Home Accessories
Is it time to get a real sofa and invest in home accents you love? Maybe you're just starting out with your first condo or apartment--or maybe you're ready to refresh your home design. Like many people you may be busy with work or living on a budget, with little left over for the home design ideas you crave. But that's okay!
At eb&ive, we believe that everybody deserves great home furnishings. To help you get started, we've gathered our favourite tips for home accessories. Our guide will make your place look polished and personal... without you having to do a complete overhaul.
First, Invest in an Essential Item
When people are decorating or redecorating, it's a good plan to spend money on a bigger-ticket item, such as a bed, sofa or dining table. If you already have your basic furniture, then you're ready to accessorise. However, if your room is completely bare, you'll have to start from the ground up. An investment piece is like a little black dress or a perfectly fitting blouse in your wardrobe, acting as a foundation that you can build upon.
Buy Pieces That Can Move With You
If this is your first place, it's likely that you're going to move at some point. But even if you're fully invested in your dream home ("I will be here for the rest of my life!") it's still a smart choice to choose pieces that you can move and rearrange. A well-designed sofa or bed can be moved around, but wallpaper cannot. Art and decorative items, on the other hand, are a smart investment. Not only do they create striking visual impact, but they can be transported from space to space.
Splurging on an original painting from your favourite artist can make a space feel extremely personal. After all, what creates a bigger impact than personally curated art? However, there are a huge variety of home accents that add that personal touch, such as a small plant in a cute planter or a beautiful, natural-fibre knit blanket for your bedroom.
Your home accents don't have to cost a lot. Custom framing can take a thrift-store photograph or family photo into an eye-catching piece, while a marble cutting board or a few cookbooks can add warmth to your kitchen counter.
Delight Multiple Senses
When decorating your home, the only thing that really matters is how these pieces make you feel. This is your little slice of the world where you get to control your surrounds--and many people find that empowering! While checking out trends can provide inspiration, ultimately you want to surround yourself with pieces that evoke a certain mood or feeling that is true to yourself.
When finding home accents, we tend to focus on visual elements. However, there are multiple other senses--such as touch and smell--that you should appeal to as well. Think of the smoothness of pebbles in a glass jar, the soft caress of wall hangings or carpets, or rough rustic touches like a burlap and lace curtain. When it comes to smell, the strongest sense tied to memory, make your place really smell like home with a delightful scented candle, room spray or potpourri.
Artisan candles are the perfect way to add texture, light and scent to your space.
Upgrade Your Lighting
Most people don't think of swapping out light fixtures, but lighting ultimately changes how you see your entire space. Light fixtures come in a variety of styles, while the bulbs themselves range from cool to warm light tones. Changing the lighting is much easier than you think, and it will make a big impact on your space. Some small lighting ideas, such as a small lamp or artisan candles, is a perfect interior design idea that can set a special mood when the time is right.
Invest in High-Quality Accessories You Won't Tire of
Throw pillows, towels and blankets can add delightful texture and comfort to a variety of living spaces. You want quality pieces that can stand up to daily wear-and-tear, but ultimately these types of accessories are changeable and more affordable than large furniture pieces. That means these little touches are perfect ways to experiment with your style, and changing decorative accessories for the living room, like pillows or eclectic accent rugs is an easy method of rejuvenating your space!
Aim for about 25% Vintage Pieces mixed in with New Styles
When you're decorating or redecorating a space, it's tempting to want to do it all at once. Instead, we recommend mixing vintage and used pieces with the new pieces you're searching for. Finding antique and vintage pieces, such as coffee tables, chairs and headboards, may take a little more effort to find if you're looking on eBay or at local thrift shops, but think of it as an adventure. You'll end up with a unique, quality items at a steal.
Mixing vintage items isn't just about saving money. It's also about adding warmth to your space. Ever been to a friend or neighbour's home that felt sterile or impersonal? Sometimes, a house with all-new furnishings can feel lifeless, even if it is decorated in good taste. Instead, aim for about 25% used, vintage or hand-me-down pieces to create a cosy, inviting space.
Don't Forget The Kitchen!
As the saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of every home. Investing in kitchen goods is always a smart idea. We all have to eat, and a few kitchen pieces can help you create wonderful meals while also adding warmth and life into the heart of your space. A few strategically placed bottles of wine, a fruit basket or a good cheese board will add colour and warmth to any counter as well.
For a good splurge, buy some quality knives and a couple really good pots and pans that you can keep forever. But kitchen accents can fit a variety of budgets! With a little creativity, you can add unique pieces to your kitchen that are meaningful to you. For example, you can save wine corks from meals shared with friends and put them on display in a glass bowl or jar.
Make it a Long-Term Project
In the excitement of decorating a space, all too often people are in a rush to get it all done at once. The idea of one big shopping trip can be exhilarating, but it can be all too easy to "impulse buy" furnishings, or pigeonhole yourself into a certain aesthetic. Instead, we recommend living in the home for awhile to understand the space.
Once you build a relationship with the space, gradually furnish it with little touches and pieces that add colour. By giving yourself the time to understand your space, you'll end up with home furnishings that are a more accurate depiction of who you are. Plus, when you buy little accents over a long period of time, you'll extend the feelings of joy and excitement that come with house decoration. So, take a look at our home decor collection and find your newest home decor piece to rejuvenate your space now!
