Decorating
Styling: Colour Theme Your Collections For a Classy Display
Bring order to your collections and discipline to your displays by picking a colour theme and sticking to it
Displaying favourite finds and treasured items gives your home personality and warmth, but how do you prevent collections from looking chaotic? One simple idea is to group them according to colour. It’s an easy way to impose order on a bunch of disparate items, or give pieces made by a single artisan or dating from the same period another reason to sit together. This technique works in any room, too, so whether you are arranging handbags or styling your shelves, let colour be your guide.
Take two
A pair of objects is enough to make a display and, by choosing pieces in the same colour, they create lots of impact without cluttering up surface space.
A pair of objects is enough to make a display and, by choosing pieces in the same colour, they create lots of impact without cluttering up surface space.
Try dark on dark
Colour theming your display does not mean it has to stand out. This tea service, made from dark green pottery, sits against a deep aubergine wall. It’s a subtle look, with the china almost disappearing into the dark wall behind, and only the pale shelf drawing attention to the collection.
Colour theming your display does not mean it has to stand out. This tea service, made from dark green pottery, sits against a deep aubergine wall. It’s a subtle look, with the china almost disappearing into the dark wall behind, and only the pale shelf drawing attention to the collection.
Go all white
White china makes a clean, eye-catching display and, since it’s such a popular ingredient in working kitchens, a collection of all your white pieces can grow into something large and impressive. Move objects around or rotate them with pieces from other rooms to keep the display fresh.
White china makes a clean, eye-catching display and, since it’s such a popular ingredient in working kitchens, a collection of all your white pieces can grow into something large and impressive. Move objects around or rotate them with pieces from other rooms to keep the display fresh.
Match colour and style
Give your display extra unity by theming it around style as well as colour. You might like to display pottery from the same maker, or china from the same factory. Alternatively, group objects according to their age, material or country of origin, as well as their colour.
Give your display extra unity by theming it around style as well as colour. You might like to display pottery from the same maker, or china from the same factory. Alternatively, group objects according to their age, material or country of origin, as well as their colour.
Use colour to organise
Grouping items such as shoes and handbags according to colour does more than simply look great. It helps you to find the item you want faster — if you know its colour, you can go straight to it — and ensures your pieces look their best when not in use.
Grouping items such as shoes and handbags according to colour does more than simply look great. It helps you to find the item you want faster — if you know its colour, you can go straight to it — and ensures your pieces look their best when not in use.
Get the blues
Bright blue is a lovely colour for a collection, and it crops up on fine china and more utilitarian cookware, crockery and glass, too. This kitchen shows how grouping everyday items, such as bowls or plates, according to their colour gives them extra style points and ensures open shelves look decorative, while also performing a useful function.
See 10 ways to embrace bold blues
Bright blue is a lovely colour for a collection, and it crops up on fine china and more utilitarian cookware, crockery and glass, too. This kitchen shows how grouping everyday items, such as bowls or plates, according to their colour gives them extra style points and ensures open shelves look decorative, while also performing a useful function.
See 10 ways to embrace bold blues
Light it up
Your display does not need to be big or bold to be eye-catching, but lighting it from above will show it off to its best. Here, just a handful of gorgeous glass pieces in the same zesty green are displayed on elegant shelves in a well-lit recess.
Your display does not need to be big or bold to be eye-catching, but lighting it from above will show it off to its best. Here, just a handful of gorgeous glass pieces in the same zesty green are displayed on elegant shelves in a well-lit recess.
Take a minimalist approach
This room consists of three neutral colours: white, black and shades of brown. A display of china in white with the odd splash of black makes a pleasingly simple display that sticks to the room’s minimal scheme.
TELL US...
How do you organise your displays? Share your tips in the Comments below.
This room consists of three neutral colours: white, black and shades of brown. A display of china in white with the odd splash of black makes a pleasingly simple display that sticks to the room’s minimal scheme.
TELL US...
How do you organise your displays? Share your tips in the Comments below.
By arranging paperbacks according to the colour of their spines, a simple set of bookshelves takes on a whole new look. The books add strips of colour to the wall and look neat and ordered, too.
Discover 11 creative ways to display your books