Maybe you hide away your fancy dishes in the cabinets or tuck away the children’s games and books. You want a clean and tidy home, a place to let your decorations shine. We’ve all been there.
But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if you could display your everyday household items to create a beautiful home of both storage and display.
You can use items normally stored— such as tableware, books, games, even vegetables — to create artistic displays on hutches and bookcases in your home.
Here at our Peaceful Valley Furniture intercourse location, our decorators — Erla and Anna — know the art of decorating with the ordinary storage pieces most people hide away.
We want you to have the home you’ve always dreamed of so we came up with three tips to create a storage-display masterpiece!
1- Choose a Theme
Before you jump right into colors and decoration, you need to establish a clear direction for design. Not many successful artists begin molding the clay, or painting the canvas, without a plan of how they want their art to turn out.
So, take a few minutes to discover how you want your storage-display to look. Keep in mind, you want this display to coordinate with your home’s overall ambiance.
Though choosing a theme may seem like a big deal, you don’t need to worry about it. Take a look at your hobbies, clothing, and inspiration.
Do you garden? Go for a farmhouse style. If you enjoy floral, a vintage chic theme may be the one for you. Do you enjoy the good old days? Maybe a primitive, traditional theme would work best for you.
Tip: Take a cue from nature and create a display full of life. The Farmhouse style, with its faux vegetables and galvanized metal tins brimming with flowers, will lighten up your home’s atmosphere. You just can’t go wrong with greenery!
Whatever you decide, make sure it fits who are you and how you want your home to feel!
2- Complement with Color
Your home is a blank canvas. Now with your paint tray puddling with colors, you begin.
Our decorators recommend starting with basic neutrals like beige, tan or gray then adding a pop of color. Choose a color that fits well with your display’s theme and overall home’s atmosphere. An accent color that perfects both your main color and theme will make your storage display into a true work of art.
The best part of a highlight color? You can easily exchange it for another color if the season or your preference changes.
Tip: Don’t overdo your accent color. Though the amount of color you add depends on your personal taste, it’s best to make sure your pop of color doesn’t overpower the neutral background or overall theme. Add one decorative, colorful piece to your display at a time.
We love how well this 36″ Bench coordinates with its subtle decorative, storage-display. Its neutral coloring provides a beautiful pallet for the artist in you to bring color and life to!
3- Include Variety
Add diversity to your storage-display with accent pieces and textures, varying heights and depths. This addition will not only complement your display but it will also bring it together seamlessly.
Accent pieces, like tall glass bottles or our popular quote blocks, will create a display that isn’t simply storage; it’s also art. 
We suggest choosing an accent piece that makes a statement while also blending well with the overall theme. For example, if you are going for a rustic farm display, it may be best to accent with sunflowers instead of formal roses.
Tip: Embrace odd numbers. Selecting an uneven amount of decorative pieces for your
display will help pull your look together.
Our decorators encouraged a variety of texture — like coarse, burlap “quote” pillows against smooth, porcelain plates — to bring a more eye-catching appeal. Experiment with different textures to see what fits your display best.
Using different depths and heights will bring a fascinating element of dimension to your masterpiece. You can enhance your display by creating a unique composition of your storage and accent pieces.
Your home doesn’t need to look old fashion or messy for you to display your storage items. Our three tips will help you use your ordinary household items to create an extraordinary home of storage and display.
Decorate with storage…because your home should be the masterpiece you’ve always dreamed of.
