Decorative Objects

Contemporary decorative objects are pieces of decor that can infuse any space in your home with a little extra style and personality. Unlike wall art and throw pillows, decorative objects aren’t limited to a specific function, room, or surface – they’re versatile home accents that can add color, texture, and charm almost anywhere. They’re great for wall shelves and bookshelves, as dining table centerpieces, as desk accessories, as coffee table decor – their uses are only limited to your imagination.

Decorative objects is a broad category of decor that encompasses pretty much any home item that could be considered decorative, regardless of its intended purpose. It includes (but is not limited to) vases, candles and candleholders, coffee table books, decorative storage accessories, small home sculptures, wall clocks, and more. At HAY, discover a wide selection of contemporary decorative objects spanning all categories – including cookie jars!

How to Choose Decorative Objects

One of the appeals of contemporary decorative objects is that there are hardly any rules for choosing the right decorative items or creating a perfect decorative arrangement – accent pieces are made to be mixed and matched, arranged and rearranged, used seasonally or year-round. That said, there are three methods for choosing and placing decorative objects:

Aim for cohesiveness.

One way to ensure that your decorative objects work well in a particular space or throughout your home is to aim for cohesiveness: a cohesive color scheme, cohesive patterns, cohesive textures, etc. For example, if your living room furniture and decor uses a primarily blue color palette, consider choosing decorative objects within that color palette: blue vases, lavender candleholders with blue candles, a bright blue coffee table book. If your space is minimalist and features clean lines and a neutral color scheme, choose neutral, minimalist decorative objects without too much pattern or texture. This method of decorating will result in a unified space that feels very intentional, and can be a great choice if you have specific tastes that you’d like to showcase in your home.

Create contrast.

Or, to enhance the impact of your decorative objects, you can do the opposite, and choose decorative objects that will create contrast with your existing furniture and decor – or with each other. If your space uses a monochromatic color scheme, decorate with unique decorative objects that feature complementary accent colors that will pop against a monochromatic background. In a neutral, minimalist space, consider a striped ceramic vase filled with frilly flowers or a colorful storage accessory, like the Eames Hang-It-All from the Herman Miller x HAY collection. If your furniture features hard lines, opt for soft, rounded pieces of decor. These contrasting decorative objects will create immediate focal points in your space, which can break up monotony and set your space apart.

Go with the flow.

The third option when it comes to choosing decorative objects is to ignore any and all rules about cohesiveness and choose intentionally mismatched items. In your kitchen, pair a striped cookie jar with a scalloped metal vase filled with a bouquet of various wildflowers. Choose decorative objects for shelves that vary in size, shape, color, texture. Place three mismatched candleholders on your dining table and fill them with candles of different sizes and shapes. Think about choosing decorative objects from different collections at HAY – pair a jug from the Sobremesa Collection with a vase from the Arcs Collection. This postmodern, eclectic approach to decor will result in a totally unique decor scheme that showcases the playful, inviting nature of a lot of the contemporary decorative objects offered at HAY.