8 minute read
Jackie Glass: Home Styling List
The Big Finish
We have all experienced this: turning the pages of a design magazine or scrolling through endless Pinterest room settings when we see an image that stops us in our tracks. We may save it to a folder or tear it out for future inspiration but what is it about the picture that has enraptured us?
Chances are it was the artful and thoughtful curation of accessory items positioned on the coffee table. Or the casual, but oh-so-artfully thrown “throw.” The chic pillows arranged just so and perhaps a collage of well-placed artwork.
The final styling of any living space is probably the most important thing a designer will do on a project and it is the one thing that is often overlooked. Clients become exhausted by the endless decisions of finishes and fabrics and by the time the couch is delivered, they really just want to collapse.
However, I strongly feel that the style stage is what really pulls everything together. Without accessories, artwork and plants, a home is simply a shell, a beautiful shell devoid of the homeowner’s personality.
When I’m at the end of a job and clients are preparing to move back into their home, one of the first things I ask them to do is to take their most precious objects out of the boxes and place them all on a table. I ask them to review each item and decide which pieces mean the most to them.
Once I’ve seen the items they wish to enjoy every day, I begin my styling list to “finish” each room. Interestingly seeing those beloved objects in different rooms can make clients love them even more!
So here is my styling list.
FLOOR OR TABLE LAMPS: The right lighting is crucial not only in the type of light it exudes but the type of look it creates. Acrylic, glass, and metals in organic or simple silhouettes finish a room beautifully.
LAMPSHADES: I only use clients’ lamps if they fit with the new decor but will bring some updated lampshades. Drum shapes are particularly easy to work with here.
PLANTS – EITHER FAUX OR REAL: Filling corners or grouping plants on tables or shelves breaks up a space filled with collectibles. Allow the eye to rest with plants. You can’t go wrong with a good faux plant, and there are many on the market today.
PLANT POTS: Just as important as the plants themselves, I look for natural-looking finishes and am delighted with the offerings of faux pots, which unless you touch them, look pretty authentic.
CANDLES: I never go to a client without a set of tapers. I look for 20-inch or more tapers for a really elegant tablescape.
UNUSUAL CANDLESTICK HOLDERS: I love metals, woods, and ceramic finishes and also look for organic shapes. I like mixing these together.
LARGE, UNIQUE HARDCOVER BOOKS: You cannot style a space without books and I love books, particularly hardcover designs, or fashion-themed. They look so stylish and always finish a room to perfection.
UNUSUAL ARTIFACTS LIKE BOWLS, BOXES: You have to have interesting collectibles and I search for bowls in roughly hewn wood and interesting books, particularly hardcover designs, or fashion-themed pieces. It should be something that catches the eye and creates conversation. Homesense is great for this. I also mix travel-worn pieces with store-bought ones.
TEXTURAL ITEMS LIKE BEADS OR ROPES: Ropes and beads have been popular for a while and I love draping them in and outside of bowls. They just work.
MIRRORS: Even if a client has a magnificent art collection, and I so appreciate that, I like to break it up with a mirror. I always put a mirror in a hall, but when I create a collage of art, adding a mirror provides relief.
ARTWORK TO AUGMENT A CLIENT’S COLLECTION: I also add small pieces of artwork off the shelf to fill corners but I don’t believe every wall has to have something on it. I tend to do this at the end of a style session.
FAUX FRUITS LIKE LEMONS OR LIMES: Especially in a kitchen styling, I love to add some faux fruit for colour and whimsy. But they have to look real. I once had a client bite into a faux orange. It was that good!
PILLOWS AND THROWS: Adding pillows and throws is a given when styling. Always buy down-filled pillows with zippers and whether thrown or folded, a throw adds a cozy and comfortable feel.
COCKTAIL TABLES IN DIFFERENT STYLES: Thankfully, gone are the days when we matched end tables. I often only use nesting tables and always pop in a pretty cocktail table to avoid everyone leaning into the central coffee table for their drinks or nibbles.
SMALL OTTOMANS: These are so fun and I usually use them in front of the fireplace. People, especially kids, love them and they add extra seating so easily and so inexpensively.
FRESH FLOWERS AND GREENS: Clients are usually exhausted at the end of a project so fresh flowers and greens are a way for me to say thank you and to show them how important these fresh beauties are in a space.
ASSORTED TRAY SIZES AND SHAPES IN DIFFERENT FINISHES: I won’t ever come without trays. They create compartments on surfaces, look organized and oh so stylish.
CLOCKS: I love big clocks and use them in kitchens, mudrooms and laundry rooms. Sometimes I use multiples in a row if a client has an international lifestyle. Very chic.
CRYSTALS AND ROCKS: Sometimes clients have collections like shells and I love to pop them in with other accessory items.
VESSELS AND VASES IN VARYING TEXTURES: Back to the organic movement –I like worn out pieces. A chip or two doesn’t hurt either as it adds authenticity to a room.
SCULPTURAL OBJECTS: These pieces work so well with wall art. Remember collections are not only limited to the wall. I seek out unusual shapes and forms.
BASKETS: Baskets always say cozy to me and I love to use them to hold chopped wood or to hold multiple throws in a family room when cozy movie nights are on the agenda!
Yes, the list is long and we often purchase multiple items so we can “play” with what feels right.
Arriving at a client’s home, unloading and unpacking these items is a joy for a designer and where the real creative work is done.
But as in every layer of design, a careful thought process exists here too.
My basic rules for grouping items:
RULE 1: THE POWER OF THE ODD NUMBER
Yes, that rule has been around for a long time and it is still used by designers. When grouping objects together, pick 1, 3 or 5 items. They don’t have to be the same but this odd pairing creates a tension on a surface. It allows the eye to move fluidly through the pieces.
RULE 2: HEIGHT MATTERS
Once you have those odd numbered items grouped together, take a good look and make sure they are different heights. If you have a set of three that match, consider using those art books mentioned in my style list to create different heights. This creates visual interest.
RULE 3: FIND A COMMON DENOMINATOR
Back to those items you selected. Take another look and see if there is something common in all of them. Is it colour? Is it texture? This creates harmony on the surface.
RULE 4: ADD SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
Once you have assembled some odd numbered items, look for something that is different to them. It could be a book, a strand of wooden beads, a marble fluted bowl filled with paleo Santo sticks. Just something different. Sometimes you need to play with different pieces.
RULE 5: ADD SOMETHING ORGANIC
Design trends today suggest our return to organic roots. I never style a table without adding a tumble of stones picked up from a travel or a unique hand-carved box from some exotic place. Thank you, Homesense.
RULE 6: ALWAYS ADD BOOKS TO ANY TABLESCAPE
Enough said.
And you don’t have to be finishing up a renovation to follow this guide. Sometimes simply moving existing furniture around and mixing up old collectibles with new pieces can literally jumpstart a living space.
Warmer weather will soon be upon us and a newly curated home feels exhilarating and renewing. Nothing could be more satisfying than that.
Meet The Designer
Jackie Glass President, Principal Designer
Jackie is regularly invited to contribute her professional expertise and experiences as keynote speaker at private corporate events, public consumer and professional industry events and shares her firm’s design and décor work with a variety of National and Regional publications. Jackie continues to enjoy appearing regularly as one of the design contributors on CityTV’s Cityline.
Jackie is a dynamic designer, keynote speaker, writer and spokesperson with over 20 years of experience in providing national and local media outlets, public organizations, manufacturers and corporations with energetic, engaging and informative presentations and marketing services, tailored to meet the needs of her clients.
