18
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:256
(RAY)
256-265_30056.indd 256 3/4/13 7:54 PM
25 6
THE INTERIOR DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
Text
Chapter 18: Elements and Display
Accessories are items smaller than furniture that make up the visual eld of an
interior. Categories of accessories include functional items, such as wall clocks,
umbrella stands, and magazine racks; items that have personal sentimental value,
such as souvenirs and family photographs; and objects with specic aesthetic
merit, such as collections and artwork. Fundamental to the idea of accessories in
an interior is that they are worthy of display rather than being stored in a closed
cabinet, drawer, or closet.
Accessories play two important roles in interior design: First, they introduce a
smaller scale of elements within a comprehensive design strategy. Second, they
personalize a space, since accessories can convey individual interests, sentimental
attachments, or a specic aesthetic taste.
FUNCTIONAL ACCESSORIES
Functional accessories comprise items that serve a need of the occupant of the space, and
range from bathroom towels to wastepaper baskets to television sets. Functional acces-
sories can have aesthetic value, which a good designer can incorporate into the design of
an interior. Kitchen pots and pans, for instance, can be transformed into accessories if they
are displayed on an overhead rack or on custom-designed shelves. The designer has made a
conscious decision to treat the pots as objects worthy of contributing to the overall composi-
tion. This choice could be inspired by the clients’ desire to communicate their love of cooking
as much as the wish to add character to the kitchen through small-scale objects. Books are
another example of an everyday object that can be elevated to the role of an accessory, either
collected on open shelves lining a library or as a single volume displayed among objects on a
coffee table.
DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES
Decorative accessories include collections of objects, memorabilia, family photographs, cut ow-
ers, and plants. Accessories of this type can serve a purely aesthetic role or can function as a
personal expression of the owners’ interests and passions. This category of accessories is best
grouped and composed with an eye to larger compositional issues of scale and balance.
Collections that are grouped
produce a visually pleasing com-
position. The signicance of an
individual object is less important
than the density of many objects.
Machado and Silvetti, Boston Townhouse. Photo by Stephen Lee.
William Frawley, Frawley Apartment.
Photo by Michael Moran.
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:256
(RAY)
256-265_30056.indd 256 3/4/13 7:55 PM
18
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:257
(RAY)
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:256
256-265_30056.indd 257 3/4/13 7:54 PM
257
Text
umbrella stands, and magazine racks; items that have personal sentimental value,
personalize a space, since accessories can convey individual interests, sentimental
FUNCTIONAL ACCESSORIES
Functional accessories comprise items that serve a need of the occupant of the space, and
range from bathroom towels to wastepaper baskets to television sets. Functional acces-
sories can have aesthetic value, which a good designer can incorporate into the design of
an interior. Kitchen pots and pans, for instance, can be transformed into accessories if they
are displayed on an overhead rack or on custom-designed shelves. The designer has made a
conscious decision to treat the pots as objects worthy of contributing to the overall composi-
tion. This choice could be inspired by the clients’ desire to communicate their love of cooking
as much as the wish to add character to the kitchen through small-scale objects. Books are
another example of an everyday object that can be elevated to the role of an accessory, either
collected on open shelves lining a library or as a single volume displayed among objects on a
coffee table.
DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES
Decorative accessories include collections of objects, memorabilia, family photographs, cut ow-
ers, and plants. Accessories of this type can serve a purely aesthetic role or can function as a
personal expression of the owners’ interests and passions. This category of accessories is best
grouped and composed with an eye to larger compositional issues of scale and balance.
produce a visually pleasing com-
individual object is less important
than the density of many objects.
A collage of different types of objects can be
equally effective as a collection of similar ob-
jects. More important is the contrast between
surfaces where collections are displayed and
surfaces that remain unadorned.
Machado and Silvetti, Boston Townhouse. Photo by Stephen Lee.
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:257
(RAY)
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:256
256-265_30056.indd 257 3/4/13 7:55 PM
Get The Interior Design Reference & Specification Book now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
