I have a special appreciation for the look of casual, loosely stylized displays, because when they're done right they make me appreciate the beauty of everyday imperfection...or, dare I say, authenticity. However, even the most organic of displays has some sort of method. Think about many of the pleasing vignettes strewn around an Anthropologie store. They're beautiful because there is almost always an element of the unexpected and haphazard about them, but they also have a certain cohesion to them.
To keep your displays from appearing too random, make sure there is at least one common element or theme uniting all the disparate pieces. The degree to which the theme is recognizable is up to you. In all of the examples here there is at least a subtle hint of commonality or theme: travel, vintage nostalgia, industrial, sculpture, or the object itself, i.e. frames. However, with all there is also a certain degree of haphazardness which comes from the variety of forms, textures, and— perhaps most importantly— the manner in which the items are displayed. The visual stimulation that a variety of display methods provides is key to this look. To achieve a more organic style in your displays, change it up: stack some items, hang other, prop a few, etc.
What are some of your favorite casual collections?
Related Post: How to Create a Visual Vignette
(Images: 1: Larie Frankel, 2: Living Etc., 3: Anthropologie, 4: Russell Smith for Real Simple, 5-8: James Merrell)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I like #7. But, strangely, I think it would be even better with a more modern, clean wall color. Maybe a snow white, light grey, or even turquoise.
view unabridged's profile
These photos really are a treat. Each is beautiful, in its own way, but #2 and #5 are my favorites... I'm coveting the giant postcard and the bus roll.
view mirandabee's profile
I love the casual stying of these rooms. But, to agree with the blogger, these vignettes are as contrived as any DWR photoshoot; perhaps even more so. If fact, getting the randomly-placed, casually-thrown, mussed-up look is an art to itself and much more difficult, since there are few rules-of-thumb to follow.
view quiltmaster's profile
I love these photos, especially #5. But I have a difficult enough keeping my own 'organic' style (messy) at bay that striving for artfully randomness seems unattainable. Maybe Anthropologie should offer tutorials.
view Syllogi's profile
i like to tell others that my place has a deliberate clutter effect to it but it's really just messy :(
i agree with unabridged, the spaces look great but i think sometimes the backdrop should be more simple..i feel like all that visual interest on top of a texturized/patterned wall can detract from the look
view unitb612's profile
I wish i knew the wall color of #2, the whole scene is beautiful , as is #1 which is another of my favorites.
view cafegurl19's profile
Which is worse? Honest-to-goodness lived-in messiness Or, the self-consciously contrived attempt to look lived in?
For all the energy and time needed to create a self-consciously cluttered look, why not channel that creative urge into well-edited and clean, open uncluttered spaces?
view aychihuahua's profile