My struggles with writing + a few tips on accessorizing

Well guys, my last blog post was almost 8 months ago… so I think it’s safe to say that blogging is not my strongest skill! I have always hated writing, from the very point that I first learned to write. I remember sitting next to a guy named Chris in third grade, and he continuously got praise over how elegant his cursive writing was, while I struggled to connect letters without them looking disjointed and messy. I’m a perfectionist, and incredibly competitive, so I hated that there was something that I didn’t excel at.

While you’ll be happy to know that my penmanship has improved slightly over the years, my struggle to combine letters into beautiful words turned into a struggle to combine words into sentences. It isn’t that I’m not capable of writing, I just kinda freeze up whenever I have to. I’ve never felt that I was very good at it, so it’s something that is easy for me to put on the back burner. The problem that I’m facing now though, is that I want to share information with you guys! I want to give you design tips, share my favorite furniture + accessories finds, and do before + after reveals.

So this year, I am dedicated to being more active on here, and hopefully I can provide content that you want to see! So with that said… What do you want to see?! What things do you struggle with in your own home? Do you want to know where I shop? Interested in more about the business of Interior Design, or how I got where I am? Let me know what things you struggle with and things that you are interested in so I can best be of help to you!

For now, I’m going to leave you with a few styling tips, and certain mistakes to avoid when it comes to accessorizing…

PAY ATTENTION TO SCALE

This single tip alone will help prevent your mantels + shelves from feeling like a mismatched display of tchotchkes at a secondhand store. Mix up little objects by adding a few larger scale items as well. You can use vases, bowls, or stacked boxes to create vignettes that feel fresh and well-balanced.

Photo by Lindsey Drewes Photography

Corralling smaller objects is also a great trick to have up your sleeve! I bring different size trays every time I accessorize a home, because they always come in handy, especially in Family Rooms where you often have TV remotes, candles, coasters, and smaller items that can tend to look messy on their own. Having a tray on the coffee table (or in this case, ottoman) gives everything it’s own space and brings all those smaller items together in a more finished way.

LEAVE SPACE TO BREATHE

Just because you have space on a wall or a horizontal surface does not mean you need to fill it with something! We can all take a page out of Marie Kondo’s book here… focus on things that spark joy, right? The easiest way to make a room feel overdone and like it’s trying too hard is by putting too many decorative items in a space. Negative space is not only ok, but necessary.

Photo by Lindsey Drewes Photography

MIX MATERIALS

It is so easy to fall into the trap of using the same materials. Sure, you love brass, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix in some wood, some greenery with plants, or even different metal finishes. When you arrange different materials together, it creates a collected look with so much more character than limiting yourself to just a few different materials.

Photo by Lindsey Drewes Photography

Here we used a mix of warm woods, pottery, woven baskets, and aged bronze + brass accents. It gives the entire area a very collected feel instead of it all starting to look the same.

Maybe next time I’ll actually give you a few links to some of my favorite accessories that I find myself purchasing over + over again for clients!

Until next time!