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The creation of decorative still lives is an art. Practice makes perfect, but for the impatient ones who want to get it right right now, here are a few guidelines.
Choose a theme
What is the theme of the room? If you don’t have a theme yet, you have a clean slate. What feel do you want in the room? What are your hobbies or interests? This could be a good starting point to give order to ornaments.
If you like all things contemporary – display items in fun geometric shapes mounted on a wall. If gardening is your favourite past time, a row of watering cans could give your house some character.
Do you like an earthy look? A selection of vintage shoe forms could add visual interest to a coffee table.
The right spot
The right position will be determined by the purpose, size and number of items. A handful of items could work on a console, coffee or side table. Crockery might need a shelf, server or a display cabinet.
Beautiful ornaments
A group of ornaments look best if there are one or two beautiful signature pieces amongst them. Fill in the gaps with vases, books, frames or candlesticks. Books also help to add height and serve as visual frame for vases or figurines.
Repetition
If items do not belong to a specific theme, create unity by repeating colour or texture, such as a display of rustic textures or gold ornaments.
Sometimes simplicity
More is not always better, for an uncluttered look, opt for minimalism, rather three big beautiful vases than a full shelf. White ornaments also have a calming effect on an interior.
Pairing
Using a pair of similar or identical items in a group, or as a standalone display, gives a sense of uniformity and is good feng shui if you want someone special in your life.
Read more: 5 couches we'd love to own
Contrast
Help a display to pop by putting it against a contrasting background, or paint the wall behind the arrangement.
Create a triangle
If you are in the dark when it comes to placing ornaments, try creating a triangle. With other words the tallest items in the middle and smaller ones on the side. It doesn’t have to be symmetrical.
Varying heights are visually more interesting.
Odd numbers
One of the golden rules of decorating is to use odd numbers when grouping items together: 3, 5, 7 or 9 works visually better than 4, 6 or 8 items.
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