MY TOP 5 STYLING TIPS

I never studied design, and certainly don't claim to be any kind of professional decorator, but there are a few tips and tricks I've picked up along the way when decorating the spaces in my home.  Last Fall I was invited to speak at a holiday event at our church and share some decorating ideas.  These are a few of the things I shared with the ladies there, and I just realized I never shared them with you!  

These are 5 basic rules of thumb that I always fall back on to make a table top, shelf, or vignette look it's best.

2014 Spring Home Tour

Unless you're very purposefully going for a symmetrical look, things always look best arranged in odd numbers.  On the mantle above, I used 5 things on the left, and 3 on the right.  On my kitchen counter in the photo below, just imagine if I had taken one of those things away.  It would look strange with only two things grouped together, and 4 would have been too much.  Three is often the magic number!

My Son's Room

A bunch of smaller items lined up on a surface can easily shift to looking cluttered, but put them all on a tray and you instantly have a chic grouping.  A tray can also help add a little more heft if you need your accessories to have a greater presence in your space.

DIY Jewelry Embellished Vase

Our Entry

Nothing looks good lined up all at a single height (once again, unless your very purposefully going for that look).  In every single one of these photos, everything is staggered in height.  You might need to use a book, a pedestal, or a decorative box to elevate an item in your vignette if it's too close to the same size as the item next to it.  

Craigslist Bamboo Nightstand Makeover

Elevate... which leads to #4:

2013 Christmas Home Tour

Books are some of the hardest working accessories in my home.  Not only do they dress shelves beautifully, they help with tip #3 and are even handy to read once in a while!  ;)  I'm always on the look out at yard sales or thrift shops for oversized books that would be good to stack up to elevate larger accessories, or any books with pretty spines in my color palette. 

DIY Pom Pom Coasters

Souvenir Saddle Medallions Turned DIY Artwork

Just like staggering the height of accessories, layer some things from front to back as well.  Once again, don't line things up in a row.  Stagger placement and overlap some items in front of or in back of others.

Simple DIY Tassels

So that's it!  My best design words of wisdom.  There are so many more things I could have added to my list, but how about you?  What's your favorite styling tip?