How to Embrace Clutter Without Creating Chaos
If you’re drawn to reject minimalism in favour of abundance, here’s how to keep it the right side of chaotic
Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve begun to look at our homes differently – they’ve become a place to linger for longer, rather than just at the start and end of a day, and we’ve seen them as a restorative space for us, rather than for visitors.
As a result, many of us want to inject more of our personality into our rooms and surround ourselves with objects, paintings, colour and patterns that bring us joy. But how do we display an eclectic collection of treasured furniture and ornaments without making our homes feel messy and stressful?
Read on to find out how designers have created homes that incorporate collections of artwork, textiles, vintage furniture and ornaments while still looking stylish and cohesive.
As a result, many of us want to inject more of our personality into our rooms and surround ourselves with objects, paintings, colour and patterns that bring us joy. But how do we display an eclectic collection of treasured furniture and ornaments without making our homes feel messy and stressful?
Read on to find out how designers have created homes that incorporate collections of artwork, textiles, vintage furniture and ornaments while still looking stylish and cohesive.
Consider colour and layout
A home that’s full of keepsakes, artwork and colour doesn’t have to feel busy. This bedroom, designed by Brooke Copp-Barton Interiors, shows how interesting objects and textures can actually bring a calm, harmonious feel to a space.
The trick here is the clever choice of colour that tones beautifully with the artwork. The designer has picked out the blue, green and pink hues in the paintings for the walls and textiles. The interesting palette is both bold and balanced, and the mix of velvet, pattern and wool brings tactile character to the room.
The artwork, too, is cleverly positioned. It appears to be hung in a slightly haphazard way, but in fact the bottom of the central painting is lined up with the base of the artwork on the left, while the painting on the right is lined up with the bottom of the central frame.
A home that’s full of keepsakes, artwork and colour doesn’t have to feel busy. This bedroom, designed by Brooke Copp-Barton Interiors, shows how interesting objects and textures can actually bring a calm, harmonious feel to a space.
The trick here is the clever choice of colour that tones beautifully with the artwork. The designer has picked out the blue, green and pink hues in the paintings for the walls and textiles. The interesting palette is both bold and balanced, and the mix of velvet, pattern and wool brings tactile character to the room.
The artwork, too, is cleverly positioned. It appears to be hung in a slightly haphazard way, but in fact the bottom of the central painting is lined up with the base of the artwork on the left, while the painting on the right is lined up with the bottom of the central frame.
Repeat an accent
If you get it wrong, a cluttered look can cause the eye to dart from place to place, not knowing where to stop. If you do it right, like the team at Studio Fabbri have done here, your eye will glide along the space in a relaxed manner.
The disparate selection of objects has, of course, been arranged in a beautiful composition by the designer, but there’s another trick that’s worth considering here. Note the numerous objects that are coloured with a particular vibrant salmon pink. The shade crops up at intervals around the room, in the mannequin, on the graffiti artwork and on the flamingo, for example.
The repetition of a single shade adds a subtle rhythm to the space that gives it a cohesive feel.
Want some help curating your treasures? Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
If you get it wrong, a cluttered look can cause the eye to dart from place to place, not knowing where to stop. If you do it right, like the team at Studio Fabbri have done here, your eye will glide along the space in a relaxed manner.
The disparate selection of objects has, of course, been arranged in a beautiful composition by the designer, but there’s another trick that’s worth considering here. Note the numerous objects that are coloured with a particular vibrant salmon pink. The shade crops up at intervals around the room, in the mannequin, on the graffiti artwork and on the flamingo, for example.
The repetition of a single shade adds a subtle rhythm to the space that gives it a cohesive feel.
Want some help curating your treasures? Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
Embrace symmetry
Want to fill your home with pattern, colour, vintage furniture and artwork? It’s perfectly possible to create a room full of mismatched designs without it feeling disjointed. This room, designed by Pineapple Interiors, illustrates how to do this beautifully.
Nothing seems to match on first glance, yet it feels calm and balanced. The cohesive colour palette helps, but equally as important is the symmetry in the space. You don’t have to achieve perfect symmetry, just a feeling that each side of the room is balanced in some way by the other side.
The armchairs are placed opposite the sofa and also help to balance out the console on the left. The lamps are also imperfectly balanced, and all of these objects are grounded by a central artwork, coffee table, rug and pendant.
Want to fill your home with pattern, colour, vintage furniture and artwork? It’s perfectly possible to create a room full of mismatched designs without it feeling disjointed. This room, designed by Pineapple Interiors, illustrates how to do this beautifully.
Nothing seems to match on first glance, yet it feels calm and balanced. The cohesive colour palette helps, but equally as important is the symmetry in the space. You don’t have to achieve perfect symmetry, just a feeling that each side of the room is balanced in some way by the other side.
The armchairs are placed opposite the sofa and also help to balance out the console on the left. The lamps are also imperfectly balanced, and all of these objects are grounded by a central artwork, coffee table, rug and pendant.
Find a theme
If you can arrange your objects, finds and furniture around a theme, you can create a collection rather than random clutter.
In this New York apartment, Jessica Shaw of moment design + productions devised ways to display the owner’s collection of interesting objects and artwork that felt calm and ordered.
A selection of similar objects has been arranged on bespoke storage to form a balanced display. There are a lot of pictures, ceramics and baskets in the mix, but by grouping them together, they look beautiful rather than untidy.
If you can arrange your objects, finds and furniture around a theme, you can create a collection rather than random clutter.
In this New York apartment, Jessica Shaw of moment design + productions devised ways to display the owner’s collection of interesting objects and artwork that felt calm and ordered.
A selection of similar objects has been arranged on bespoke storage to form a balanced display. There are a lot of pictures, ceramics and baskets in the mix, but by grouping them together, they look beautiful rather than untidy.
Measure up
It’s worth getting down to detail when it comes to designing display storage for an eclectic mix of objects and books. If you take the time to measure those pieces you’d like to show off, you can create open shelving that puts each piece in its own frame.
That’s what Exploit Space has done here with a creatively designed shelving unit. The joinery is a feature in itself, but, as the shelves have been painted white to match the walls, the owner’s treasured finds can come to the fore.
Tell us…
Do you like to surround yourself with your possessions? How have you arranged them? Share your tips and photos in the Comments.
It’s worth getting down to detail when it comes to designing display storage for an eclectic mix of objects and books. If you take the time to measure those pieces you’d like to show off, you can create open shelving that puts each piece in its own frame.
That’s what Exploit Space has done here with a creatively designed shelving unit. The joinery is a feature in itself, but, as the shelves have been painted white to match the walls, the owner’s treasured finds can come to the fore.
Tell us…
Do you like to surround yourself with your possessions? How have you arranged them? Share your tips and photos in the Comments.
For a cosy kitchen that nourishes your eyes as well as your stomach, shelving is key. Incorporate as many surfaces as possible to ensure you can display treasured crockery and old recipe books.
In this kitchen designed by Stephen Graver, an eclectic mix of vintage and bespoke shelving adds personality to the walls and provides storage for the owner’s collection of tableware and reading material.
It’s vital to plan ahead if you want to achieve a seemingly casual look like this. If you’re clear about the objects you’d like to have on display, a professional can help you combine these open areas with closed cabinetry to ensure your kitchen looks curated rather than cluttered.