(Photo credit: Tomasz1950)How to Use Home Decor Accents to Personalize Your Home Space into a Decor Theme
By Rita Perdue
Well folks, Spring has sprung and with the impending Tax Refund check coming, now is the time to spruce things up in your home or apartment. Are you ready for a change in your home decor, but don't have the time to make big changes like painting the walls? Is replacing all the furniture or the flooring too expensive? Then this article is for you! Ever wonder why home accents are called "accents?" Because they are the "little things" that make your space your home by putting a splash of color or a dash of art here or there around that space.
Are you a pack rat or do you like clean lines and open spaces? Does having all your favorite things around you make you feel cozy and comfortable? What if you have a small space or you rent an apartment or home and can't make those BIG changes? Then make the little ones! Let the four walls and the floor be your canvas and be creative with the décor accents. Remember, with home décor accents, if you don't like the look, or if you get tired of it, they are easily replaced, and much easier than replacing the big pieces of furniture or the wall to wall carpet.
Let's get started. It's easy. First, what's your favorite décor "theme?" Don't have one yet? Well let's think about that. Do you like boats, lighthouses, sea shells, the beach? Then a Nautical theme is for you. Are you a horse lover? Do you like Cowboys and rodeos? Then the Western theme is for you. Is your favorite animal the deer, moose, elk, or loons and ducks. Sounds like you're a rustic lodge kind of person. Or do you like big bright sunflowers, roosters, and grapevines? Then you are wide open with choices with the Country theme. Country can be French, Tuscan, Shabby Chic, or good ole down home, front porch country - like Texas. In short, your "theme" can be anything you want it to be.
Assuming that making a whole house furniture purchase is out of the question, what type of furniture do you have - antiques, modern, art deco, leather, bargain basement specials? It really doesn't matter because you can combine any or all of these into your "theme" décor by matching or off-setting the colors of décor accents with the colors present in your furniture. How about the Southwestern look with all the mystery of the Native American Indians? Or are you more into the Asian Oriental theme and want your home to reflect the simplification of the Tibetan monks with room for meditation? Whatever it is, just pick your favorite "thing" and then build on that. Don't worry about getting new furniture, you can easily use your eclectic furniture, be it handed down to you from Grandma or Aunt Betty, or other family members, by putting a decorative throw blanket over it to make it blend in with the theme of your room's décor, or cover the couch, chairs, and/or bed with decorative throw pillows in your favorite décor theme.
Now to build Your Space. Let's start with an example. Let's say you like Western and Southwest things, but you have antique furniture. Nothing says you can't mix them together in a room. Or you can make each room in your home or apartment a different theme, such as Country in the kitchen with Roosters and sunflowers, Oriental Asian in the bathroom complete with a Tibetan singing bowl, and maybe a Nautical or Rustic Country theme in the den. With the living room you can have cowboys and western décor on one side of the room and Native American and/or Southwest décor on the other, or mix them up in the same room since cowboys and Indians tend to mesh together easily. You can then add bits of antiques, like that big chair from your great uncle or that tiffany lamp from your grandmother and blend them into an eclectic look.
Dress up your windows without changing the curtains by hanging a large framed stained art glass panel that matches your décor theme. Stained glass art panels are less expensive than traditional stained glass windows, yet look as lovely and create the same amount of privacy. Hand painted, hand carved, or wrought iron bookends in your favorite theme can tie the room's decor together, as well as your favorite books.
Lamps and lampshades come in "themes" too. Try a natural leather or soft pigskin lampshade to help set the mood for the rustic, lodge, country, western, or southwestern "look." Get one that matches the color theme of your room. Try changing out the lamps you have too. Hand made wrought iron, ducks sculptures, kachina dolls, romantic marble, or Native American pottery lamps will do the trick. For a more restrictive budget, adding a lamp finiale will give whatever lamp you are using the décor theme touch to bring it into focus. Do you have a bookcase or shelf to use as a focal point? Add a genuine Navajo Kachina Doll or a genuine Giuseppe Armani sculpture or a less expensive figurine. Hand crafted crystal vases or Native American made pottery also look good in those spaces. And don't forget flowers can be added as a door wreath or a flower basket made to match your theme.
Forget painting the walls and instead hang up a few hanging wall tapestries depicting a beautiful scene to match your favorite theme. Many are woven to look like a window with a view. Get one that you want to look through. You could also hang up some other form of wall décor to focus your attention away from the paint. How about a throw rug or a set of coasters to offset the table? Want to set a table that will get ooooos and ahhhhs? Try using a custom make dinnerware set or some hand cut lead cased Bohemian crystal wine glasses in pretty colors? Granted, they may be a little expensive due to the increase in the value of the Euro currency, but they will easily become a family heirloom. Did you know that following WWI and WWII, may servicemen brought back these same fine crystal wine glasses in the old world Grape Cut pattern back from Europe and it's still in use today?
Final thought - Just follow your heart and the list you made of all the little things you want and it will turn out just fine.
Rita Perdue is the CEO and Owner of Pick My Gift (http://www.pickmygift.com), an online catalog source for quality home decor accents and accessories in themes and collections. Pick My Gift has been offering quality products since 2003.
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