Make sure accessories are anchored by a piece of furniture of equal or greater visual weight beneath them. Simply stated , you don’t want to hang a large picture over a small table.
Although accessories need not be from the same sources as furniture, or necessarily from the same period, they should be equally formal or informal.
Hang accessories at eye level or below. If a picture is to be viewed from a sitting position, it should be at eye level when sitting.
Generally speaking, odd numbers of accessories make a more interesting grouping than even numbers do
Avoid using similar shapes on the same table or cabinet surface.
One piece should have dominance.
If introducing a color in a room as an accent, use it at least three times for it to be an “accent” instead of an “accident.” Pillows, picture mattings, flowers, porcelains and vases are examples of ways to introduce colors.
Think of accessories on end tables, coffee tables and dressers as tablescapes, not just randomly placed, but arranged in some kind of an orderly fashion.
Contemporary furniture tends to look best with streamlined and relatively larger or bold accessories.
Country or period furniture pieces are best enhanced by groupings of accessories.
Try to counterpoint soft accents with hard ones, and mix materials whenever possible. Examples: lace tablecloth with silver picture frames, wood bases with porcelain, basketry with ceramics and maybe a mirror with velvet and so on.
Look at accessories from all angles of a room. Your groupings should be attractive from every angle.
Capitalize on pools of light that descend from table lamps as natural illumination for accessories.
Unite small accessories by grouping them together. A tray that holds a collection of thimbles will have more impact than if they were left without the tray..
