I'm one of those people who never in their whole life understood the use of buying something with no purpose. I loved scented candles, but rarely bought them, knowing I'd never use them, I didn't put up posters or paintings because they were too expensive to "have no use", and until yesterday, I didn't own throw pillows.
And yet, as a teenager I would sit around and wonder why my room never looked as nice as the ones me and my dad watched every weekend on HGTV. The answer has only very recently come to me. Accent pieces!
While a lot of you are sitting there like: "Duh. Does this chick think I'm stupid? I know that!", some of you are like me, thinking "What's the point? They take up space and don't provide any use!"
Okay, yes. Sometimes. And sometimes those things DO have a purpose. But mostly, that purpose is to give your space character and charm. And sometimes it's just to make you happy because it's something that speaks to you or to your tastes.
Let me tell you, if I was going to have the PERFECT space, no budget included, the theme would be comfortable and luxe. I love the color gold, I love leather, and I love high end feeling pieces both in my home and my wardrobe. I want my house to be like a ski resort fit for a princess. But I do have a budget, and while in a fantasy world my makeup would be housed in an antique, filigree gold box and applied by professionals, this isn't a fantasy world, and I don't even HAVE SHEETS ON MY BED!
So I have to make do! But not just "make do" because I don't really like that term. You "make do" with jeans that don't flatter your butt, or that are too mom-like when you're only 14 because you can't fit into jeans at Forever 21, and your mom is NOT going to pay for you to get more expensive jeans in your size because, HEY, you're gonna grow out of them in a year anyway.
Picking the right accents and home accessories is important because it makes a space unique and honestly, thinks like pretty candles, and antique boxes are going to dress up a space without the expense of making all of your furniture high-end and one-of-a-kind. Accents are the reason people can buy the same bland polyester couch as every other person in their neighborhood and still project individual style throughout their space.
Accents are important.
That being said, here's a bunch of them that I've been eyeing to perhaps inspire you to appreciate them more.
Candles
Candles are great because the smell good, and lot of times you don't even have to light them for that to be the case, which of course saves you money since you don't have to replace them. There's also a surprising amount of options regarding unscented candles if you're particularly sensitive to the smell, or just appreciate a good unscented candle for when the power goes out.
This candle from One Kings Lane is gorgeous, though on the more expensive side. Similar ones shouldn't be too hard to find, though. At least, as far as I've found. A more inexpensive option is
this cute 2 pack of candles in pots from IKEA. As you can see, candles are pretty much a universal thing and come in a lot of varieties and options, making them ideal for adding that little bit of something special to your space.
Pictures, Posters, and Prints
Frames are half the fun of pictures. You can share special mementos with anyone who comes into your home, or just put in some fun magazine clippings, or even your own drawings or photography. Frames are pretty cheap, sometimes as low as $0.99 at the grocery store for a simple one, and maybe as cheap as $5 for a prettier one such as the one posted here from IKEA. Simple ones bought in the store can be easily dressed up with a glue gun and some fake gems or pearls if you know what you're doing, or even just spray painted to be a cute color. One can of spray paint will cover several frames, so you could even buy several with a few different shapes and use the paint color to tie them all together. Whatever the case may be, you'll want to fill your frames with something you want to show off.
If the aesthetic is all you're going for, magazine clippings or these cute but cheap art cards from IKEA (more available
here) are perfect for small frames. For covering white walls, especially in an apartment where painting isn't worth the hassle, a large poster or print (or several smaller posters/prints) is perfect.
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Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful print.
$15 from my local grocery store (Meijer) |
Prints are great because they look like high end art, even when they're definitely not. I love mine and I also love the ones available at IKEA. Posters are also a great alternative because they're often cheap yet cover a decent amount of space to break up that blank space on your wall, and if put into a poster frame, it automatically makes it look like you tried ten times harder. This means that instead of looking like an angsty preteen with posters haphazardly slapped up on the wall, you get a look that seems like you actually care about the cohesiveness of your space. For both posters and prints I suggest looking at IKEA, Urban Outfitters, and even your local grocery/superstore for budget friendly pieces that fit in with your style.
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