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Decorative Accessories Buyer's Guide
With the power to transform a house into a home, there is no easier way to express your personal style and enhance the feel of any living or work space than through carefully chosen decorative home accessories.
Amara is home to a selection of carefully chosen collections from the world’s leading designer homeware brands, sourced for form, functionality, individuality and style.
Essential to creating a stylish living environment, decorative accessories not only add a personal touch but also finish a home. Whatever your style, from classic heritage traditional to edgy urban contemporary or minimalist modern, there are endless options! Mix and match from across our ranges to create an eclectic and wholly individual scheme. Combine handmade accessories with tactile fabrics, incorporating up and coming designers with household names for the ultimate in home accessorising.
Add splashes of vibrant colour and bold prints to an otherwise neutral scheme with decorative rugs, flamboyant cushions, throws and objets d’art in rainbow shades from brands renowned for colour including Missoni Home, Designers Guild and Pip Studio. While Flamant Home Interiors, Lexington and Porta Romana can enhance a smart, muted palette with layered textures and tactile fabrics.
History
From the earliest cave people, humans decorated their caves with cave paintings – from the most humble of beginnings, interior decoration and accessorising began. In early history, form took precedence over function, and as such decoration for decoration’s sake belonged exclusively to the nobility. Up until the Renaissance times, it was only royalty and the upper class that had disposable income enough to decorate their homes with the latest draperies, linens and handmade furniture – clear denotations of wealth. They would decorate their walls with rich hanging tapestries and favoured draped four poster beds, both beautiful and functional in terms of heat retention. Aspiring to the decorating style of nobility, they began to decorate their homes in a more luxurious style.
The Romans too displayed their wealth through their homes and public areas such as banqueting halls – decorating lavishly with wall murals and elaborate floor mosaics. It was also the Roman love of luxury that saw the introduction of soft furnishings.
During the time of European Imperialism, the increase in international trade marked the beginning of consumerism. The western world established the new middle classes, who afforded more luxuries, including rugs and wallpaper. The look of a room became important, and decorating schemes lightened, with floral wallpapers and patterned carpets.
The advent of mass production in the 19th century meant that more people could afford to accessorise their home. Heavily patterned wallpapers in velvet and flock became immensely popular, and a trend for upholstered furniture began.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the effects of the media industry as specifically targeted lifestyle magazines grew in circulation, these included Ladies Home Journal, Harper’s Monthly and Vogue. 1922 saw the launch of Good Housekeeping – marking a definitive focus on the home. Television broadcasting in the 1940s brought the interest in homes and other people’s interiors even further to the forefront.
Artificial Flowers
Traditionally making a house a home, flowers have long been used as decorative accessories. The trend for artificial flowers has strengthened since the mid-20th century and today’s artificial flowers look incredibly natural. The perfect solution to wilting arrangements; artificial flowers are long lasting and can be brought out and moved about the house time and time again. Beautifully realistic, the fabulous flowers we have selected offer the beauty of fresh flowers but without the effort. Give a brilliant and utterly stylish luxury gift that can be enjoyed for months to come.
Wall Décor
An effective way to personalise your home, wall art can be in the form of paintings, framed artwork or wall sculpture. Search through a selection of contemporary prints that will make a striking and welcome addition to any room. The subtlety of a ‘Spineless Classic’ will create a talking point wherever you choose to hang it and the vibrant Pantone canvases will add a vibrant splash of colour, or why not hang several rainbow shades together to really create impact.
Hurricanes and Lanterns
A hurricane or storm lantern is a container made to shelter a lit candle, designed to protect against winds or draughts. Hurricane lamps and storm lanterns have recently grown in popularity as home accessories both indoors and outside the house. The perfect way to create ambient lighting, lanterns can set the mood, adding depth and interest to any space. Create enchantment and romance for summer evenings in the garden or make a creative contemporary statement in the house, a pair of bold lanterns can make a strikingly decorative statement and add an element of drama.
Bookends
Functional and practical, bookends can be subtle and understated or quirky and bold. Adding a pair of bookends to a home or work space will easily update your theme. Bookends also make the perfect luxury gift and add flair to any décor.
Decorative Bowls and Dishes
Some of the most versatile and ever popular decorative home accessories, decorative bowls encompass everything from opulent cut glass pedestal dishes to brightly coloured modern serving dishes. The fun part is choosing the right style and design for your purpose, and whether as a gift or for yourself, this comes down to personal taste. Picking out key shades for your colour palette can be an effective way to unite a colour scheme. Texture is also important, as a tactile wooden or metal bowl will make a bold statement within both neutral and colourful schemes.
The versatility of decorative dishes comes from the instant transformation that they can make and the wide variety of uses which they hold. Be adventurous and mix up dishes or bowls of varying sizes and shapes to create an interesting table centerpiece or an eye-catching sideboard display. Nesting dishes look striking stacked within each other and can be separated to fill with nuts or snacks.
Useful as fruit bowls, serving platters, or simply display vessels for just about anything – shells, ceramic balls, magazines, sweets, artificial flowers or candles – decorative dishes really are an indispensable decorative accessory. A fantastic luxury gift from our designer selection.
Ornaments and Decorative Boxes
From historical jewellery and snuff boxes, decorative boxes have long been both a functional and attractive ornament. Leather trunks, once used by wealthy travelers have become fashionable bedside and coffee tables.
