Vignettes are a great way to decorate any space with the purpose of keeping that space impactful, yet minimal and of course aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Vignettes are a small cluster of items, usually 3 to 5 different pieces located in different rooms of your home. They are designed to be appealing, elegant and sophisticated whilst aiming to create an emotional connection and showcase your ‘lifestyle/personality’.
The most common areas to place a vignette include, kitchen benches, study nooks, bathroom vanity benchtops and robe shelving. The items need to be specific to the space that you are showcasing as they are designed to assist in defining the usage of the space as well as being visually pleasing. Again, they need to be simple, elegant, and sophisticated which simply comes down to what items you have to work with and how you place them. For example, a kitchen vignette could include appropriate items such as a cookbook, wooden chopping boards, utensils and holder, jars, artificial/real greenery (plant, herbs or flowers), bowls, etc. You would not include any item that you wouldn’t ordinarily find in the space you are creating the vignette for as this would look out of place and mostly questionable. You don’t want people talking about your vignette for the wrong reasons.
Some top tips to creating the ideal vignette are below:
- Make sure your items fit the style and theme of the home and are not just a random collective combination of mix and match items.
- Use items that contain a combination of different textures and materials whilst also keeping in mind from above, that in doing so, it doesn’t look obviously mismatched.
- When styling your items together, for best results, style in odd numbers. Choosing 3 or 5 items will work best. Please note that if you are styling your vignette on a tray of any shape, material or size, this item is not part of your 3 or 5 item count.
- Don’t be afraid to add just a little bit of colour that co-ordinates to the rest of the home or room/space you are in.
- Be mindful of your vignette location as it will get lost in dark corners. Make sure your arrangement is close to natural lighting, underneath strip lighting when it comes to bench tops or even by a table lamp.
- Play around with a variety of options in a mix of different combinations. You may not always get it right the first go, so be sure to persist and keep experimenting. If you really get stuck, as I have on some occasions, simply walk away, and come back to it later with a fresh mindset or after having sought some inspiration or finding another item to switch out.
- Choose 1 main focal feature item and build around that making sure that once completed, it is still the main focal item you initially chose.
- Ensure that you have a mixture of different height items as all items the same height won’t stand out nearly as much as having varying height differences for different focal points.
- Where the space allows, move your vignette forward. This will heavily depend on your space. For example, on a kitchen bench, your vignettes are best placed under strip lighting that are in a corner or up against a splash back. However, when it comes to robe shelving or entertainment area shelving, bring the items forward as they will get lost if you push them all the way to the back.
- And above all else, go with your ‘gut feel’. You will either feel like you’ve ‘nailed it’ or you will feel that it is just not right. Should this be the case, per previous tip, keep working at it, because with perseverance, you’ll get it.
These tips alone, along with your creative flare, some inspiration and maybe a few favourite shops that are your ‘go to’ for both practical and quirky items, you really can’t go wrong. Also note that vignettes don’t have to be expensive to look ‘amazing’ and when describing them as needing to be elegant and sophisticated, one mustn’t misinterpret that to also mean expensive. Be assured that you can achieve simplicity, elegance and sophistication on any budget.
So don’t be afraid to also use these tips for your own home. You don’t need to be an expert; you just need to be willing to experiment. Grab some things from around the home before you go buying anything new and see what comes of it. No doubt you’ll surprise yourself, as this component to home decorating is no different to giving your bedroom a makeover with a new quilt cover and cushions or even a new set of towels for the bathroom.
So, step outside your comfort zone and create a vignette today!
