On Trend: Home Accessories That Define a Room

Adding color, texture and a personal touch is key to accessorizing your home. Crisp, clean, balanced, organic, bold and recycled are the accessory trends hitting today’s living rooms, and the good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to give your home pizzazz.

The 411 on Accessorizing

“Everyone has a personal style, and they should put that front and center,” said Cody Hutcheson, co-founder and principal of Dallas-based CODARUS, which represents a number of top home accessory lines. “But keep things to a minimum. Don’t have a lot out things out. Don’t clutter up a room. Make sure what you do put out really has impact. Have one great accessory be the focus of the room.”

Susan Pike, Atlanta showroom manager for Four Hands, a leading importer of lifestyle home furnishings, likens the process of accessorizing a room to that of selecting accessories for an outfit.

“It’s very similar,” she said. “You don’t want too much going on. You should have one signature piece and build around that. You need your color to pop -- think teal, reds and oranges -- and then mix and match. Having older pieces with new accessories is a great way to go. Maybe an ethnic piece -- something Asian, Southwest American, Polynesian. The key is to make it your own.”

Putting on a personal spin goes well with the neutral, solid-color furniture that is currently en vogue because it is similar to working with a blank canvas. At the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market in January 2012, for example, showrooms were filled with colorful accessories, lights and rugs that showcased personal touches and style.

“We are selling accessories that a designer or the buyer herself can have ordered to meet their tastes," said Jo Ann Boyd, founder and co-owner of Atlanta-based Michael Boyd & Associates, which represents several of the top lines of furniture accessories. “For instance, we have lines where you can choose the material for the table top or colors of a rug. It allows you to have a custom look without the custom-made price.”

Recycling Is Trendy

Reclaimed wood and other landfill rejects take home accessorizing into uncharted territory. Reclaimed and recycled materials are showing up in tables, lamps and wall decorations.

“Using reclaimed wood really makes a piece more interesting,” said Susan Pike, the manager of the Four Hands showroom in Atlanta. “We have dining room tables made from reclaimed boats with splashes of the old paint still on them. Each one is unique, and you are helping the environment.”

A walk through Four Hands puts the spotlight on reclaimed or recycled objects. Beautiful desks and tables are fashioned from Brazilian hardwoods, and coffee tables are crafted using reclaimed pieces of industrial machinery, such as a crank.

Pike also suggests recycling your own damaged furniture. Take a certain Four Hands showroom wall hanging -- a large piece of weathered wood. It is fitted with rows of little jars with small plants in them.

“We had a trunk that was broken,” Pike said. “We took the top of the trunk and turned it into this wall piece using very simple materials. The wood is gorgeous, but we couldn’t use it as a trunk. And now you have a great conversation piece.”

Texture Is In

Texture is a significant element of lamp shades, rugs, pillows, artwork, figurines and picture frames for the spring of 2012.

“Textures are very important,” said Pike. “They make a room interesting because it brings some depth, some rough edges and some variety to a room.”

In keeping with a simple yet bold theme, rugs are trending toward a lot of designs and colors that open up a room and make an instant statement. Manufacturers are showing rugs with bold, vibrant colors and oversized patterns, such as florals or blocks of color. In keeping with the industrial loft look, some rug companies, including Surya, Capel and Caravan, are showing flat-weave designs inspired by iron work or fencing. Others feature a variety of tufts, shapes and sizes. And a new generation of shag rugs has been born.

Currey & Co., which specializes in lamps and chandeliers, is selling a lot of metal lighting fixtures that could go in lofts, making an industrial statement. Retro looks and color, especially oranges, grays and yellows, also are showing up in collections. In keeping with the organic, natural trend, some lamp shade themes feature grass, leaves and even bugs.

A shade designed by Carolyn Kinder for Uttermost mixes distressed rustic mahogany with a natural mica shade and bronze trim. Another is Flambeau Lighting’s Flagstone pendant, which is a delicate, translucent mosaic of hand-finished silver and gold leaf.

Boyd said lighting is coming to the forefront as an important room accessory. “It is no longer just functional," she said. "We have designers who start with the lighting and build a room around it.”

Lots of Pop, Little Payout

Hutcheson said it’s important to realize that accessories can take a room to the next level without shooting your credit card balance through the roof.

“This is true for the bedroom as well as the living room, dining room, dens," he said. "Here’s a tip: Use different pillows and the whole atmosphere of the room changes. With a pillow, you can suddenly make it very feminine or just pop a color that ties everything together. Use yellow or white or teal. I love Kelly green at the moment. Have the pillow with big flowers on it or pieces of material or metallic.”

Hutcheson added that he thinks an important accessory is fragrance. “We sell several lines, and fragrance can add so much to a room," he said. "It inspires and sets an ambiance that is as important as any other accessory."

Another trend involves displaying your collections, said Pike. “Don’t put your collections on the shelves," she said. "Show them off.” She noted that her showroom walls include displays of old wooden shoe models, musical instruments and porcelain plates.

Accessories are more than an afterthought in decorating, she said. “Mix and match colors, styles, materials, textures designs," she said. "Have fun with your accessories and have them reflect your personal tastes. They really are your statement.”