Are Accessories Really That Important?

Running a luxury interior design company, I often get the question: Are Home Accessories Really That Important?

Here’s the 12 second blog post version: Answer…Yes. Game over.

IF you’d like to know WHY accessories are powerful tools in design, read on.

Types of Accessories:

There are 4 key accessory types: table top, which includes anything that can go on a flat surface, art (anything hung on a wall), pillows (where applicable) and the hybrid category that is part accessory, part home furnishings….i.e. table lamps.

Do Accessories Have A Design Function?

Most assuredly, accessories, from tabletop to art to lamps to pillows DO a number of things in a room, depending upon how they’re strategically utilized. These functions can include:

*Holding or creating needed visual weight in an area
*Moving an important color, pattern, texture, or shape into an area.
*Creating or reinforcing an important rhythm in a room.
*Creating a striking accent (Eye candy!) in a space
*Driving or underscroing a mood or design style, or both.

For example, in a recent guest apartment, the family wanted a transitional interior that was somewhat Boho leaning for their daughter who had moved home. The furnishings were strategized to be flexible enough to support a purely transitional vibe once their daughter moved out. However, for the Boho moment, it was achieved largely through type and mix of the table top accessories, art, pillows and lighting. We could, simply by changing these elements, take the space into a far more sophisticated vibe.

How Much Should It Cost to Accessorize a Room?

This varies from room size and type, your personal preferences and the large variable is the quality of the wall art. Are you doing original canvases in the $3500 price point? $12,000 area? Higher? Or are you doing bridge price point art in the $1000 and under category.

So, let’s remove the art and talk simply about the other accessory categories.

But the average Pinterest living room minus the wall art could easily have an accessory budget place holder of $1,000 to $1,500. Naturally, if you own most of what needs to go into a space, your purchasing costs falls dramatically.

And it’s not that any single accessory costs $1,000. If you need 10 items in a room you can easily “do the math”.

Accessories are THAT powerful.