Jen Bishop is a Sydney magazine editor moonlighting as an
interiors addict.
Interiors Addict, Jen's blog allows her to combine her love of writing
and interviewing people with her passion for design. If it’s about
Australian interior design, styling, homewares or the personalities
behind them, you’ll find it on her blog. Whether you’re an industry
professional or just a fellow interiors addict, there’s something for
everyone.
Here is Jen's article on interior styling;
Top 10 interior styling essentials
While
I’m no stylist, I’ve spent enough time around the country’s best, read
enough books and magazines and rearranged my own furniture and
accessories enough times to know a thing or two about the little things
which can make a big difference to your home. Everyone needs a couch, a
coffee table, a TV, some kind of storage unit and perhaps an armchair in
their living room. It’s the little things you add to the mix that
really create your look and say something about you. Without these
little touches, rooms lack personality and a sense of the people who
live in them.
Here are my top 10 styling essentials. I’d love to hear what yours are.
1. Coffee table books. I
have stacks of books everywhere. Some are colour coded, some are
themed, some are just groups of favourites and those I reference
regularly. Yes, books are designed to be read and their photographs
looked at but don’t miss out on their wonderful secondary use as
accessories! Your choice of books says a lot about your taste and your
style and who doesn’t want to express themselves through their interiors
(I hope I’m preaching to the converted if you read this blog!)?
Hardback coffee table books are called coffee table books for a reason.
They look great on coffee tables, add personality, colour and are great
for arranging little vignettes on top of. (This reminds me of a
hilarious post on the blog
F*ck Your Noguchi Coffee Table).
Yes, some of these styling ‘props’ so to speak, have become cliche, but
there’s a reason: they just work. I’d bet at least 50 percent of
interior designers’ photographed work features THAT Tom Ford book on a
coffee table! The coffee table itself probably deserves its own post so
I’ll save that for another day! (Any excuse to rave about my own vintage
marble-topped eBay find
again).
2. Cushions. My cushion addiction is a running joke
among my friends but I just can’t help it. They’re such an inexpensive
way to change your look, feel, colour scheme,
and they’re
low-commitment. Whatever the current interiors trend, should you wish to
follow trends, you can probably incorporate it with cushions, whether
they be neon, chevron, yellow or or dip-dyed (you’re nodding aren’t
you?). They’re also a great way to add texture and layers, both really
important in creating an interior that works.
This is my latest cushion purchase. Some of my favourite places to buy cushions online are
Ada & Darcy,
Table Tonic,
Pony Rider,
Brown Paper Packages,
Xavier & Me, and plenty of stores on Etsy.
3. A great rug. It doesn’t matter whether you have
carpet, timber or tiles on your floors, you need a great rug or two. You
can spend a fortune on a rug (and it can be absolutely worth it because
it can really make your room) but there are affordable options too.
That said, cheap rugs can look, well, cheap! The best affordable options
in my book are cowhide (but it’s not everyone’s taste) and sisal (which
does with pretty much everything and adds a welcome touch of nature to
your room). I recently picked up a great black and white striped rug at
Ikea and
Armadillo & Co
have some great mid-priced options which have appeared in just about
every magazine going in the last 12 months. If you have cash to splash
try
Designer Rugs,
Cadrys or
Tsar.
4. Candles. They add ambient light, gorgeous smells
and they can also look great as most of them come in lovely jars or tins
these days. What’s not to like? I’m currently loving
Gascoigne & King and
Glasshouse as well as some flameless options from
Enjoy Lighting. For a treat though, it has to be
Jo Malone (Pomegranate Noir).
5. Fresh flowers. If I don’t have these, my room
isn’t finished. It’s lovely to have something living (technically) and
from nature in your room. I also have some cacti and succulents (haven’t
they become trendy lately?) but flowers are great for variety,
colour and fragrance. A single stem or a bunch, you can play around
with different vessels like chemistry flasks, test tubes, vintage jars
and bottles.
6. Trays. Coming back to the good old coffee table,
you need a tray or two. One is for your coffee table (it might house
that stack of books or it might keep annoying things like remote
controls and your pile of coasters tidy), the other might be on your
bedside table for your watch and the jewellery you take off before you
go to sleep. I have trays everywhere for my bits and bobs. Some are
purely decorative and have little collections on them. Somehow
everything looks ten times better on a tray rather than ‘loose’.
7. Ornaments/objects. They look pretty and they’re
like art but in 3D. They can be expensive or they can be really cheap.
And you can move them around. Glass cloches are really popular at the
moment (I find almost anything looks better underneath one!). Other
examples are things from nature (coral, barnacles, driftwood), vases,
beautiful bowls and candle holders.
8. Art. Paintings, prints, canvases, framed pieces,
juju feather hats, posters, maps, the options are endless. Bare walls
are a sad thing. I’ve featured some great affordable options lately from
Urban Road and
Blacklist Studio.
9. Photographs. I’m a great believer in surrounding
yourself with things that have real personal meaning and memories
attached to them and what better than photographs? Whether you have one
special picture in a gorgeous frame or a mix and match frame cluster
wall (again, very in right now), or a family snap blown up onto a
canvas, you can use photographs to decorate your home and make it feel
like your personal space.
10. Throws. This last one’s especially for winter.
Throws are fabulous because they’re not only decorative (hello again
layering and texture!) you can also snuggle under them on chilly
evenings.
What about you? What are your styling essentials? What would you add to this list?
