Livinghouse

Whether you’re a hoarder, collector or neat freak, arranging accessories or displaying objet d’art and collections requires a few rules to optimise their good looks and deliver a harmonious room design.

When it comes to displaying photos, artwork, mirrors, vases, ornaments or oddities that you collect and positioning lighting, cushions and other accessories, consider balance and scale, as well as variety and repetition to ensure a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing interior.

The rule of three

Both floristry designers and interior designers apply the rule of three when grouping house plants, flower arrangements and home accessories. This neat trick recognises that uneven numbers of objects grouped together are more pleasing to the eye than even numbers of objects grouped together.

Designers often use repeated multiples of the same plant, flower arrangement or accessory in their displays and designs too. This achieves a less symmetrical and more asymmetrical feel.

Group like objects with like objects. Make sure they are similar in feel, form or material and vary their shapes and heights to avoid complete uniformity.

Try grouping multiples of three to create the look. This bathroom uses repetition to showcase its mirrors, taps and towels.

Arrange by colour

Grouping objects by colour brings cohesion and delivers great impact. However, remember that less is more and in order for items to truly shine you may need to be selective and edit your collection before displaying.

Organised chaos

The trick to making a group of framed photos or art look effortless on the wall is through carefully considered and deliberate positioning. The key is to plan before you hang.

Space allowing, arrange your frames on the floor and try out different formations until you’re happy with the design. Alternatively, cut out templates of your frames using brown paper and Blu-Tack to the wall to get a feel of how the shapes and sizes work together.

Consider scale, shape and colour and experiment with different styles of frames before you commit to hammering in those nails.

Here are some more great ways to showcase your bits and bobs, utilise space and add a little personality to your interiors.

Box it

Fix boxes to the wall to frame and display your collections. Paint the exterior and interior of the boxes with complementary or contrasting colours, or line with colourful wallpaper or gift wrapping.

Or front with a decorative frame in the colour of your choice to embrace vintage shabby chic.

Use vintage letterpress trays to store jewellery or makeup. Display on your dressing table or sit neatly in the top drawer of a chest of drawers.

Hang it

Love collecting hats but have no intention of wearing them? Then why not fashion them into light shades and hang from the ceiling to free up valuable storage space?

Shelve it

Shelves aren’t just for books, framed photos and art also looks great displayed this way. Keep the design slick with contemporary frames in black and white, or opt for a more eclectic look with a mishmash of styles and colours. Vary the size of the frames and try layering them to add extra interest.