10 Timeless Styling Accessories for Any Room

How do your favorite designers perfect each photo? By styling vignettes — small groupings of items — with an old and new mix of decorative accessories that vary in height, color and texture.

February 04, 2022

By: Marian Parsons

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Deck Out Like a Designer

Styling shelves and tabletops can be an easy place to get hung up when it comes to decorating a room. A space can look cluttered or overly trendy before you know it. An easy to way to make sure your vignettes look clean and classic is by using timeless accessories that can work well with any design style or passing trends. Also, this is your home and should be a reflection of your own personal style, so use pieces you love looking at to style out the areas you see most often.

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Stack Some Books

Books are always a good idea for entertainment, education — and decoration. Not only do the book topics you collect say a little something about your interests, but the books' covers also add color, texture and pattern to open shelving. Stack them on tabletops to add visual interest, or use a stack to add height to a vignette.

See More Photos: 10 Tips for Styling Your Home With Books

Bring On the Baskets

While the shape, color and materials may vary, a woven basket will always be a must-have styling accessory. They add texture and warmth while also containing clutter and providing handy storage. That’s a win-win when it comes to decorating.

See More Photos: Declutter Any Space With These Cute Basket Ideas

Use Bowls to Conquer Clutter

Bowls have long been used on countertops to hold fruit, but try thinking beyond that. Bowls provide beautiful storage for all manner of things in every room in the house. They can hold decorative items like shells, plants or holiday ornaments, and utilitarian objects like balls of yarn, spools of thread and extra soaps in the bathroom. Look for large bowls made from durable materials like grainy wood, stoneware, ceramic or metals like silver or brass, and that have an interesting shape, rim and overall design.

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Try a Tray

Trays are a classic way to add a layered look to a vignette, especially on tables and other horizontal surfaces. While the contents are still visible, a tray provides a “boundary,” visually corralling the items for a less cluttered look. Antique shops, estate sales and flea markets are a great place to find trays that make a style statement — or craft your own from scrap wood using our tutorial, below.

get the how-to: Stencil Your Way to a Stunning Cement Tile Tray

Pitchers Can Hold More Than Drinks

While pitchers are commonly used in the kitchen, these handy, functional pieces can be used as a styling accessory anywhere in the home — from the foyer to the fireplace mantel. They're the perfect size and shape to hold a fresh or faux bouquet of flowers or even a bouquet of pens and pencils. Look for pitchers in a style, shape, material and color that fits your aesthetic.

See More Photos: 40 Tips for Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel Year 'Round

Glass Jars

Glass jars of varying sizes have been a storage staple for centuries — and for good reason! Endlessly adaptable, glass jars can be used in every room of your home. From storing flour in the kitchen to stashing screws in the garage to displaying flowers in the dining room. For a modern take on an old styling stand-by, use large glass jars to hold small items, like cotton balls and swabs in the bathroom. Get more vintage-inspired bathroom styling tips, below.

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Cue the Cloche

Also known as a bell jar, cloches were traditionally used in 18th century gardens to protect delicate seedlings. By the early 19th century, they'd moved indoors to serve a more decorative purpose of protecting delicate, preserved natural items like dried flowers, taxidermized animals and displays of bird's eggs. Now treated as part of any vignette, a cloche over a collection helps to tell a story and indicates that the items covered by the cloche are important. A pair of binoculars or baby shoes, for example, a pocket watch hanging from a stand, or just a small succulent all look more important when displayed under glass.

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Put It on a Pedestal

Like cloches, pedestals are a way of elevating an item to make it look more important. They can be used for serving in the kitchen, but also for adding height to a decorative arrangement or tablescape. Have a few pedestals on hand made from different materials (stoneware, wood, glass, etc.) and rotate them with the seasons. A gingerbread house, fresh seasonal fruit or a collection of gathered shells all look more special when perched on a pedestal.

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Include Natural Elements

Natural elements have been used as home decor for centuries and are still popular today. The added bonus is they are free(!) and they tell a story of a place or time. Pressed leaves, collected feathers, gathered pinecones and found shells can all be used to add texture and interest to an open shelf or tabletop display. Always make sure you are allowed to collect natural items from that area before picking them up; for instance, it's illegal to collect shells, plants, etc. from some parks and other protected areas. Beautiful shells, rocks, feathers, branches and other natural items can also be purchased online if you’re not able to source them in your own backyard or while on a trip.

See More Photos: 45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

Display Family Heirlooms

If a piece is on display, there should be something special and personal about it. Instead of storing away family heirlooms, try hanging them up, setting them out or using them. It’s a beautiful way to honor your ancestors, but also a unique way to add personality and history to your home. It’ll also help you be more creative since some objects might require thinking outside the box to put them on display.

get the how-to: How to Frame Antique Textiles

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Photo By: Marian Parsons