Home Design Accents: Getting the finishing touches right

Achieving that wow factor when you walk into a room is not just about making significant design decisions. It’s the small additions and finishing touches that pull a room together and make the design feel complete.

Although accessorising a room takes place at the end of the design process, it is also something you should be thinking about when you start conceptualising the interior design of the room. The scatter cushions, trays, books, candles, vases, art, plants, and flowers you choose need to work together to give an elegant and impactful layer to the room.

Collect items you think will work in the room as you see them rather than buying them all at once because otherwise, you will run the risk of the room looking too staged. The finishing touches allow you to add natural and playful energy to the room’s design.

When putting together the finishing touches, it’s also worthwhile to combine items that have different textures that will contribute to a layered experience of the room. While choosing the accessories, consider the colour scheme you envisioned in the design to ensure that final additions to the room add visual accents and dial back the drama where needed.

Where you place the accessories helps a person navigate the space visually. You can position fixtures in the same colour and tone together. Or you can strategically place them around the room, drawing the eye to the centrepiece of the room, for example, the fireplace, or to the window looking onto the garden.

Different types of accessories play different roles in the overall design of the room. For instance, scatter cushions offer the opportunity to add pattern and texture where there is little already or to ground dramatic pieces in the room. Accent tables can become a focal point or used to showcase the books, vases, or objects placed on them. Putting books next to the couch, on the coffee table, or a well-positioned bookshelf also makes visitors in the room feel at home.

Art is useful when accessorising a room because it can change the whole feel of the space. You can use oversized artwork as a vibrant and visually commanding centrepiece.

Flowers and plants give life and energy to a room. You can introduce flowers that pull through the colour theme you’ve chosen, say a splash of pink that connects with the blush pink in the painting. Plants bring the outside in and add a welcome freshness to the design.

Introduce a sense of warmth and cosiness by placing candles in candle holders that fit with your overarching design in natural materials if your theme is rustic or glass for a more contemporary feel. You can position them on the mantlepiece above the fireplace, on the coffee table or the window ledge.

You may well ask, how do I know where to place the items, and how do I know when I have done enough? As with any creative process, it is a matter of trial and error, and, like many professional designers, you will need to play around until you feel that it has all come together.

Remember, there are no rules, and, as long as you try different things and experiment along the way, your ultimate design, with all its finishing touches, is bound to surprise and delight visitors.

If you are looking for property styling services in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, call Pabs today on 1800 20 10 20 for your free quote.