How To Style A Console
From yesterday’s post on a DIY grasscloth console I thought it would be fun to share with you how to style a console. I think a lot of times people either put nothing or put way too many things and it’s not functional.
Here is what I recommend:
Tip 1: Start with a fresh slate. Clear everything up and then also go around your home and see what other items you love that you think would look like nice with the color story you have going on in that room. I love shopping around my house it’s easy to do and free!
Tip 2: Start at the bottom. If you have an open console like I do you need to fill the space underneath. You can put a pair of stools underneath or one larger item like a skirted ottoman. Since my console was a neutral I wanted to have fun with pattern and to fill the space visually. If you have a solid console with drawers all throughout you might want to put a ceramic stool or umbrella stand to the left or right of your console.
Tip 3: Let their be light. Most times a living room doesn’t have overhead lighting so you need to rely on table and/or floor lamps and sconces. If you have a large enough console you can flank it with two lamps, but since mine wasn’t that long I only went with a vintage find that I adore.
Tip 4: Since the lighting was mainly for eye candy I used the opposite side of the console to add accessories. I went with a grouping of three. Since I had flowers on hand I went with two vases at two different heights and a small elephant tray.
Close up:
I have also subbed out the elephant vase and added a piece of artwork instead for another grouping of 3:
Tip 5: A tray is always a good idea. I love trays especially with a little guy around who wants to touch everything. With a tray I get to fill it with lots of items I love, but don’t necessarily want Hudson to touch so a simple lift of the tray and it disappears within it’s reach.
Tip 6: For the middle section of the console I like the idea of having something solid that will add some visual weight, but not as tall as my items on the left and right. Stacked design books and a little orange box are the perfect thing for this space. I could also see stacked lacquered boxes here.
Tip 7: Take a step back and observe. At this point you want to remove somethings or add a thing or two. I decided the lamp looked a little lonely so after some shopping around my house my vintage brass elephant got a new home. All finished!
What are your tips for styling a console?
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ON THE BLOG
My living room is one of the rooms that evolved drastically from when we first moved one. Originally I painted the walls chocolate brown and did accents of white, blue and orange. That lasted maybe 2 years.
Our dining room sat empty for months. Okay maybe it was empty for just a handful of weeks and then we couldn’t take it anymore and put in a folding table and plastic outdoor chairs, but in my mind that was still empty.
On the main floor of our house we have a Florida room. Being that it’s a Florida room it is a considered a 3 season room, because there is no heat in the room. The previous owners used it as an indoor patio with outdoor furniture and it looked like this when we moved in.
Thanks for the tips, it looks great! Where I get stumped is that I have multiple similar surfaces that need styling (2 consoles, a chest, a sideboard and a small bookshelf) between the first 3 rooms of my home and am struggling with keeping each one looking fresh and unique. Any thoughts on working with multiple surfaces in connecting areas?
Love all of the colors, they work so well together!
Those stacked books make it. Looks really great. I need to style my entry soon once I search my house!
Funny thing….I happen to be *trying* to style my newly painted one. As. I. Type. (and happened to just do a post about it) wanna come over and style for me. Pretty please. Cherry on top?
Nice tips but way too full for my liking. I would have left out the stack in the middle.