Home Accessories : How Accent Pieces Can Give Any Room a Facelift

The process of choosing decorative accent pieces is when the real fun begins. Now that the difficult decisions for the major furniture pieces have been made, browsing for accessories can be very exciting and usually lower in stress. This is your opportunity to really bring the room together. It is like adding that secret spice to your special sauce to give it a little kick.

Accessories give you the chance to bring materials like glass, wood, metal and stone together with cotton, porcelain and even shag. The combinations are endless and can work well together if you stick to an overall plan or color scheme for a room.

Pieces of special interest like the rice paper lantern you picked up during your business trip to China are perfect decorative accents. The lantern might be used for accent lighting in a dark corner or might be integrated into an entire Asian theme you are creating for the room.

Be careful not to get too many things going in one room by choosing only pieces that compliment your theme for the room. Country baskets generally do not enhance the look of an animal print rug. While it is essential to select items you like, be sure to stick with accessories that not only match the room's color palette, but also fits into its general scheme.

When choosing decorative accessories, look for home accents that will tickle the five senses. A decorative throw in fluffy chenille or luxurious silk will be a wonderland for your sense of touch. Lightly scented vanilla bean candles will play up to your olfactory glands. The coo-coo clock you found at a back road antique shop will remind your ears of that charming sales lady every hour on the hour. The kids' taste buds will love the crystal bowl filled with brightly wrapped chocolate treasures just within their reach.

You will look around the room and feel "at home" because a little bit of your personality is in each decorative accent.