How to Add Finishing Touches to a Room
“The details are not the details. They make the design.”
So you’ve got your colours sorted, you’ve arranged your furniture and now it’s time for the accessories - adding the finishing touches is what really brings a room to life. Styling is so important when it comes to pulling a room together and there’s more to successful styling than meets the eye. Here’s just a few ways styling can be used to complete a room design:
Adding colour
If you’re scared to be bold with colour on your walls, a great way to introduce it is through the artwork and accessories. In this open-plan kitchen-diner, blue and blue-green accessories are used to harmonise with the green sofa, with pops of orange bringing the room to life. See how the painting on the fireplace brings all the colours together?
Introducing pattern and texture
Using accessories that have pattern and texture can really change the mood of a space. In this little boy’s room, the patchwork quilt from Great Little Trading Co. introduces lots of different patterns for a fun feel. The stripes of the quilt echo the stripes of the floorboards while the check patterns in the cushion and quilt complement each other perfectly. To finish it off, the texture of the sheepskin rug creates a warm and cosy feel and really softens the room.
Zoning spaces
Rugs are great for zoning a space, whether in a living room, bedroom or kitchen. In a large, open plan dining kitchen, a rug can be used under the table to visually separate the dining area from other zones. Although this little boy’s room isn’t huge, we used a cosy rug from La Redoute to zone the play area.
Incorporating personal touches
It’s really the personal touches that make a house a home - your home should tell your story. Often, you’ll already have lots of things that can be used to style your space, from family heirlooms to things you’ve picked up on your travels. Styling doesn’t have to be expensive!
In the little alcove above, we created some shelves using some old disused shelves that were in our basement. I bought a glass case from Nkuku to display the original house deeds and old cigarette packets that we’d found during our house renovation. We found the old glass bottle in our basement when we moved in and I bought the mid-century clock from eBay. The candle was a gift from years ago but I kept it because I like the pot. Total cost of this little alcove (including the shelves) - £50!
Our kitchen shelves are full of vintage finds we’ve collected over the years, like the Welsh cookbook that reminds me of home.
Adding some gold
Using metallic decorative accessories that complement the rest of the items in your space can really lift the scheme. The gold mirror above is a beautiful feature in its own right but it reflects the lovely window opposite and bounces a lot of natural light around the space.
If you’ve recently decorated and you’re struggling to add the finishing touches to your space, please get in touch. I’m based in Halifax, West Yorkshire and I also offer a remote design service.
