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Miles Talbot
  • Miles Talbot

    Whether it’s a bolder color or a dramatic animal print, a chair with a bold or unusual fabric can be the perfect accent to a neutral, solid-color sofa. Photo Credit: Sunbrella® Fabrics

  • Bailey Street

    If you like to change your décor frequently or seasonally, it can be done inexpensively with chair slipcovers. Photo: Bailey Street

  • Global Views

    Candleholders are a classic, inexpensive home accessory you can add to your room's decor. Photo: Global Views


Global Views
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Candleholders are a classic, inexpensive home accessory you can add to your room's decor. Photo: Global Views

 

Accent on Style

Use accents and accessories to give your room an inexpensive pick-me-up. Accent pieces can help you create a new look for a lot less than redecorating completely.

  • Don’t be afraid to mix fabrics, colors, and styles.
  • Painted wood pieces are growing in popularity.
  • Accent pieces create a new look for a lot less than redecorating completely.
  • Accent chairs provide extra seating but can also add punch to the décor.

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  • Get Creative and Save!

    Budget-friendly ideas for adding style with creative accents, mixed media and unique materials.

    by Phyllis Rose

    Bored with your room's look? Get imaginative and think outside the traditional décor box. Purchasing creative accent furniture offers you a budget-friendly way to jazz up your interiors.

     

    Forget Matchy-Matchy

    When it comes to creating a unique look, everything doesn’t have to match. A growing trend is to purchase a dining room table or pub table, for example, but not the matching chairs, says Greg Waylock, president of Bailey Street in, Arlington, Texas. Some shoppers are choosing chairs that are different and more unique than what typically comes standard with the tables. "This will allow you more choices to add color and spice up the room,” he says.

     

    Change the Covers

    If you like to change your décor frequently or seasonally, it can be done inexpensively with chair slipcovers, says Waylock. Start with a chair designed to wear a slipcover, such as a Parsons chair. Then buy different slipcovers for different occasions. “You can pick out a new cover for probably $69 rather than investing in a whole new chair,” he says.  “Some people will use an everyday cover, but when they’re entertaining, they might put a more formal—say a skirted cover—on the chairs.”

     

    Settees for Seating

    To add quick, extra seating, settees and ottomans fit the bill while also adding spice variety to the decor. "Settees are great because they fill a void—in a foyer or a bedroom—that you’re not going to use an awful lot, but where you need a place to sit quickly,” says Rick Ronza, sales manager with Carolina Accents in Ripley, Miss.

     

    Fun with Fabric

    Thinking about adding an accent chair? Go bold—with the fabric, that is. Jazz it up by choosing a bold, patterned fabric. If you’re like many Americans, you own a sofa upholstered in a very basic (probably solid) neutral fabric that you chose for longevity. So, when you’re in the market for an accent chair, choose something completely different. Whether it’s a bolder color or a dramatic print, find a fabric you love. “You can buy a leopard print or zebra print chair to add a dash of something different to the room," suggests Ronza. "Choose a striking piece. And because it's a small purchase, you can make a statement without it costing you a fortune.”

     

    Accent with Accessories

    An easy, inexpensive way to get a new look is with accessories. The classic choices are candleholders, vases and picture frames. At India Handicrafts in Roseville, Minn., aluminum candle holders—in all sizes, from tea lights to tapers to pillars—are popular options, says representative Brandy Anker. Other stylish finishes for candleholders include black wood, brown natural wood and ceramic. “We have a few ceramic tea lights in the shape of lotus flowers that are also tremendously popular” she says.