The Art of Collecting…

In my work as a Melbourne interior designer and interior stylist I am always either working with people’s collections or encouraging them to collect!

From art and objects to books and crystal collections do not only give you an opportunity to bring beautiful things into your home, but they also give you a chance to express your personal style.

Some people are natural collectors and others are not, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t collect or that everything you collect will work together! Read along and I will share a few tips on how to curate your existing collections and how to embark on a collection from scratch!

Where to start?

First things first, collections are not necessary things, but they can become very valuable to us, collections built with items that are sentimental & personal are always the most meaningful rather then collections purchased just to fill a space!

You need to be naturally drawn to something, it will grab you and before you know it you will be searching out more! This is the true key to building a collection that will not only reflect your personal style, rather then current trends or fashions, but a collection that will grow with you throughout the years. Search out the most beautiful examples, invest in your collection and don’t forget to display it!

Making the most of your collection

So now that your collection is growing or if your already have a few good collections how do you make the most of them? As an interior designer and interior stylist the first place I start when I’m styling a space is to bring together like with like, find a common thread and bring like items together; blue and white with blue and white, books with books etc, by doing this you not only can see what pieces you have to work with, but you will also reduce clutter and fundamentally create harmony from objects that can sometimes fell lost or messy, we don’t want your collections to just look like clutter!

Once you have your collections sorted display them together, create vignettes and displays that highlight your beautiful things, always have a hero, a piece that grounds your collection, usually the biggest piece and then surround it with layers of your collection, play with different arrangements until it feels balanced. Don’t forget that you can always rearrange your collection whenever you like, and it will evolve as you add and change over time!

My one biggest piece of advise is to collect things that resonate with you, pieces and objects that make you happy, don’t follow trends and invest in good quality, this dose not need to cost the earth, buy one and buy well and your collection will give you years of pleasure!

If your dreaming of a resolved home interior with a interior re-style or if you’re ready for a complete interior design transformation get in touch with me today and lets bring new life into your home!