How to Accessorize a Console: Step by Step

We’ve been spending more time in our family room at home, and I haven’t put much time or thought into the room yet but really love it in there.  When we work from home there some days, and it does double duty as a mini art studio for the boys.  It’s where we do crafts, wrap gifts, read and watch movies so I’ve been feeling the urge to give it a little love, a little bit at a time.  The spot most in need of help is basically a white console area created by pushing two our nightstands (ikea malm dressers) together from our last house:

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It sits opposite our sofa and a (very light) TV that sometimes lives there.  (It moves between the family room and our bedroom depending upon our moods/needs.)  I started with one of my favorite paintings, a yellow & orange vintage abstract piece:

Bringing in my yellow painting instantly livened up the room.  And it set the tone for our “art studio,” giving us a little something to aspire to 😉 😉   When we bring in our TV, we set it on the right dresser where it overlaps some of the painting.  (The TV’s small enough that it doesn’t bother me.)

From there, I added a glass lamp in the corner for height and function:

 To balance out the lamp on the left, I needed something fairly large to balance it out.  In this case, I’m not looking to create something perfectly symmetrical, so I started with a few books…

 …that would elevate my little Jim Henson plant, to make it visually take up more space:

I love using trays to corral interesting objects, and needed something that would bridge the two dressers and make them feel more like one so I added a vintage walnut tray with lots of warmth & patina:

I filled in the hole on the left with a stack of antique books, which are pretty much all over our house because we husband collects them.  (And yes, yes, they do get read too. 😉 On top of the little stack of books is an old blockprint stamp.

 I filled the wooden tray with a little collection of vintage silver things- fruits, a peanut and a pitcher that’s so tarnished right now it almost look like brass! (Sadly, polishing silver isn’t currently a priority! 😉  The mix of metals adds interest and more patina:

 Originally, I thought I’d stop there, but I threw in a crystal just because I felt it was missing something and wanted just one more natural element:

So what started out as this…

…..Now looks like this:

(For the moment; let’s be honest, nothing stays any way for very long in this house…  I’m guessing the first addition will be a transformer or small vehicle of some sort.)

I hope you enjoyed coming along on this little styling step-by-step with me.  Let me know if you’re interested in seeing others  (I’ll be able to share those this Spring once the Domino issue featuring our home is out-) Have a great day!!

**UPDATE- I just heard that the Domino issue has hit some newsstands!! Am dying to see it!!!