Top Five Home Decor Accessories
Interior Designer, Fashion Editor & Model, Dominique Alexandra Forsström, is founder of Alexandra Studio, a platform created to share a passion for interior design and all things beautiful. This month, Dominique talks us through her Top 5 Home Decor Accessories that instantly elevate the projects she has been working on at Femont Galvan Designers. Dominique’s style follows only one rule: to be sophisticated and elegant
You can read more about her trends, tips and inspiration at:
www.alexandra-studio.com
Instagram: @alexandrastudi0 (last letter is a number zero)
Email: info@alexandra-studio.com
PHOTOGRAPHY: Carlos Carretero
INTERIOR DESIGN: Femont Galvan Designers
A house never feels like a home without the correct home decor accessories. Whether it’s decorating my own home, a home for a client, or installing a project in a show home for sale, details are key in creating the final look. When it comes to a client’s project, it’s so important to find out their interests and preferences in order to inject more of their personality throughout their home whether it be a book about their top travel destination, their most treasured perfume on the vanity unit, or a fresh bouquet of their favourite flowers. After experimenting with different accessories in different projects, here are a few of my absolute favourite pieces that create an immediate stylish and warm touch in a home!
I. COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
Year by year, I love adding a few coffee table books to my own personal collection and I like to have them dotted around in order to thread my interests throughout my entire home. I especially love architectural, fashion, interiors or travel books in an extra-large format.
Coffee books are beautiful to place on a coffee table in a stack of two or three (odd numbered groupings always work!), on a shelf perched up, or sat wide open on a page - in this case it’s always a nice surprise to come across the book open at a new page filled with beautiful extra-large images. Also, when styling your coffee books, consider the colours of the book’s jacket and how it complements the overall environment. If you prefer, you can take the jacket off and just go with the book’s beautiful bare cover!
Here is a selection of my favourite coffee table books to style across a home:
1. Tom Ford | 2. Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style | 3. Elie Saab: Legends | 4. Peter Lindberg: On Fashion Photography | 5. Great Escapes Yoga: The Retreat Book
II. CANDLES
One of my favourite winding down rituals after a long day is to light a few candles, and they have always been an absolute essential throughout my home! Not only do scented candles act as aromatherapy, but candles also allow for dimmer lighting in the evenings, which is an amazing way to let your mind know that it’s time to relax and start preparing for bedtime.
Candle by Baobab Collection
However, when selecting candles, it’s important to consider several factors. Each person is unique and has their own set of preferences, therefore certain scents will be more appealing than others. Some people adhere to a vegan and natural lifestyle, so the scents they choose and the ingredients in their candles need to suit that lifestyle. Another important factor to consider is the purpose of the candle. Determining if it is for relaxation or to mask odours helps to narrow down the fragrance options.
For a romantic dinner, there is nothing more perfect for setting the right mood than a few candles on the table. However, the scent needs to be light and well partnered with the meal – musky or heavily scented candles are too powerful for this purpose. Instead, choose soft scents that will complement. The scent of herbs and ginger, for example, pairs well with starchy foods like pasta or potatoes. This type of scent has the added benefit of being refreshing after your meal, clearing out the lingering aroma of food. I find it particularly enhances the experience of an after-dinner digestif!
III. POTS & VASES
Vases are pieces that can be very functional, however they can also add a sculptural element to a space even when they aren’t filled with flowers or foliage. Combining pots and vases of different shapes, sizes, heights and finishes in a tasteful manner creates a lovely mismatched and curated feel. In projects I like to place them on coffee tables, on shelves, on a console table or nightstand, and there’s a wide range of different vases to choose from according to the style you want to achieve!
Vase by Olivia Walker Ceramics
What makes a vase a statement piece? It can be a striking colour or unique design, but it can also be its size. Large scale statement vases are perfect for entryways, exteriors or dining rooms, handling a large floral arrangement or bundles of branches. Scale is important however when choosing statement pieces, and they’re best used in spacious environments with high ceilings!
Accent vases are smaller scaled ones, making them perfect for bookcases, nightstands, side tables and bathroom vanities. Because of their smaller size, it’s easier to experiment with new shapes and patterns that you may feel wary of on a larger scale. If you’re wanting to build your own collection of pretty vases, I suggest starting here!
Heirloom vases are either hand-made by independent artisans, or antique and one of a kind. These feel extra special because they have a unique story attached to them, whether they were handmade in Hawaii or sourced from France. They are great conversation starters and will make an excellent addition to anyone’s collection. Heirloom pieces can range in price from very affordable to investment pieces, but they’re meant to be treasured and hopefully passed down to future generations.
IV. FRESH FLOWERS & PLANTS
This essential home decor element ties in perfectly with the previous one, as a charming way to bring an instant touch of luxury into your home is with a fresh bouquet of flowers. Fresh flowers inspire an immediate lift and add interest to any room. They help to bring soft lines into a space that can otherwise be filled with hard surfaces. Flower arrangements can also be a wonderful way to draw attention to features of an interior: a tall arrangement, for example, can direct the eye towards the ceiling height of a space.
However, you don’t necessarily have to match your floral arrangements to your interiors, but complement them instead. If your home is a palette of soft pinks, for example, choose clean white flowers or go for a stronger shade of pink that will stand out. Another beautiful option is dry flowers that can add a beautiful lasting touch too!
My favourite? White oriental lilies, as they have a beautiful, sweet scent that fills any room the moment you walk in. Quick tip: I always try to remove the pollen before it falls from the flowers as it can have a damaging impact on soft furnishings such as fabrics and carpets.
V. TEXTILES
PHOTOGRAPHY: Carlos Carretero - INTERIOR DESIGN: Femont Galvan Designers
Textiles are such an important part of dressing up a room as they provide much more than just a splash of colour in an otherwise neutral space. From throw pillows, rugs, blankets and wall tapestries, there are so many ways to incorporate them in a beautiful way, as fabrics add warmth, texture, and when chosen carefully, can even set the tone for each room.
I’m a big fan of using materials for living environments, such as linen, cotton, wool or alpaca. With such materials comes a timeless, adaptable and lasting aesthetic. Plus, they normally are better for the environment than man-made fibres. What I find truly special, are textiles that come with a narrative, as they are likely to hold much longer appeal!
My collection at home ranges from inherited family pieces, textiles made by friends, and especially pieces picked up on travels like a Berber carpet from a trip to Merzouga, or a traditional mapuche handmade wall tapestry picked up while exploring the Southern region of the Patagonia. Knowing a little more about the story behind a piece will make it much more valuable to you!