Just as an outfit doesn’t feel complete without great shoes and jewelry, so it is with home accessories. They’re essential to creating a space with nuanced style and often aid a design in the same way a wide leather belt cinches a shift dress at the waist. There are tons of home accessories from which to choose, and a lot of the choices we make are guided by creativity and intuition. However, like your tried-and-true favorite pair of earrings, there are a few accessories that our designers count on to pull together the look of a room:

Picture Frames

A simple way to punctuate a room’s style and inject personality, picture frames are a favorite of designers Roseli and Evelyn. Easy to switch out, these home accessories can also be employed to refresh a room’s decor. When choosing, select two to three different styles to keep things from becoming too uniform.

Made from natural bone, the graphic look of the Moroccan Tile and Darjeeling Carved frames would be dynamite in a grouping together. If you’re looking for something more linear, go with the Bone Rod or Chevron frames. We also love Nate Berkus’s Cross Hatch Ceramic Frame from his spring collection. Its tailored look blends beautifully with existing décor while also adding to the visual interest.

A touch of rustic can enhance the warmth of a space. The aluminum and wood of the Frame Grey have a vintage feel, while the Faux Pony Frame offers a refined touch of country. Both would work to soften a modern or industrial design. In contrast, the organic pattern and mineral composition of the Alabaster Slab Frame works to polish a space.

1. alabaster slab frame | 2. Nate Berkus cross hatch frame | 3. bone rod frame | 4. blue and white chevron frame | 5. carved bone frame | 6. Morrocan pattern frame | 7. faux pony hair frame | 8. wood and metal frame

Books

Placed on coffee and side tables or arranged on built-ins, gorgeous hardcover books display your interests and reinforce your distinctive style aesthetic. For those reasons, our designer Evelyn often uses them to put a finishing touch on a space.

There are many books for gourmands and foodies whose enticing covers also double as décor. Home Made Summer is refreshing to look at, as is its focus on spring and summer recipes. The spare design and modern plate featured on Flavors From the French Mediterranean would brighten a contemporary kitchen vignette. With its frosted pastel pink cake, Vintage Cakes makes our mouths water and conveys a nostalgic feel that’s right at home in a room with modern farmhouse style.

The sophisticated cover of Vanity Fair 100 Years makes a chic statement while its pages hold selections of the iconic magazine’s coverage from 1923 to today. Similarly, Kate Spade’s All In Good Taste offers an interesting read and polished presentation.

Introduce the natural world to your indoors with books whose beautiful cover photos complement the room and invite flipping through. The vibrant image featured by African Air is almost irresistible, as is that of The Northern Lights. Hinckley Yachts: An American Icon is bracing and would be a fit in a beach-inspired home, while The Flower Workshop’s theme would add a pop of color to an ultra-modern space.

1. Home Made Summer | 2. Vintage Cakes | 3. All In Good Taste | 4. The Flower Workshop | 5. Vanity Fair 100 Years | 6. African Air | 7. The Northern Lights | 8. Hinckley Yachts: An American Icon | 9. Flavors From the French Mediterranean

Plants

According to our designer Miori, you can’t go wrong with a few well-placed plants to soften things up. The Sansevieria’s vertical shape fits neatly on the floor in a narrow space, while the Silver Queen’s fullness fills corners. We’d place the welcoming Tall Croton Multiple Trunks Tree in a guest bedroom to freshen the atmosphere.

Miori is also a fan of using specialty plants such as orchids and succulents to add color. The faux teak wood basin holding Silk Orchids with Tropical Foliage has a refined, natural vibe and would perk up a console table. Accentuate a sleek, contemporary home office with the Red Orchids in a Decorative Bowl or purple Double-Stem Orchid.

A combination of Orchids and Succulents has an of-the-moment feel that would energize a dining room. Nestled in rectangular and oblong planters, succulents are great for desktops, coffee tables, and jazzing up your outdoor dining space.

1. red orchids in decorative bowl | 2. oblong succulents | 3. dark purple orchids | 4. Silver Queen | 5. white orchids with succulents | 6. Sansevieria floor plant | 7. orchids in faux teak basin | 8. rectangular succulents | 9. Croton multiple trunk tree

Decorative Boxes

Our designer Nancy adores decorative boxes because they look fantastic and hide clutter. She often places them on open shelving and dressers to illustrate how they can display things as well as store jewelry.

Incorporating a mix of natural materials is a prevailing theme in modern décor, and decorative boxes are a handsome way to bring in stone. Crafted of dark marble with white veining, the Asteria Keepsake Box is a stunning, timeless choice. A combination of pale marble and polished wood, the Adora Box would stand out on a mid-century modern coffee table.

Bone tiling amplifies a well-traveled aesthetic and layers on texture. Whether a pair of deeply pigmented Lapis blue boxes or a duet of pretty patterned boxes, they’re a lovely addition to your dresser or side table. We also love a classic glass and brass jewelry box to showcase your treasures while also keeping them safely organized.

Even when papers and folders are neatly stacked, things can feel untidy. Covered in burlap and studded with brass tacks, the Ravenna Document Boxes are a charming solution to workday clutter.

In media and living rooms, remote controls, coasters, and other ephemera have a tendency to gather. Conceal it all in plain sight within glam, white Avondale Boxes with geometric gold handles, red Double Happiness Boxes, or tuck under the side table with Nested Faux Pony Boxes.

1. white lacquered boxes | 2. lapis bone inlay boxes | 3. red lacquered boxes | 4. blue and white bone chevron boxes | 5. marble and wood box | 6. glass and brass box | 7. faux pony hair boxes | 8. burlap and nailhead boxes | 9. black and white marbled box

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