One of my father’s early sculptures from Nova Scotia days. The Fisherman….
Nina Petronzio's Blog
Interior design, furniture, fashion
Collecting accessories from our travels and heritage can be super fun in the process, but quickly becomes complicated when it comes time to display them. For a Santa Monica Beachside client, this was process was easy because I had many wonderful pieces from her personal collection to work into a classic-eclectic design scheme.
As a general rule, keeping items clean and organized draws importance to them (think museum...not flea market), and make sure to use pieces where they make sense as a grouping (mixing heights, finishes textures). In the foyer of this project, the antique mirror mixed with the new console and sconces ties together the client's eclectic accessory collection (which were chosen for their theme, materials and sizes).
The old adage "the more the merrier" certainly doesn't apply to all things. Yes, it applies to handbags and heels...but NO, this does not apply to art and accessories. There is a vast gap between art displayed at the Louvre and pieces displayed at an antique store. And it's not just the items...it's also the display.
Let your items breathe! Display them in the open with plenty of elbow room and empty walls and this will focus more attention to their beauty and give them a sense of respect that they wouldn't ordinarily command if they were mixed in with a collection of snow globes from around the world.
From a current project on Mulholland Drive, I recently installed a horse head sculpture (by my brother Nick Petronzio) and placed it on our new Plush Home Lexington pie-cut Macassar Ebony pedestal (will be released next month to our line). I placed it in the center of a nook and painted the walls off-white, making this piece the centerpiece of the room.
Know that you don't need huge empty spaces to apply this principle. The same concept works with bookshelves, coffee tables, dining tables, and nooks. Keep it simple and let your items stand alone if you want them to stand out.
If you want to check out Nick's horse head sculpture in person, there is one at display at our Plush Home showroom on Melrose - feel free to come by and check it out. Available in resin or bronze.
Our styles and tastes are constantly changing, so I always encourage “updates” to your home design. Just as, hopefully, your wardrobe look has changed since Friends was on prime time, there’s no reason your living spaces should look like a time capsule.
The quickest and least expensive way to update your space into a Plush Home is by updating your accessories. Find new items that reflect how you feel today. But as you install your new gems, be sure to get rid of the old stuff. Adding new accessories, without replacing the old ones won’t solve your problem….it will actually makes it worse.
Also keep color schemes and groupings in mind when selecting new items. Unless you are going for that “worldly” Bed & Breakfast look, don’t be random with your selections. Think it through and keep it clean.
When it comes down to accessorizing, scale and color are major factors in selecting just the right pieces for your space. But it can often be a challenge to find just the right size, color...and price that works for your project and pocket book. Yes, a custom bronze sculpture will always do the trick. But when I'm looking for accessory sculptures, CORAL is one of my favorite go-to sources because within the many different species, there is bound to be a perfect size, shape, and color fit for any project I'm working on. Once I hunt down that piece, I'll dress it up with an acrylic or wood mount and call it a day.
In situations where the back of a sofa faces the entrance to a room, I will often install a console in that space. In addition to offering a more visually appealing welcome than the boring back of your sofa, a strategically positioned console will also: 1. Offer opportunities for accessories 2. Formally divide a room where needed 3. Allow space for additional table lamps
If you're in the mood for a little color, but are afraid to commit to an overall scheme that you may get bored of in a year, try adding splashes of colors in your accessories, artwork, throw pillows, and/or focal point furniture pieces. I designed our Sofia Chair just for this purpose. It's available in any lacquer color you can imagine and has been a loyal piece for me to bring character and architectural interest to an otherwise colorless and boring spaces.
Plush Home Sofia Chair
Don't let the name fool you, bookshelves have many more benefits than just actual book storage. When done right, a properly accessorized bookshelf can do a lot more than hold your old high school yearbooks and grandparents encyclopedia collection - they can add color, architectural shapes, and overall interest to your space.
Here are my top 5 tips to get you started:
1. Think in terms of collections. Don't randomly put up knick-knacks just for the sake of filling a shelf. Tell a story...and NO snow globes please.
2. Consider scale. Make sure your accessories work well with the scale of the shelf - the goal is to make it look like that the shelf was built for them. An object that is too large or too small for a space will stop the eye, which ruins the experience of being a well designed and flowing space. Mis-sized accessories to me are just as bad as wearing a dress that is too baggy or too tight. Not good.
3. Use color. Play off the colors in your design scheme...but beware of being too matchy matchy. It's totally okay to use colors that aren't used in your furniture or wall color as long as they don't look completely random or stick out like a sore thumb.
4. Vary textures. Have fun with various textures and a different finishes, so your shelf doesn't look like you purchased all the accessories from an overstock E-bay sale.
5. Balance it. Play around with different placement options - a "balanced" accessory scheme is the difference between a pulled together look and a random look. Avoid perfectly lining up accessories like a row of toy soldiers. Use different sizes and shapes in each space and avoid repetition.
Here's an example of an accessorized bookshelf from a current project where I incorporated a combination of fine art, coffee table books, and accessories from around the world that represent my clients' diverse background and interest. From the bronze sculpture, to hand-blown glass vases, to the coral piece mounted on acrylic, using different textures is a key component in the majority of my design schemes.
Thank you to the Production Design and Art Department of NBC/Univeral's HEROES for specifying their fine art from our Plush Home gallery. We've had a fun year of seeing our pieces on the screen (Curb your Enthusiasm, Mastercard, Brothers & Sisters, Got Milk?) and are looking forward to debuting new furniture stars next year.
