Thought must be put into selecting our accessories. As interior designers we can easily make a lot of profit for selecting art and accessories for our clients, but we ALWAYS encourage them venture out on their own when looking for accents, and to sometimes let accessories come to them. After all, they should be about them, not us.

One should really look at our accents more as a ‘collection’. As such, you give it the value it deserves, and understand that to build it you need to put your curator hat on. You should also ask yourself a few questions before spending your valuable money. Do you love it? Does it make you happy? Would you be able to describe it in an articulate way that doesn’t make you cringe? Does it have a particular meaning or reminds you of something in your life? Can you someday pass it down to your successors or a family member? Would they want it? If the answers are YES then by all means, show them your money.

It really doesn’t matter where you get your accessories. Some can be expensive, others might be from the corner dollar store, and some you may even have been found on a sidewalk (one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure!). Slowly but steadily, with patience and perseverance, you will have created a carefully selected collection of items that will have a story of their own. Great convo starters btw!

Got it? Ok.

Now that we’re on the same page on the importance of being mindful with our purchases, here’s a good place to start:

Greenery: Plants are as much an accessory as they are a friend. And much like friends they should be properly and consistently nurtured. It can be hard, but maintaining plants can be a cathartic practice if you put your mind and soul in it. They also purify the air you breathe and make your place look amazing! What else do you need? Ah yes. Pay attention to the light condition, and don’t waterboard them. Psst! We made you a guide!

Flowers: Nothing is sadder than an empty vase. We know that sometimes they feel like a money pit, but is a small luxury you should strive to afford. And flowers will ALWAYS make your place look like a mature adult actually lives there. Plus, flowers remind you of the ephemeral condition of life and beauty (intense, we know).

Family and friends portraits: Do we really need to explain the importance of this one? We didn’t think so. Now, a few tips: Please don’t make them tacky. They should look like they belong in Vanity Fair and were shot by Mario Testino. Low resolutions and poor-quality printing are unacceptable. Also, don’t overwhelm your guests with a 40x40 portrait of yourself (or anyone else) above your sofa. Let big artwork be the focal point, and leave the portraits for smaller-scale picture frames. If you wan't to go for a gallery wall be mindful of the print colors. Either all black & white, or a few b&w and a few color ones, but make sure the color ones have generally the same tones, brightness, etc. The idea is for the gallery to look somewhat homogenous, given the fact that they look ‘messy’ to begin with.

Books: We all have them. We may have read them, we may have never even opened them, but books are LIFE and they just happen to be gorgeous to look at! Books are a home’s soul. So get them on your shelves, coffee tables and consoles, in your kitchen, in the bathroom? There really isn’t an end here. Sort them alphabetically, by size, color, theme, or whatever technique works best for you. And go on, read them already.

Art: We can go on and on and on on this subject. In fact, we made a whole post about it and you can read it here!