Accents and Accessories

Well-designed spaces come to life when the finishing touches are introduced. The personality of a space is in large part determined by the art and accessories included there. These lend individuality, wit, charm, and interest to a room, personalizing the space so that it could not be anyone else’s house. Art, objects, decorative accents, and plants are hardly incidentals; they add warmth, opulence, color, and character. They are part of any good design plan and deserve a great deal of attention. In some instances, particularly when an extraordinary work of art is to be showcased, an entire space is planned around an accessory. Look at pages 448-449 of your text, figures 14.16 and 14.17. Note the color palette of the rooms and the way the rooms are designed to make the art the star of the show. The rug in figure 14.16 has been designed and customized to repeat the shapes in the Picasso painting. Figure 14.17 illustrates the way modern furniture styles can be used alongside large, rather traditional art. You may want to develop a style or theme in a designed space, or you may enjoy blending styles and themes if you can do so confidently.

With regard to art and accessories, “less is more” is a good guideline. Errors of omission are less common than errors of inclusion. The biggest mistake people make when doing their own design work is that they clutter the space with too many poorly placed items. Sometimes this is because they have been given gifts from family members who expect to see them ‘out’ when they visit. Sometimes too much is scattered about because people....