8 Tips for Making Beautiful Vignettes
Get tips for arranging accessories into a gorgeous still life that creates a mood and makes your room look polished and pulled together.
One of the easiest ways to add designer-worthy style to your home is to arrange objects into vignettes, or groupings, atop tables and shelves. Think of it as creating a beautiful still life. You can make a vignette on top of any flat surface: a dresser, table, bookshelf, countertop or window ledge. You can use accessories like vases, mirrors, plants, greenery, photos or other personal belongings to create a mood, just like a movie set designer does for a film. A vignette makes a room look more polished and pulled together.
Here are eight tips for creating striking vignettes in your home:
1. Build your vignette around a light source.
![Pink and Gold Details Create a Glamorous Girl's Space Glamorous Girl's Space with Gold and Pink Details](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2016/8/23/0/Veronica-Solomon_ASID-Show-House-Teen-Lounge_7.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1471970650912.jpeg)
By Niki Photography
If your arrangement of objects is in a dark corner, it won't be seen and the effect will be lost. Try building your vignette around a lamp.
2. Choose objects to support the style and theme of your room.
![Sitting Area and Music Area in Loft Apartment Loft Apartment with Sitting Area and Music Area](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2016/8/23/0/Barbara-Vail_Loft-for-Unique-Client_6.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1471959874855.jpeg)
Joyelle West
If your room is formal, a symmetrical design works best. If the room is casual, asymmetrical groupings are better.
3. Use color in your vignette to coordinate a room.
![Colorful Accessories in Modern Living Room Colorful Living Room Vignette](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2013/6/27/15/RS_Diego-Alejandro-Design-Colorful-Living-Room-Accessories_s4x3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.85.suffix/1400980433028.jpeg)
Use items in shades that complement the dominant color in a room. Flowers, houseplants or books with colorful spines are good ways to introduce color into a grouping of items.
4. Display objects in odd numbers.
![Living Room Coffee Table Vignette with Fern Living Room Coffee Table Vignette with Fern](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2015/9/28/0/CI_Cote-Designs_Indoor-growing-designs-6.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.822.85.suffix/1443487369231.jpeg)
Casto Photography & Cinema
Place several objects of similar shape, size and color together in odd numbers for maximum impact. Groups of three or five work particularly well and are stronger visually than a group of two or four.
5. Vary the height of the objects.
![Farmhouse Chic Mantel Decor Farmhouse Chic Mantel Decor](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2016/7/6/0/CI_Yellow-Prairie-Interiors-Mantels-1.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.822.85.suffix/1467829192490.jpeg)
Janna Allbritton
Use small pedestals to elevate items. Try stacking books to create a platform for smaller objects.
6. Stick to a theme.
![White and Silver Tabletop Vignette White Dishes on a Silver Tray with a White Vase of Tulips](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2016/6/28/1/FOD16_Liv-Showroom_Kitchen-Dining_15.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.85.suffix/1467142167861.jpeg)
Lindsay Salazar Photography
Group candles, for example, or family vacation photos. In the kitchen, display various kitchen items like salt and pepper shakers, tea cups and saucers together on a vintage pie tin.
7. Create depth.
![Elegant Vignette in Girl's Nursery Contemporary Girl's Nursery With Gold Mirror](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2016/5/9/0/FOD16_J-and-J-Design-Group_Ellies-Nursery_2.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.85.suffix/1462825780610.jpeg)
John Woodcock Photography
Place objects from the back of the flat surface to the front instead of in a straight line the length of the surface. Placing objects atop a mirror, or leaning them against a mirror that's on the wall, is an easy way to create a sense of dimension.
8. Vary the textures of objects.
![Contemporary Living Room in New Orleans Victorian Home Feminine and COntemporary Living Room with Layers of Texture](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2015/8/24/1/Laurel-and-Wolf-Lauren-Messina_French-Quarter-Victorian_3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.440.85.suffix/1440441994707.jpeg)
Nick O'Neill for Laurel & Wolf; Designer: Lauren Messina
Mix hard and shiny accessories with rough and natural. Use weathered wood or iron architectural elements to introduce an unexpected texture.