How to Create Vignettes That Really Bring a Room Closer Together
In the past, when we were allowed to freely visit other people in their homes, you may have noticed that some had what appeared to be an area of knick-knacks or other “decor” items grouped together that somehow … worked. It didn’t look like some random junk taking up space, or a passage with household goods – it looked casual, but intentional. It was a vignette, and you can do it too, probably using things you already have in your home. Here’s what to do.
What is a vignette?
In interior design, a vignette is simply a group of deliberately positioned objects in locations such as end tables, coffee tables, shelves, or capes. In an article for Doornob.com, Don Hammon explains these vignettes:
Basically, vignettes grab attention by creating interesting focal points in the space. While they can be a great way to proudly display your valuables, vignettes can just as easily turn into overwhelmed squirrels.
Here’s how to make a vignette that strikes a balance between a natural look – but not some trinkets just plopping onto a shelf – and not shown in the production.
How to create vignettes that unify a room
It takes a little more effort than opening a closet or going up to the attic, finding something, and then arranging it. Here are six areas Hammon suggests focusing on when drafting a vignette:
- Style While your vignette may have a theme, it doesn’t have to. The goal is to find items that complement each other in some way. “If you’re collecting historical artifacts, stacking them all on a shelf can be incredibly fast,” Hammon writes. “Instead, try collecting all of the pieces from specific eras into smaller groups. If you only have a few items, pair them with framed art, historical information or tapestries. “
- The spacing also matters how you place the elements in the vignettes: Hammon says they should be spaced a sufficient distance so that they don’t block one object with another. “If you have too many items for one area, create two vignettes instead,” she notes.
- Height. Make the vignette more eye-catching by using objects of different heights so that it looks more like a horizon line than a display of the same items in a store. “Even if the entire collection consists of seashells, you can still put them in different sizes of vases: taller in the back and loose seashells in the front,” writes Hammon. “If your items are really the same size, consider adding risers to the back row to at least create multiple tiers.”
- Texture Having multiple textures throughout the room, including the vignette, also grabs attention. So feel free to mix glass, fabric, wood, metal, foliage, etc.
- Color. We’re not talking about this in the early 2000s “pop color” style, but rather paying attention to color and background when designing a vignette. As Hammon notes, white figures on a white background add little to your space.
- Personalization If you have items you’ve kept over the years because they mean something, or just like the way they look, include them in your vignette. It also ensures that this is a reflection of you and your interests, rather than the case when you walk into IKEA and recreate one of their staging rooms separately.