Are you standing there in your newly decorated room wondering if your accessories still look good in the room? Chances are they might.

But, if you had very country pieces or collections and you updated the look and colors in your room, sadly, they probably will look very silly.

However, if you have an antique eye for collecting unusual pieces, then they should work great. Examples are copper bowls, pewter urns, pottery, etc. Just keep the color scheme the same throughout your collections. If you have extra pieces left over, maybe you could put those items in a different room or in a yard sale, or swap items with a friend.

Another great way to display your special collection is to hang a shelf above a doorway all the way around a room and gracefully and neatly display your pieces. This way, everyone can see your beautiful collections without the chance of them getting broken.

Also, if you have empty space above your cabinetry, don’t just put greenery up there; put your collections up there. End tables, side or sofa tables, sideboards and baker’s racks are excellent ways to show off pieces.

There is a limit to how much to put on display on one piece of furniture. If you can’t put a glass of water, a small picture frame, or a candle on a table or a sideboard, chances are you have too much on it. It should be seen, not cluttered. Also, everything should have its own place.

Furniture arranging should flow around accessories. For example, you should be able to see collections from most of the seats in the room, not behind something that you have to crane your neck to see what it is.

Another way to test the waters is to have your family sit in the furniture and have a conversation among yourselves and see how the seating arrangement works. If the majority of you are able to have a conversation, great. If not, rearrange the furniture to ensure great conversation seating.

You must remember, the traffic flow is also very important. If you have to step over or crawl around others, chances are that is a very poor seating arrangement.

But don’t set every piece of furniture against the walls to ensure easy floor traffic. Setting furniture against the wall leads to far-away conversations between family and friends.

Arrange your collections, accessories and furniture so it is pleasing to you, pleasing to the eye, and very practical. Remember, friends and family will feel more comfortable in your home if it is calming and decluttered.

Good luck!

Stephanie Roddy is a independent decorator who lives in Flintstone.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 4th, 2007 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Furniture, Tips. Tags: Antique, Baker, Color, Friends, Furniture, Green, Set, Small, Stone, Table, Works, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.