Helping clients with home accessories is a crucial last step in turning their house into a home. These finishing pieces should reflect the people who occupy the home; otherwise, you risk alienating your client in their own space. If they have an extensive collection of accessories already, have them lay everything out in the open and help decide what is special and has a place in the scheme you've created together and what can go. Once you've done this, shop for additional items that align with what you've observed about the pieces your clients have chosen to keep. When you go to install, it is better to come with too many accessories rather than too few. You can always remove items.
Home accessorizing should be equally about making a home livable as it is about making it beautiful. Candles and candle holders are great accessories because they get a lot of use. A variety of nice but not too precious vases come in handy for fresh flowers. Bowls, trays, baskets, and decorative boxes serve as catch-alls for everything from keys, perfumes, and colognes to matches and firewood.
If your clients have wood-burning fireplaces, fireplace accessories are critical. Hand-forged andirons, fireplace tool sets, and log racks are helpful in preparing a roaring fire. A fireplace screen contains the fire and the mess and is an excellent way to cover an ugly firebox. The Rosen Gold Fireplace screen from Uttermost is a classic, while their Armino Modern Fireplace Screen makes the hearth feel cool and contemporary.
With pets increasingly becoming part of every family, pet accessories like Annie Selke's Woufs polypropylene striped dog bed enhance rather than detract from a home's décor. Their stripe leash and stripe collar complete the look.
An umbrella stand in the front hall, like the classic blue glazed ceramic one we sell from Emissary Home & Garden or the edgy Nomar in black marble from Noir, provides a landing spot for umbrellas, walking sticks. Hooks and hall stands hold coats, hats and gloves and ensure guests have a place to drop their things.
Finally, every bathroom needs a small trash bin, ideally with a lid to conceal what's inside. Menu's pedal bin in white or black works anywhere. Modway's Lava Trash bin resembles crumpled paper and costs only $60.00.
