How to Style a Console or Buffet

Choosing furniture can be intimidating, but often we think the hardest part of the decorating process is adding the accessories and finishing touches. It can be hard to know when something is just right. What sort of accessories work with my furniture pieces? Is this too much? Not enough? We’re here to break down the details.

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that ‘styling’ a console, or adding accessories to finish the look, is very subjective business. It’s all about what looks best to your eye, and while there are certainly some guidelines we keep in mind, what is perfect to you might feel bare or too busy for someone else. And that’s ok!

Symmetry is Key

Symmetry is a very important thing to keep in mind when you’re designing your space and certainly when you’re adding the final touches. Symmetry is simply pleasing to the eye, so it’s always a great bet to start with a balanced, symmetrical space before adding the finishing touches.

In the vignette above, we started with our Rossi Huntboard which we love for it’s height. A taller piece is actually great for serving, and we like bringing furniture pieces into the room at aren’t all at the same level. Your dining table is most likely at standard table height of 30 inches, so bring in a piece that’s slightly taller.

Next, we added lacquered chairs, a pair of lamps, and a pair of pillows. Then we anchored the whole thing with a piece of art. Our general rule of thumb is to choose an art piece that is about 2/3 the width of the furniture it’ll be hanging over, and our Anemones at Dusk Print fits the bill perfectly.

So now that your foundation is in place, it’s time to add the last pieces.

With a space that has large foundation pieces already, like the one above, you really won’t need all that many accessories. But of course every surface needs something, even if it’s subtle.

For this arrangement, we chose a stack of books and a small tabletop sculpture. The important thing about this small stack is that it’s off-center. With a setup that’s so very symmetrical, you always want to add in something that’s off center.

Balance with Height

Of course, a perfectly symmetrical arrangement isn’t always the answer. In the room above, we used just one lamp on the right side of the console, but we balanced the height of the lamp with a maidenhair fern on a stack of books on the left. This teaches us an important lesson, when you start arranging things, always remember to balance objects that take up a lot of visual space.

You don’t necessarily need a pair of items, but two things of equal visual weight will help your tabletop feel polished. Perhaps you have a set of tall candlesticks. They don’t necessarily need to be on either side of your mantel or console. Place them next to each other on the same side, then use a tall orchid on the other side to balance the height of the candlesticks.

Create Groupings

We tend to like a more scaled back arrangement on a console table, especially since you’ll often need to clear it off when you’re using it to serve food or drinks. You don’t want to have to move a dozen little trinkets every time you have friends over.

But with that said, a couple of small pieces, like a grouping of quills are the perfect solution when you need a little extra oomph.

One of our favorite things to use when styling up a console table is an orchid. They have great height which balances art pieces beautifully and they last for weeks so you don’t always need to be refreshing your flowers. Plus, they’re sculptural shape adds interest and movement.

COLOR LOVER

Now, let’s talk about color for a quick second. We certainly don’t expect every element to match perfectly, but it is a good idea to choose some sort of palette and keep things in that vein. In this space, we chose a warm color palette with reds, oranges, golds, and taupes. Nearly everything in the space echoes the color palette, but because it doesn’t all ‘match’ it feels layered instead of contrived.

In this first space we showed you, you can see how the pillows, books, and lamps were chosen in colors pulled from the art piece. If you don’t know wear to start, choose a rug or piece of art you really love and go from there.

Find tips for styling a bookcase and tips for styling your coffee table. Or browse more ideas on our Pinterest boards.

Did our hints help you decide on the best top treatment for your drapery? Tell us in the comments below.