Congratulations! You’ve successfully acquired a beautiful rug, comfy couch, big TV and other home essentials. Empty spaces are being filled, and every room in your home is beginning to hold purpose and presence. However, if a stranger found their way into your home, what could they learn about you? Could the house be anyone’s, or is it distinctly your own?
If you’re happy with your home setup but want to enrich its personality, you’ve come to the right place. There are plenty of fun, quick, and affordable options to take your house from a haven of livability to a haven of style and character without comprising the essentials.
These are our picks for the 5 best accessories to help bring personality into your home.
1. Plants and succulents
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Greenery is such a beautiful and safe way to decorate; it may as well be an essential of modern living. Research shows that space containing life and greenery will be perceived as a cleaner and healthier environment. If you’re an avid gardener, then be sure to fill those empty spaces with pot plants of your favourite flowers, greenery, and wildlife. The bright, natural colours will pop and add a pleasant aroma and juxtaposition to all the manufactured furniture and architecture.
If you’re not great at remembering to water plants, don’t fret. Succulents and cactuses are extremely low-maintenance and still look fantastic.
2. Ambient Lighting
If you pay your electricity bill, then adequate lighting should be 100% sorted. However, those light switches are pretty basic and don’t leave much room for nuance. If you want a room that isn’t only ‘light’ or ‘dark’, it’s time to get creative.
A weathered old lamp or sleek, geometric modern one is an excellent tool for adding salience to a room. Don’t have either? Give candles a try. They’re romantic, soft, and evoke a peaceful mood into a space. It’s the surefire method to take your dinner parties to the next level.
3. Music
It’s a lie that music is something that you can’t see. CDs, records, speakers, old players all contribute to the story of music. What speakers and hard copies of music you have lying around shape the character of your home immensely, signalling your interests and tastes to guests in a non-verbal fashion. Having some speakers or a vinyl player at the ready is a great personality option for large spaces in your house. Don’t be afraid to showcase your favourite CDs or vinyl either. Album covers can be beautiful and culturally significant. If you enjoy the creative arts, let your house show it too! You don’t want to look like someone that only uses YouTube to mp3 to listen to music.
4. Show your history
You’ve filled your glass cabinet with functional kitchenware, but there’s an empty spot left. Why not store something significant from your past there? Nostalgia is a powerful emotion, and memories make up a huge part of our personality, so why not remind yourself how far you’ve come? Not only do awards, degrees, memorabilia (etc.) look great, but they make your house distinct to you, should you choose to show them proudly.
For example, if you’ve got a sporting trophy on the wall, people will know that you get exercise, and if you have a degree, then no one will question your ability on how to tie a tie.
5. Time Killers
Homes serve a functional purpose, yes, but we also spend a lot of time in houses twiddling our thumbs. Having a little activity on a table or kitchen island is a cute and thoughtful addition for a house, for when people come over. Not only are little time-passers like stress balls, puzzles, and Rubik cubes functional – they’re the ultimate ice breaker. Share your fun, whimsical side by leaving something to do on your table. Suddenly your house isn’t a place to eat and sleep. It’s a place to entertain others with your own possessions and musings.