One of the hottest trends in interior decorating is creating a vignette in a room of your home. Vignettes are a lot of fun to create and can help to bring out your creativity and showcase your unique style.

What is a vignette?

A vignette is a grouping of objects that, when combined, creates a mood, a theme, and a decorative focal point in a space. Vignettes can include large pieces, like artwork, or small decor items like vases.

While you can create a vignette in any room of your home, they work especially well on flat surfaces in living rooms, bedrooms, and guest rooms.

Types of vignettes

A vignette can be anything you want. It can reflect your personality, it can showcase a particular theme, or it can be styled to embody a time period.

Popular vignette groupings include:

• Themes    
  • The beach: shells, wood, sand, plants, etc.
  • Cities: Paris, New York City, London, etc.
  • Family: photos, mementos, antique toys, etc.
  • The arts: movies, books, artwork, etc.
     
• Colour & Texture
  • Colour combinations that either accent the main colour in your space or add contrasting tones
  • Different materials and types of objects to create depth
     
• Time Periods
  • Historical elements and vintage pieces that reflect particular time periods
  • Collectible pieces and memorabilia
  • Personal items or inherited pieces that reflect family history

How to create a vignette in your home

A vignette can be created with any item that fits your theme and your style.

Here are a few expert tips to keep in mind:

1. You can mix new items with objects and furniture you already have in your home.

• If you have a dresser that you love, and it would make an excellent horizontal space for a vignette, then use it!
• You can purchase decorative items like vases, lamps, and artwork to bring your vignette to life.

2. Place objects of different heights and sizes together.

• Using odd numbers of objects is key to bringing a vignette to life. Group pieces in threes, fives, etc. This will be pleasing to the eye without looking too organized.
• Try to mix your objects around a key element to create your vignette’s focal point.

3. Keep scale, balance, and variety in mind.

• While you do want to ensure visual interest, you don’t want your vignette to take over your entire space or look forced. Keep your objects appropriately sized for your space.
• Try to make sure that the variety of pieces is not overwhelming and fits on your horizontal surface comfortably — you don’t want anything hanging off as it will look odd and could get bumped or damaged.

If you would like some expert help to build out a vignette in your home, come and visit our interior decorators at Smitty’s. We’ll help you create the perfect vignette.