New Home Updates & Adding Visual Interest To A Space

Our apartment has continually been a work in progress since we moved in three years ago. Part of this is my changing taste in interior design and (a much larger) part of it is having the budget to invest in home bits here and there once the furniture was sorted out. While it’s not perfect, it is getting to a place that makes me feel excited to spend a day in. So today I thought I’d share some new in pieces that are jazzing things up round here and a bit of advice for adding interest to a space through the little details.

Mood Lighting

Lighting is one thing I massively underestimated in creating the right atmosphere for a room. We’ve recently added a floor lamp and a table lamp to our living room, both in a brass mid-century style. I looked online for a solid 4-6 months before deciding on the type of lighting to fit our style and our budget. Back in August I ordered this lovely brass globe floor lamp which I found on Amazon and which is surprisingly sturdy and well made. As for the table lamp, I ended up going with a very similar brass globe lamp with a marble base from Target. I love its retro vibe and that is’t a unique piece that adds visual interest all on its own. Lighting can become a focal point of a room and there are some great options within any price range, so it can create quite an impact in a room for for a relatively inexpensive fix, more bang for your buck.

Page Turners

One way to instantly inject some of your personality into my space is with beautiful visual books. There are so many lovely coffee table books out there with incredibly photography, on any and every subject you could think of. Some of my favorites are art and interior design books, like this new one that’s found its way to my coffee table, Surf Shack: Laid Back Living by the Water. A curated selection of coffee table books can say so much about a person’s interests and hobbies and they’re the perfect distraction to flip through on a lazy Saturday. I have a feeling that a majority of my Christmas wishlist will be some new coffee table books to dig into.

Your Favorite Fit

This may not be for everyone, but one way to add some visual interest in your space is by showcasing your favorite garments on a clothing rack (mine is a steal from Ikea). I’ve seen this a lot on Pinterest and Instagram, where the clothing rack takes center stage in the room and becomes another bit of interior decor. I personally love this idea and could definitely see myself showing off a curated lineup of my favorite winter coats, saving myself a bit of closet space too. My clothing rack is always out anyways because of my video filming setup so why not keep it stocked with my favorite pieces? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this idea. Is it better to keep things stored in the closet or have them on display?

Top Shelf Oddities

I’ve recently started looking for those perfect little knick knack items to style our shelves and mantle with. One of the first things I' bought specifically for this purpose was this adorable Stoneware Vase from H&M Home, which I first spotted on Kate La Vie (she’s the queen of shelve styling btw). I love the quirkiness of this piece and how it adds a little pop of interest to an otherwise typical bookcase. And FYI, I’ve flipped the books around more out of shyness than a real design experiment, but I do quite like the look of it (my taste in lit is a real mixed bag - I’m talking art history, self help, astrology, nothing is off the table). I think the key to finding the right styling pieces is to just take your time with it and find objects that really speak to you. Whether it’s trinkets collected from travels or the odd thrift store finds, what’s important is that they inspire you and speak to your personality.

If you need more inspiration, I think one of them best places to look is Pinterest. I also save loads of interior shots on my Pinterest board so check it out and maybe give me a follow too! I’d love to hear how you make your space more visually interesting. Do you already do some of the things I mentioned before? And where are your favorite places to shop for interior bits? Thanks so much for reading! xx Jessica