How to Arrange Accessories Like the Retail Magicians

Dear Melissa:

When I go into furniture stores they have everything arranged on tables so nicely. When I try to do it just looks like I dumped a bunch of things on a table. How do I make groupings look good? K.P.

Dear K.:

When trying to create a vignette of accessories, family photos, and the like, it helps to have an eye for composition. Barring that, try these guidelines. Copy what you admired as closely as possible. If you are more confident, group your accessories by type, size, shape, or color – either to relate them to one another or to contrast them. Try to balance the large, dark objects within the arrangement in such a way that your eye travels around them, and is not drawn to just one place. The aim of composition is visual movement and balance. Vary the height of the objects in the grouping to create a more interesting display. Combine tall and short accessories. If you are arranging a collection of objects of roughly the same size, place them at differing heights on top of books or decorative boxes.

If you are still compositionally impaired, remember that “less is more”. Make a statement with just one really impressive accessory on the table, and leave it at that. M.A.K.

For the Weekend Warrior

Designate a room to be this weekend’s challenge. Try one or more of these projects:

For $100 and under …

…Remove all clutter and clean the room until it sparkles. Pare down the number of accessories. Do not forget to wash the windows and all the bric-a-brac. This is already a huge improvement.

…Rearrange the furniture around a focal point. It’s free and I guarantee you that at least one of your rooms can use it. “Shop” your other rooms to gather the most interesting pieces of furniture, rugs, and accessories. Group them for emphasis in this room. Go for IMPACT.

…Create tabletop vignettes with accessories or collections. Start the collection you’ve always wanted.

…Paint anything and everything in sight that needs refreshing, including pieces of tired furniture. Go on, go a little crazy and add some color.

…Lower the artwork on your walls. Proportion also matters, so add artwork to your large walls and remove some art from your small walls. Reframe any picture that needs it.

…Set out fresh flowers.

…Go flea market shopping.

…Increase the wattage in all of your lamps.

…Replace your shower curtain and ratty old towels.

For $500 and under, do all of the above, plus…

…Wallpaper the room.

…Buy a new lamp.

…Add a large plant or tree, with an uplight behind it.

…Splurge on fresh flowers for every room.

…Slipcover a piece of furniture.

…Refinish the hardwood floor or install a new carpet.

…Replace the bed linens with a new ensemble.

…Have a decorator create a plan and timetable for you.

…Paint your front door, replace the porch light, set out some colorful planters, and sweep the path.

…Now that the entry to your house is inviting, throw a party and fill the room with people and foods you enjoy. You won’t even notice the room anymore.

For $2000 and under…

…Replace your kitchen set.

…Reupholster some furniture.

…Buy a piece of investment furniture.

…Copy the ideas in a magazine picture.

…Install new window treatments. Install a fabulous new window.

…Hide your electronics in a new armoire.

…Purchase a great piece of art.

…Go away to a spa for the weekend. When you return nothing will have changed, but you won’t feel so bad about it anymore.

DIY Closet

Dear Melissa:
My wife and I are planning to convert a small bedroom into a walk-in closet. We are doing the work ourselves to save money. We have the choice of a wire system or melamine. Is there a disadvantage to one over the other, besides cost? C.B.

Dear C.:
Yes, so pick your poison: dusty shelves versus a waffle weave on stacked clothes. Personally, I like the furniture look of solid closet systems, but I would choose wire myself nowadays. When I was younger I thought that having the imprint of a wire grid on my sweaters would be horrible. Now that I’m aging rapidly, the thought of dust collecting on my closet shelves along with the rest of the house is just too much. See, it’s really just a matter of perspective.

Some words of advice, though, since you are doing the closet plan yourselves. First, discard everything you don’t need to store, before you start measuring. (Sometimes simply cleaning out a closet solves the problem.) Group like items together for planning purposes. Lay out the closet for easy retrieval by placing the things you will need most often in an accessible location. Place closet poles over one another for shorter items. If possible, place a small island in the center of a walk-in closet for folding and arranging outfits; a small chair would also be helpful for putting on shoes. Don’t forget good lighting – think about what the lighting in store dressing rooms does to our self-esteem.

Keep some dimensions in mind when calculating the space. Clothes closets should be 24-32 inches deep. Allow 2 inches of hanging space for each item of indoor clothing (more for outerwear). Allow at least 12 inches between wire shelves for the brackets to fit. If planning on putting a hanging bar close to the ceiling, leave space above it in order to lift out the hangers. Figure at least 4 inches beneath the longest hanging garments for air circulation and vacuuming.

That said, you should be off to a good start. Let’s face it, organization keeps life running smoothly. M.A.K.