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Set your sights on elevating your space

Not all homes will be lucky to have a stunning fireplace with stonework, ornate mantlepiece features let alone remodelling in marble finishes. Luckily for clever stylists, and those who have a great eye for design, focal points can easily be created with furniture.

By selecting key pieces of furniture, you’ll be able to draw the attention of your guests and create an inviting and beautiful space.

More is more

You can start by using your focal point furniture piece such as a console, cabinet, or buffet and open up a world of styling options. Employ various decorations such as vases, statues, lamps, artificial floral arrangements and more to add layers of interest to draw and lead the eye freely on and around the focal point.

Mirrors or wall art are great statement pieces alone, or create really stand out focal points when placed on or above consoles or buffets. Styling your consoles and buffets with large mirrors or wall art allows the eye to enjoy the look of grandeur of the key piece of furniture without detracting from it.

It’s all in the details

You might think vignettes need to be small, but think of the bigger picture when you have an entire room to play with. You can end up with a lot of options, but don’t get too lost in what your focus is when it comes to adding decorations.

Try adding décor that will add depth to your furniture piece, such as lamps, large potted plants, statues and ornaments.

Styling with vignettes adds elements of interest and layers to your home decorating and should evoke your unique style. You can bring your beloved book and your favourite ornaments together into a vignette.

Colour me surprised

Contrasting pops of colour used in the right way can really highlight focal points in a room. A feature wall or feature wallpaper can’t easily be changed up like wall art so an easy way of styling with colours is to sample what’s in the room and apply it on a smaller scale.

Try using complementary colours in your décor and textiles such as floor rugs, cushions, throw rugs and decorative vessels.

Talk to us about a focal point styling session and find your style when you come shopping with us.

Tidying up not sparking joy?

We loathe the thought of messy rooms and clothes piling up in a corner. We’ll tell you straight up: It doesn’t have to be this way. The perfect way to get your rooms tidy is to be clever about using your space by making it beautiful with storage options.

Luckily, you can create neat spaces with what you have.

Give your shelving space a super easy visual glow up.

Whether it’s your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom or laundry, you can create more space for your items by placing them in baskets.

Woven storage baskets with handles come in handy by creating a drawer in your shelf space. By using different woven storage baskets, you can complement your home style.

Woven storage solutions in wicker and rattan natural fibres looks can give beach-y and boho relaxed vibes. Using thick, plush weaves in whites and soft greys can ooze the modern country look when matched with Hamptons style furniture.

Draw the line with mess

Speaking of drawers, have you tried the simple trick of using storage inside your drawers? Try using small storage baskets in your drawers, to create sections for your socks and underwear, so you can avoid the hassles of a jumble when you go fishing for that matching sock.

The visual mess drawers and cupboards can be simply transformed into neat baskets full of small items, linen or utensils.

Tip: Linen and towels can be folded tightly rolled before being placed in a storage basket.

Stashed but not forgotten

Keep those messy piles of washing off the floor and out of sight, neatly waiting for your next laundry day by using large woven hampers with lids. Woven hampers come in different weaves, textures and colours, so you’ll want to show them off rather than have them shut away in the laundry.

Store your throw rugs and cushions in plain sight by using baskets. This is a great option for when you’re low on cupboard space and have them conveniently within arms’ reach.

It doesn’t take much organising to use storage to stash your items, especially when it comes to picking up kids’ toys. Baskets can make a quick tidy up a breeze when unexpected visitors turn up.

Bedroom blitz

Rather than leaving your clothing or textiles strew, you have options to use key pieces of furniture that by design are functional to suit your room.

Occasional chairs and ottomans can be used to drape bedroom textiles such as extra blanket or throw rug.  Go one better with a beautiful fabric storage ottoman that can hold spare bedding, and doubles as a comfortable seat when putting on your shoes.

Have you tried other storage tricks in your home?

Talk to us about storage styling options and find your storage solutions when you come shopping with us.

Key features

The modern country style is about bringing all the beauty of a rustic, farmhouse look into the now using key pieces. Think reclaimed wood furniture, vintage-look gingham and woven textiles, and a mix of ceramic and ironware homewares.

Kitchen

Our Hampton Island Buffet is an example of crisp, clean lines of a functional yet stand out kitchen piece. Its crisp white finish with a wooden cedar top echoes the classic country look for your kitchen.

The beauty of a kitchen decorating is your kitchen wares can be left out! Display your kitchen ceramics, cookware and don’t forget your rolling pins by using open shelving and bench top vignettes. You can store your tea, coffee and sugar in rustic style canisters in either ceramic or metal and set in a vignette of three on a bench top or shelf.

Display your serving ware such as plates, cups and dishes neatly in open shelving or store them in a buffet that matches your country feel kitchen, such as our Hampton 4 door Buffet. Organise messy utensils by using a holder for your benchtop vignettes with wooden chopping boards. Don’t forget you can update your tea towel textiles simply from gingham checks to contemporary waffle weave.

Living

Lift your living space by really harnessing the vintage look with wooden table tops, crisp white finishes and metal cabinet pulls. Picking key items like our Hampton Dining Table and Hampton Coffee Table means your styling becomes simple with changing your choice of décor rather than furniture when you feel like a refresh.

A great way to easily changeup your dining table style is to apply your farmhouse look through your choice of table runners, placements and napkins, and serving ware. Try natural fibres, natural fibres in prints, checks and waffle weave, ceramic dishes and a centrepiece. Go large with your centrepiece and gather a bundle garden flowers, branches of gum leaves or an artificial spray – really, you’re spoiled for choice from your garden, local florist or a walk in the park for ideas of bringing the outdoors inside with a homely feel.

Decor

Whilst you want to bring in farmhouse style, you don’t want it to put all your eggs in one basket with decorations alone. Rather than think about your decoration and where it will fit, try thinking about your room more broadly as a blank canvas, and identify key areas such as tabletops, soft furnishings and walls to decorate.
Ways to bring the country living look easily into a space is by using classic colours such as British racing green, oatmeal, royal blue and whites in your soft furnishings. You can then build on these hues in your textile choices, such as soft velvet greens, natural textured creams and accented prints in blues.

Let us know your ideal country living style.

Divide and conquer your space with a simple solution.

A quick and easy fix to create a new, functional space that you will love is to use a divider.

An easy way to create an area is to define that area with a privacy screen and a great way to enhance your living space style. Our Privacy screens come in a great range of fibres and colours nowadays, so you don’t have to settle for just a retro 70s look when you can capture a modern boho, mid-century modern or contemporary cane and rattan look.

Embrace the modern privacy screen that can divide your space and conquer your space problems without renovating your house.

Mirror, mirror on the wall – illusions are your best friend.

Another great way to create space where you’re limited is to use the power of optical illusions. Featuring a wall mirror, floor mirror or even a hall stand can visually create space in smaller rooms or dark colour scheme rooms.

Small or large mirrors have the ability to reflect depth and can be placed on or above console tables, and larger floor mirrors can take up wall space that would normally look finite and create added depth to a corner of your room.

More is more, right?

Rearranging your décor can also help with creating more space. Reducing clutter can be as simple as adjusting the placement of your favourite decorations, books and furnishings. Learning to drape a throw with cushions, create a vignette with your favourite decorations and coffee table books can allow you to lean into your personal tastes and create a living space that truly expresses your unique style.

Shop with the Importer in-store and find out from our styling team how you can enhance your home.

To throw or not to throw

There’s nothing cosier than snuggling up in a warm blanket on your favourite sofa. There’s no need to drag the covers from the bedroom when you can style a throw rug, avoid messy blankets and stay cosy.

A throw rug can become a stylish feature of your lounger, it can brighten up a room and add complementary textures to cushions and decorations.

It’s a simple yet functional way to add your own flair to your décor and provide an inviting lounging area.

It’s all in the wrist

Aside from tossing an unfolded rug over your lounge or armchair, you can try some basic folds to provide depth and layering to your furniture.

Try folding your blanket into thirds by holding it out in front of you and folding both ends into the middle. Drape the throw over the back of your sofa, across it or over the arm.

You can opt to fold it in half again to shorten the length if you wish to throw it over the arm of the sofa or a smaller seat such as an armchair. Depending on the number of people seated, folding your throw into thirds can allow the rug to remain styled in place.

The Drape Effect

Folds can make all the difference to the way a throw will sit across furniture. You can try folding into halves or even quarters and drape across the sofa or arm which will avoid a messy rumpled look.

For a more casual, tussled look, you can simply cascade a throw over the side of the sofa, across the back of the sofa itself or an armchair.

The Tuck

For those who have a high traffic seating arrangement, you can casually style in tuck to help keep the throw stay put and also not fall of edges depending on the length of the throw and the size of your sofa or armchair.

Try a quarter fold, and tucking in one end of the throw rug and leave the open end draped over the arm of a sofa or chair. This makes the throw rug readily available to add a layer of warmth when you’re viewing your favourite lifestyle tv show.

Add a plush one

More is more when it comes to plush comfort. Adding cushions of different colour, texture and sizes on a sofa and placing them over a throw rug can highlight your seating area, create a really inviting seating space and complement the fabrics of your sofa and throw rug.

Try adding cushions of different fabric such as faux mink, woven, velvet with faux fur, wool, or boucle throw rug textures.

Colour me happy

Sometimes colour matching can be a challenge but not to worry – there’s always options! If you have a neutral colour setting, you can easily coordinate bright colours to add vibrancy. Hues and tones with a pop of colour can be very eye catching and you really let your style loose selecting from a rainbow of colours.

If your living space and sofa or armchair a few different colours that you’re finding hard to match, you can opt for neutrals, bringing a more sedate styling of throw rug.

When choosing neutral colours, you can add your own flair by complementing your sofa and throw with similar toned but different textured cushions.
Additionally, changing your mind with the seasons is always a great idea. Choose cool, bright colours to add a summer flavour and deeper, warm tones for the cooler weather.

Show us your throw styling and share with us on Instagram.

The Importer has a huge range of sofas, armchairs, occasional furniture plus homewares available in-store. Call your local store in Launceston, Kingston or Cooee for stock availability.

What is a vignette?

Originating from the French word “vigne”, which means “little vine”, a vignette can be a story; a short scene, to the point and . You can declutter and you won’t need to hide away your treasured items featuring them in plain sight.

How to Organise the Clutter and Set the Scene

You’ve read the home edit magazines, you’ve watched the TV shows on how to spark joy in your space and now you’re ready to get styling. But, where to start? Creating organisation out of the clutter is a skill and creating a beautiful home is a masterful art.

We’ll share some tips with you on how using a vignette can add layers and depth to your living spaces and turn your favourite items into evocative features of your living areas.

Don’t leave the odd one out

The numbers game does play a part in styling vignettes and keeping the display object numbers odd adds to the effects. Things cam come in threes, fives and sevens, and don’t have to be the same style of object.

Think outside the box

Framing is everything, however you’ll need to change your thinking from the traditional boxed symmetry and towards creating ‘A’ and ‘L’ shapes with your objects. You can arrange the objects you’d like to feature, some objects that can be arranged at different heights, asymmetric positioning and from there you can arrange your objects you’d like to feature

All about that base

Depending on the space, starting with the larger objects first and working your way down can define your ‘A’ or ‘L’ shape but have you thought about a base, such as a tray or a framed picture to ground your vignette? Arrange objects from smallest to biggest, or vice versa. Small objects look best in foreground, with the larger objects behind. A tray can hold objects and create a defined space where they may otherwise look cluttered. Featuring items beside the tray such as vases give height and lead the eye upwards in the arrangement.

More is more

Solo pieces don’t sit as well as groupings of themed objects. Rustic metal, rope and rattan, white washed vases, textures and fabrics work well together with stacks of books, featured ornaments, bottles and floral arrangements.

Most home styling follow basic rules which makes it very easy for you to create and express yourself through your own vignettes and tell your own unique story in your home.

What are your key items to create the perfect vignette?

It is the time of year when the weather warms up and we invite friends and family over to share a meal, and of course the biggest meal of the summer – Christmas dinner – is just days away!

At the Importer, we love a well-styled dining table, and it’s not as tricky as you may think!

We have put together a few simple steps to help you set a magazine-worthy dining table.

Step 1. Select a table runner and placemats

We love a layered look, especially in summer. Choose a runner that matches with your overall theme, and place this down the middle of the table. Then choose either contrasting or matching placemats and set at each place – if you like you can stack a smaller placemat on top for stunning effects.

Step 2. Dinnerware

There’s no better time to treat yourself and your guests to beautiful new dinnerware, you can find new colour schemes and patterns that are great for Christmas! If you already have a set you love, that will work perfectly too! Continuing with layers, stack your plates and bowls in the centre of each placemat. Set a large dinner plate at the bottom, then place a side plate on top, and follow with a bowl. To finish, add a napkin atop the bowl – a napkin ring is very effective here, used with material or paper napkins.

Step 3. Cutlery and glassware layout

Laying cutlery and glasses is a simple step -place a fork to the left of the plate and a knife on the right of the plate. Next to the knife, to the right, place a spoon. Add a water glass in the top right, above the knife and a wine glass to the right of the waterglass.

Step 4. Centrepiece and finishing touches

A lovely vase of flowers, fresh or artificial, is always a safe bet for a centerpiece – for Christmas events you may like to create a festive floral center piece. You can also add garlands or other pieces (like Christmas baubles or pinecones) down the middle of the table. Get creative with this part and let your individual style flow, use things from around the home or from the garden, but keep a light hand.

For a wealth of dinner table inspiration, including placemats, plates, bowls, glassware, vases or even a whole new table, visit us in store!

So many of us love the beach- the relaxation, the fun and the beautiful views… so it makes sense we want to bring that feeling into our homes!

The classic coastal style is bright, white, airy with beautiful timbers and textures mixed in, it’s all about letting beachside nature in.

Follow our tips to create a relaxing coastal vibe in your home.

Mix Wood Textures

If you’re lucky enough to be working with a room that already has a timber floor, ceiling or walls – use them! Make these features stand out by bringing furniture and decorative items into the room that mix up timber colours. We suggest rattan coffee tables, side tables or cabinets, whitewashed timber pieces also will look fabulous. Then layer this look by adding decorative pieces like stools and wall décor. Always go for a rustic look when choosing timber items.

Light Colored Upholstered Furniture

When selecting furniture for the space, go with light colours for the couch, ottomans or covered stools. This is a fabulous contrast to timber pieces and will help to brighten the space. Large, plush lounge suites are also perfect for a coastal look.

Flooring

Seek out woven or jute mats to bring things together on the floor. Light and natural-coloured rugs are key here to keep the room bright, if you have timber floors choose a small rug that will add an element to the room without covering up the beautiful floor.

Wall Art

On the walls, add either a breezy canvas that uses blues and natural colours throughout the image, you may want to include artwork of the beach with sand. When opting for a canvas, go for frames that have light timber frames, to tie the piece into the room. The other option for wall art is art made from natural fibres, for example, a woven piece!

Creating coastal style is about making a relaxing space so go with your instincts and choose pieces you find to have a calming effect and bring purpose to the room.

If you love this style idea or have always dreamt of a coastal home, come and see us in-store!