7 Popular Home Accessories
Accessories. The things that add the finishing touches to your interior design. They may not be the biggest items in your home, but they often say the most about you, and your style.
We took a look around and we found seven accessories that seem to be consistently popular. It’s not surprising because with accessories like these you can, for not huge amounts of money, add to your overall look to develop it further, or refresh it by adding a new twist.
Here’s our super seven, which we hope inspire you.
Always high on the list is the Coffee Table. There’s a lot of speculation about the origins of the Coffee Table. You’ll find references to it dating back to the low brass tables of ancient Morocco (well, to be fair, they did bring coffee to the western world!) and even Japan where low level furniture was in use centuries ago. Some say it’s a direct descendant of a 17th century style of, rather taller, English table, used for tea. Certainly by 1938 it was as we know it today and being defined as a ‘Low wide table now used before a sofa or couch’.
Because it has no real historical precedent a coffee table can be in all sorts of styles. You go contemporary and Scandinavian, or retro ‘50s. There won’t be an original early Victorian coffee table but if that’s what suits you, you’ll find one in that style.
The other great thing about a coffee table is that you can use it to say something about you - by what you put on it! Big books of art and pop culture (yes - that’s why they call them coffee table books!), a spread of glossy magazines, or a statement piece of ceramics - they all add your signature to the room. You can of course serve the coffee from it. And your coffee set of choice is yet another opportunity to set out your style.
Next up come Rugs. If coffee tables can come in a range of styles, the choice of rugs would have to be described as virtually limitless. Size, colour, design, woven, tapestry, fluffy………..you get the idea. A rug can be an investment piece or a mid price practicality. Which is a good point, because rugs are both decorative and practical. They can certainly add a splash of colourful pattern against a plain carpet. (That works vice versa too). And they can protect some flooring in a high traffic area. Give a room a classic feel with a rug of timeless Turkish tapestry, or add a dash of modernity with a slab of retro stylish citrus colour. That’s how versatile an idea rugs are.
You can pull an idea together, and give a room some cohesion, by complementing the colour of your rug with Cushions and Throws. Or mix and match. Or even clash! A throw, much like a rug, can have practical advantages (Rover - get off the sofa. Now!). But as a decorative device it’s brilliant. So simple. So stylish. And so easy. The clue is in the name - just throw it over your sofa. It has to look impromptu to be cool.
Cushions speak for themselves. Another chance to add to or change a colour scheme, they’re easy to move around. They’re fun too. There are all sorts of prints and messages available on cushions of all sizes nowadays. Try a pile of plain cushions and one stand out statement one among them. Or mix checks and stripes. There really is no limit to what you can do. And they are very cosy and comfy too!
On reflection (sorry…..it had to be said!) few accessories are more popular than Mirrors. Not only are there dozens of design styles to choose from, there are mirrors for every room of the house. Lounge, Dining Room, Bedroom…..there’s always space for a mirror.
The design of the mirror can sit with, or create a contrast to, the room’s decor. But the mirror can do more. It can lighten a room, by catching natural light. It can make a room look bigger. Oh yes - almost forgot - it can also be useful to check your hair and makeup too.
Sitting at number five in our magnificent seven is somewhere to sit. Armchairs and Accent Chairs are more popular now than ever. Armchairs speak for themselves. But Accent Chairs speak for you!
Typically an armchair will be part of, or fit in with, your suite of furniture. A single armchair matching a sofa is a great way to furnish a room.
The huge growth in popularity of the Accent Chair though is rooted in almost the opposite. It’s all about picking a chair that’s deliberately different to the rest of your furniture. It’s a single stand out piece. Maybe it’s a rocking chair, or a bit of swinging sixties style in the form of a small, brightly coloured, wing chair. Whichever route you choose the Accent Chair is a fast track to spicing up your look.
Lighting is always a key element in interior style. As with all of the accessories we’ve singled out, there’s the question of design, which is often about a ‘look’ or ‘period’. There’s a myriad of choice between the ‘Victorian’ chandelier in the centre of the ceiling and the single, seventies style, spotlight. But, leaving aside the centre piece there are wall lights, table lamps, standard lamps and reading lamps to name but a few.
And now you can add technology into the mix, with all manner of dimmer and adjustable lights giving you even more opportunities to enhance the look of how you live.
In truth it’s probably the one area where you do need expert guidance on what you can or can’t do, because safety is vital. But that won’t hold you back in finding lamps and lights that really add something to your decor.
We come to number seven. It’s tempting to say they’re another timeless accessory (too late) but Clocks are a fantastic way of accessorising a room. No matter how many smart phones, tablets, pc’s and cookers there are in the house, each one telling you the digital time, you’ll always need a clock. We’re not talking priceless family heirlooms here; although if you have one call The Antiques Road Show when they’re next in these parts and check your household contents insurance now! We’re talking about the huge range of affordable clocks on offer, in styles an colours to to fit with your furnishings. Or, as with throws and cushions, clash with them if you like. Free standing, or wall mounted. Digital or analogue. Stylishly sleek for your sophisticated lounge. Chunky and functional for your kitchen. If you’ve got the time to look there are a lot of clocks to see.
So there they are. Seven areas of accessorising that could spin out into hundreds of ideas for your home. None of them has to cost a fortune, but they’re all ideas that could make your place look a million dollars.
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14th February 2019