Good decoration can make or break your home. A skillful decorator knows how to play up your house’s strengths and hide the flaws. It’s also an excellent way to make a place your own. An empty property is not a home until you add your personal touch through decorating. It’s also enjoyable, especially if you are a design enthusiast. But it’s not always easy. If you are not careful, you can end up with a not very pleasing aesthetic. You can always hire a decorator, but if you want to do it on your own, you are gonna need some help. There are many online resources you can explore. In this article, we are going to explore a specific way of decorating. So we made a list of tips for decorating with accent furniture.
Accent furniture- What is it?
First, let’s clear up what accent furniture actually is. It’s furniture that stands out. It comes from the word accent, which means to emphasize something. Accent furniture has a lot of character and draws attention when you walk into the room. It’s risky decorating like that. It can accentuate the rest of your decorations, or it can very easily be an eyesore. That’s why you must have a good eye and some decorating skills when dealing with accent furniture.
Another essential thing to mention is that accent furniture is not very functional and serves mostly decorating purposes. Any furniture can be accent furniture, but most of the time, it’s chairs and sofas. Keep in my mind that accent furniture can be pretty expensive. So moving it has to be done very carefully so it doesn’t get damaged and you can avoid injuries when moving furniture. Pros can prevent this from happening. You will benefit from hiring a good moving company if you have some expensive furniture pieces.
Some helpful tips for decorating with accent furniture
1)Ease into it
It’s important not to rush. Start small and work your way up with accent furniture. You shouldn’t dive in right away with a huge, exotic centerpiece in a room. Chances are, you will get confused and overwhelmed. Begin with a nice chair or a little coffee table. Try to figure out what you like and what works for you. Introduce yourself to the accent furniture world slowly and steadily, and you have a higher chance of succeeding. Also, don’t worry if you feel disappointed after your first accent furniture purchase. It happens. Not many people get it right the first time. Give yourself another shot. That’s the benefit of starting small. It saves money and allows you to try again. If you bought a huge and expensive piece for the first time and realized it doesn’t work in your home, then you would be in trouble. This way, it’s not that big of a deal if it doesn’t work out.
2)Ask for help
It’s never wrong to ask for help. Decorating with accent furniture is complicated even for professionals. Go and get in touch with people who have experience with this decorating. Find out what are the common mistakes for beginners. Visit different stores and see what the furniture market has to offer. Talk with professionals and amateurs. It’s best to consult with someone if you are not sure. It may stop you from making a big mistake.
3)What do you like?
Following trends may sound appealing but is not always the way to go. The most important thing when decorating your home is that you like it. Not anyone else. So you should never pick something just because other people tell you to. You can ask them for some guidelines, but the final decision has to be yours. Cultivating your own taste and knowing what you like is crucial when it comes to decorating. Your home is supposed to be a reflection of you, and there isn’t a better way to show your personality than through accent furniture. So make sure you purchase a furniture piece because you really want it and not because you are under pressure to follow trends.
4) Measurements
When purchasing accent furniture pieces, keep in mind the size of the room that you are decorating. Proportions and scaling are important. It’s a common mistake people make at the beginning of their decorating journeys. A large piece might look beautiful and exquisite, but all of that is not important when there simply isn’t enough space in the room you are decorating. A piece like that can easily suffocate the room and make it unpleasant.
On the other hand, buying a piece that’s too small is also a problem. A smaller piece, no matter how exotic or abstract, will simply disappear in huge rooms. Accent furniture is supposed to draw attention to itself, and that’s hard to do in rooms that are too big. Another important tip – make sure the doors are big enough that you can fit that accent furniture piece through. Otherwise, it will be completely useless.
5) Colors are your friends
Don’t be afraid to go bold with the colors is one of the best tips for decorating with accent furniture we can give you. That’s the whole point of decorating with this kind of furniture. It’s not supposed to be bland, boring colors you see on furniture every day. Skip brown and beige, and go for something exciting. Yellow, pink, and red can really make your room pop. But as always, take your time and choose carefully. You are in no rush.
6) Patterns are tricky
Now we have come to the dreaded patterns. Probably the riskiest aspect of accent furniture. It can be incredible or a complete disaster if you choose wrong. Patterns are already a statement themselves. So no need to go crazy. Don’t mix too many patterns because making them look good is hard. Choose one or two, and that’s entirely enough. Maybe skip patterns if you are venturing into accent decorating for the first time. Wait till you have a bit more experience. And if you really want to have a patterned accent furniture piece in your home, it’s probably best to consult a professional decorator.
Caption: Contrast can be incredible if done right
Alt text: Different colored (orange and blue) sides of the same building that prove contrast is one of the best tips for decorating with accent furniture
7)Don’t avoid contrast
Lately, many people have been opting to add contrast to their home decor. Even though we said don’t always follow trends, this is something we can get behind. If done well, contrast can take your room from being bland to high arthouse elegance. The only problem is it’s quite hard to get it right. You can always go the classic black and white route but don’t go overboard with it. Choosing a bold, bright-colored chair or a sofa that’s in contrast with neutral colors in the rest of the room is an excellent first step. Or go in a different direction. If you have a room full of bold colors, make your accent furniture crisp white and see the glorious effect it has.
8)Keep in my mind the rest of the room
Accent furniture is supposed to highlight the rest of the room. So when choosing your pieces, it is essential not to lose sight of that.No matter how much you like a certain piece, don’t buy it at all costs. It has to work with the rest of the decor. But storage space will be helpful if you really like a piece and don’t know how to fit it in your home yet. It’s good to have this as an option because you never know when you might need to rent short-term storage to store some furniture that you don’t need at the moment or want to make more space in your home.
9)A simple rule
Decorating is very subjective, and there isn’t some equation that’s going to give you the right answer. But there are some rules and guidelines that can be helpful. One of those is the 60-30-10 rule. It’s quite simple. Number 60 signifies that 60% should be the overall color in your room. A sort of background color that you upgrade with other colors. Now the secondary color should take up 30% of your room. That 30% should be complementary to the main color. And now the fun part. The remaining 10 % percent is where our accent furniture comes into play. Furniture in an accented color should be the final touch and what gives the room character and flare. You can go with a contrasting color and add some fun or luxury to the room, but keep it at 10%.
10)Chairs
The most commonly used furniture pieces for this type of decorating are chairs. And for a good reason. A good statement chair can get you far. Remember, an accent chair is not just a chair. It can set the vibe of the whole room. It’s supposed to be the first thing that catches your eye when you walk in. There are a few things to keep in my when picking a chair like this.
Keeping in mind the size of the room you are decorating is important
One of the great tips for decorating with accent furniture is to not be afraid of color
Contrast can be incredible if done right
- Size
- Color
- Material
- Purpose