These five items are not décor, but there’s a way you can style them

Tell me, dear reader, who in your home decides what décor is and what is not décor? Is it you? Is it your partner?

Sometimes, it can be such a fine line between the two that you end up on a styling path that litters your home with a motley of random things.

Over time, your home feels cluttered and unloved, and the overall look tacky and inexact.

Visitors walk through your front door and their first thought is, ‘Hang on, what exactly is going on in this house?’

Well, help is at hand. Here are five pieces that are definitely not home décor, and what you should style your space with instead:

Children’s books and toys

No matter how colourful and adorably squishy they are, no matter how much joy they bring into your home, children’s books and toys cannot carry their own as décor.

If left unattended, they are like weeds that will outgrow their boundaries and choke the life out of your home.

One way to manage the clutter that is your children’s books and toys is to buy some stylish crates and shelves where you can put them away.

These crates and shelves are the décor. Plastic crates are functional, and white MDF shelves your little ones can reach are child-like and pocket-friendly.

Another thing, keep these crates and shelves in your children’s bedroom, where they can make as merry a mess as they please.

Only display one or two toys if you must. Display them on a hard-to-reach surface, so they can maintain their vibe up there.

Also, get into the habit of decluttering these crates and shelves. Children outgrow their toys quite quickly. And those they haven’t outgrown they have likely played with until they are damaged.

Get into the habit of donating the good condition toys they have outgrown, discarding the broken ones, and only buy toys you feel your children need.

Cleaning products

Cleaning products such as laundry detergent, scoring powder, air freshener, dishwashing liquid and whatnot are not décor. It doesn’t matter how appealing the packaging is, it is still not décor.

One way to turn them into décor is to empty and repackage the contents into stylish containers.

So, empty your hand wash liquid into a fancy labelled soap dispenser that has a matching one for hand lotion. Also empty your laundry detergent into a metal canister, one that has a measuring cup.

In your toilet, stash your air freshener, scoring powder and toilet cleaning gel into, say, a sisal basket, or wicker or faux-wooden box. Tissue is a cleaning product that looks gorgeous straight out the pack. Play around with displaying it in your toilet.

Blankets

Leaving your bed covered with just a blanket will have your bedroom feeling cold, neglected and plain. It will look like a montage from your high school dormitory. Or some army barrack. Perhaps even a jail cell, blimey.

Cosy up your bedroom by styling your blanket in these two ways: you can dress it in a gorgeous duvet cover, one that matches the cases of your decorative pillows.

Have a couple in storage so you can switch up your bedroom décor as often as you like.

Another way is to get a bed cover. Again, make sure it matches the decorative pillows. Tie all these in with a throw blanket and some decorative throw pillows. You can never go with throws.

Home appliances

Home appliances such as microwaves and TVs, washing machines, cookers and fridges are not home décor. Never mind how sleek and minimalist they have been redesigned over the last few years.

Home appliances are functional pieces that can be styled with other pieces to complement their functionality.

Say, get a funky console for your TV, get a floating shelf above your washing machine and display fun pieces next to your detergent. 

Musical instruments, though, are not considered home appliances – they make excellent décor, and excellent conversation starters, without even trying.

I mean, who would stand next to a Steinway & Sons upright piano in walnut brown, a piano that smells as old as time itself, and ignore the impulse to start a conversation?

‘Plastic’ PVC carpet

‘Plastic’ carpets were a home staple in the 90s, when homeowners wanted to jazz up their floors but couldn’t afford a plush rug - PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, which translates to, ‘Get that thing off your floor right now!

It’s 2022, darn it, why are we still chloriding ourselves with plastic carpets?’

Plastic carpets are not just a relic of an eyesore, they also trap moisture and bacteria that can turn your home into a petri dish for all types of cultures.

Instead of PVC, use stylish rugs for your living and dining room. Shop for rugs with synthetic or natural fibres, machine or hand woven, solid colours or patterned… you will find something within your budget and for your home.

For your kitchen, use area rugs for the spot at your kitchen sink, cooker and your dining nook.

Ensure they have the non-slip lining underneath. I know you were thinking it but no, don’t use your toilet mats as area kitchen rugs.

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