HOW I ACCESSORED A BOHEMIAN DESK

I recently purchased this intricately carved bohemian desk.  

A Chinese Chippendale bamboo chair works next to it.

CARVED BOHEMIAN DESK AND CHINESE CHIPPENDALE BAMBOO CHAIR

The chair cushion is made from a vintage Kantha quilt.  How Anthropologie is that?

KANTHA QUILT CHAIR CUSHION

DETAIL OF KANTHA QUILT CUSHION

Besides the ornate carving, the desk top is bordered with a greek key motif.

GREEK KEY BORDER DETAIL

 I always accessorize with what I have on hand.  This desk was no exception. 

I started with a beaded tray as the base and began to layer vertically.

 Two books with blue spines were the next step for my accessory pyramid.  They support a chippy column base topped with a preserved boxwood sphere.  A ceramic chain link cascades down the side.  Notice the gold leopard trinket tray in front and the sunburst mirror that I used as a back drop.

BEADED TRAY AS A BASE FOR ACCESSORIZING

Books, either vintage or new, but always with unique covers, are my go to accessories.  They always add interest and height.  My latest favorite books are these ones with quotes.  Notice that on either side of the books are some urn bookends.  They were too pretty to turn sideways out of view.  I topped the stack of books with a marble picture frame, and filled another leopard trinket tray with some fun pens.

BOOKS WITH QUOTE, URN BOOKENDS, MARBLE FRAME, LEOPARD TRINKET TRAY, AND FUN PENS

How do you accessorize a space? Do you have a plan in mind? Or, are you random like me and gather seemingly unrelated items to create a cohesive space?   I'd love to know your game plan.

To see a previous post about styling a space with books, go here.

I've written about layering a space before.  Go here to see that post.

REFLECTIONS AND SHADOWS

I haven't been posting many images of what I have for sale at the store, but I thought that this was a great follow up to my post about my dog decor.   This photo features one of my low-maintenance  pets in triplicate.  I was trying to get the reflection of the dog in the mirror and got an added surprise with the shadow he created.   The unexpected in a photo is always appreciated.

DOG SHADOW AND REFLECTION

Do you sometimes find the unexpected when you download your photos?

If you'd like to see what I have for sale at the store you can follow me on Pinterest. 

Or, on Instagram @allaboutvignettes.

Or, on Facebook.

MY DOG DECOR

There's always been a dog--or two--in my life.  Our current four-legged love is Bella.  Here she is ready to go for a ride with my two-legged love--my youngest son.

BELLA AND HER CHAUFFEUR


Of course I naturally gravitate towards dog decor.  I think it all started with this dog that I added to the store.  I always accessorize my dogs with jewels.  Pearls are one of their favorites.

FAUX DOG @BUCKEYSTOWN DESIGN COOP

I couldn't resist adding another dog to our family, so she traveled home with me after work and resides in the master bathroom.   Her job was to camouflage the toilet.  She really didn't do her job well, but we adopted her anyway.

DOG IN THE MASTER BATH

I shared my jewelry with her.

BEJEWELED DOG

A CLOSER LOOK

She's certainly a low-care pet who adds some fun to the space.

A CLOSEUP OF MY LOW MAINTENANCE PET

If dog decor isn't your thing, how do you feel about birds???
I've written about bird decor before.  If you want to see the post, click here.


To see more of the dogs in my life, check out my Pinterest page, Dog Decor.

STYLING A SPACE WITH RECYCLED BOOKS

Books are my most used design element when styling a space.  The bigger the better.  I always purchase large ledgers when I find them.  The size and the ornate covers make them perfect bases.  They're always filled with wonderful handwriting too.  For me, the script inside is an art form.

VINTAGE BOOKS ON A COLUMN BASE IN MY FOYER

The cover was missing on this vintage leather book. 

 I displayed the handwriting on the inside page as if it were art.

VINTAGE BOOK WITH BEAUTIFUL SCRIPT

 A few years ago I created some books by adding images to their spines.  I covered them with craft paper, then decoupaged images onto them.  To see the post with the tutorial, go here.

BOOKS WITH ARCHITECTURAL PRINTS

I can't tell you how excited I was when I found some recycled books with "designer" titles, some  with quotes, and others with design images.  The artist purchased close-out books from a publisher and recycled them by adding new covers.  I bought some to sell at the store. 

"DESIGNER BOOKS" @BUCKEYSTOWN DESIGN CO-OP

I always buy what I like for the store because one of my perks is that I get to keep some for myself. One of my keepers was a stack of books with the image of a Chanel purse.  I placed it onto a bookshelf in my family room.  I draped an old chain link belt over it because it reminded me of the the actual purse's shoulder strap.

CHANEL "PURSE" ON MY BOOKSHELF

I chose another stack of books for myself with a quote by Coco Chanel.
To see the full post go here.

STACK OF RECYCLED BOOKS IN MY FOYER

The same artist recently came out with recycled books with city coordinates.
 Here they are at the store.

RECYCLED BOOKS WITH LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES FOR CITIES IN MY AREA

Of course I included some quotes and some "designer" books in the display.

RECYCLED BOOKS

RECYCLED BOOKS 

Do you used books as design elements in your home?
Where would you use these recycled books?