Finishing Decor: Three Rules to Live by When Finishing a Space

By Kristen Cuthbert

Making a room feel complete is a huge part of why clients hire myself and my team. Often times, clients request a piece of furniture here or there, window treatments or a new paint color thinking that those selections will pull together the space and they will finally be able to say that that area of their home is “done.” And often times, they are right! But even when those changes are made, a room can fall flat and feel very “undone” without one of the most important parts in the process being integrated into their design plan. I consider finishing decor to be the part that pulls it all together; the icing on the cake!

But, it can be tricky and overwhelming to install finishing decor well. There is a fine line between making a space feel intention and beautiful, cohesive and complete and making it feel kitschy and cluttered. So where do you start? Here are three rules to follow when bringing in that final layer of finishing decor to complete a space and ensure it reaches its full aesthetic potential

1. Aim for fewer items, of varying sizes and textures, that each have a large impact.

Often times, we feel like we need to fill up all of our shelves and cover each of our surfaces for a space to feel finished. On the contrary, white space can be used to our advantage to make a larger impact with the items we have chosen. When decorating shelves, try to choose items that are varying heights and textures, each filling up a third of the space when grouped together. For instance, you could choose to place a large urn on one side of your shelf or sideboard and then a group of three like-urns of varying heights on the other side. Overall, the items are somewhat equal in size but composed of different objects, which creates visual interest without a feeling of visual overwhelm. Ideally, they would have different textures but be cohesive in color scheme.

2. Group smaller, like-objects together for a wow-factor. 

If you happen to collect items that you love to have on display but clearly want to avoid a cluttered feel in your decor experience, group all of the items together in one spot. This transitions the items from feeling like lots of smaller individual objects to one large object, intentionally displayed. Another way to make lots of smaller objects feel less disjointed is to gather them together on a tray and they quickly become one item instead of many. For example, you could gather together the soap and lotion bottles next to your kitchen sink on a well-chosen tray. The items quickly become one instead of three and your eye has less to process when filtering the space. This leads to a sense of calm because there is less for your brain to take in, understand and compute when you are viewing a space.

3. Always utilize plants, real or faux, for that final finished feeling. 

When in doubt, add a potted plant or flower to your space. This always makes an area come alive. Biophelic design is an approach to the placement of certain elements that help a space’s inhabitants feel more connected to nature by the use of plants or outdoor elements, like natural light, incorporated into a space. By bringing the outside in, you invite health and wellness into your space in one easy step. The use of plants and flowers also brings in a variety of interesting color and texture that is easily in opposition to things like books, pottery, candles, picture frames and other typical decor. The variety of the elements create interest and dimension, both things that are pleasing to the eye. 

So, when in doubt, choose larger items that vary in shape, size and texture but have a consistent color scheme. Place them in odd groupings with differing heights. Then, group larger numbers of small items together or gather them on a tray. And lastly, never forget to add a plant or two along the way. You’ll be loving your space a little more in no time!

*All photographs credit: Kristen Cuthbert

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