Aunt: "Chelsea, you know what I'd love to see on your blog sometime?'
Me: "...what's that?"
Aunt: "You seem to know how to put items together in a way that makes them look really good. I can coordinate colors and decor, but I have a hard time styling it to make it look right. I'd love tips on how to stage or style a coffee table, the top of a dresser, or a bedside table."
Me: "That's a great idea. I can definitely blog about that soon."
Well, it's soon. I'm here today to share with you some simple tips for styling {or the fancier term, "staging"} the items in your home to make them "look right". I recently shared this photo to instagram,
This is a staged photo {meaning that this area doesn't always appear this way}. I don't keep a tray with breakable objects anywhere within reach of my toddler. I do however use most of these items in other areas of our home, just styled in a manner that makes them appealing, yet functional. You can too + I hope to encourage in that direction here today.
General rule: Group items in threes, if you can. {The items don't have to be matching.} It's visually pleasing to the eye and keeps an area from looking overwhelmed. You will see that I do this A LOT in the following pictures.
Styling the Top of a Dresser
The candle + the two smaller jewelry/chapstick dishes create a grouping of three. I placed them almost in a trianglular format on top of this circular tray that I thrifted + spray painted. Using a dark tray on top of a white dresser {and with white dishes} helps to break up the white, on white, on white. On the far side of the dresser rests a thrifted white vase with some faux pink tulips for a pop of color. I LOVE white anything because it screams crisp + chic . Again, adding a touch of color + some height helps to break up all of the white while not overwhelming the eye. In order to keep the top of a dresser orderly + "staged"-looking, limit the amount of decor {and CLUTTER} placed upon it. Generally speaking, you want some smaller items {2-3} mixed in with a larger item for height/weight. I always think adding greenery {or flowers} freshens up a space + adds texture. One last thing here, all of the little dishes on the tray are white, but each has a different subtle texture, which I think adds interest, so keep that in mind too.
Styling Bedside Tables
We keep our bedside tables pretty simple for two reasons. The first is because it's appealing to the eye to have less "stuff" on a small space. The second is because we need space to charge our phones, keep the baby monitor, etc AND Emerson can reach these tables with ease. I don't have drawers on my bedside table, so keeping it tidy, minimal, and mostly toddler-friendly is key.
We have matching lamps on each bedside table. Ours are taller because our headboard is quite tall, so the lamps help to balance it out without making it feel absolutely humongous. You don't have to do matching lamps, but I would recommend lamps of similar style/height for symmetrical reasons. If you have a shorter headboard, or no headboard, shorter lamps would be just fine. Though, if you don't have any artwork or wall art on either side of your bed where there may be available wall space, taller lamps can be used to fill that void in place of artwork. I happen to use lamps + artwork. ;)
Aside from the lamps, we each have 3 items {well technically, Trey has 4} on our table and that's it. Remember, groupings of three. My table has a clock, a thrifted candle stick + candle, and a taller thrifted vase + faux greenery. Trey's table has 1 book with the cover removed {thanks Joanna Gaines} with a tall candle resting on top. In front of that are a thrifted vase with faux greenery + a simple picture frame with a printed verse from a hymn.
When styling a bedside table, think practically. Most people use clocks, so that's always a good option. Instead of the typical clunky, less-than-cute alarm clock, find a decorative clock that doubles as an alarm clock like the one seen above {though PHONES work great as alarm clocks these days}. I love shopping for lamps at Ross, TJ Maxx, or Marshalls because usually you can find matching lamps + shades, AND they're more affordable than many other places. Also, a candle is a nice touch, especially for ambiance and/or romance. Small groupings of books + pictures add some interest as well. For books, remove the covers + try facing them pages side out so that they coordinate and don't bare tons of different colors {this can sometimes be very distracting}. This is something new I've loved doing throughout the house. I use books a lot for decor {thrift stores are awesome for books this way!!}.
Below I've included a couple of photos of the bedside table in the guest room, just so you can see how I styled it.
Styling a Mantle/Fireplace Hearth
Our television is housed on our mantle, so that really limits what I can do decor-wise. When styling a mantle, I always use this approach: 1 large central item {picture frame, window frame, chalkboard, tv, etc. + coordinating or matching surrounding items for symmetry {candlestick holders, plants, books, pictures, vases, etc}. The following visual is a great tool {not mine, found it online} that covers many of the same ideas I mentioned.
For our mantle, because the television is the central focal piece {aside from the reclaimed wood wall *swoon*}, I chose to use symmetrical pieces on either side to keep it simple. I wanted the majority of the focus to be on the wall behind the mantle rather than on the tv or decor itself. I added 2 matching black lanterns {Ross}, 2 candle stick holders {one is slightly shorter than the other, but they're close enough}, and 2 identical faux boxwoods {TJ Maxx}. I positioned them so that they are symmetrical on each side. Again, this is just what I did, but layering pieces on a mantle creates a lot of visual interest, much like what is shown in the picture above. The use of candles, small decorative items, a large vase with branches, mirrors/pictures/chalkboards; all of these create a layered effect that makes a beautiful mantle display. {see above}
As for the fireplace hearth, right now I only have our log holder filled with logs angled on one side. A few years ago, I added a fern in front of the fireplace opening and left everything else blank. I've also used a vase {on one side of the hearth} filled with branches or live sprigs of greenery from our yard. I have positioned books + candles around it at varying heights for interest at times too. I can't really do much at ground level right now because of Emerson. It gets stolen and hidden. Ha! One day, I will decorate again! ;)
I hope these tips have been somewhat helpful. I'm not even sure I presented them as tips, so much as I described how I arrange various small places in our home. Regardless, hopefully one little tid bit was worth the read. As always, I appreciate you following along and I'll see you back here Saturday for a special post! Also, I can't wait for next Monday where I'll be sharing post # 2 in the Tackling Clutter series. I'll give you a hint...cabinets. ;) See you soon! XO!
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