Styling? Dare to go large-scale with any of these five pieces

The two largest spaces to style in your home are your walls and your floors.

Sometimes, instead of cluttering these two large spaces with several medium to small pieces, it is better to style them with one large-scale piece of décor.

By the way, another regular term for large-scale décor is oversized or out scaled décor. Pieces that radiate a larger-than-life presence to everything else around them. For this story, we shall use the term ‘large-scale décor’.

When selected and styled thoughtfully, large-scale décor can majestically anchor your floors and walls and create a focal point for your home’s styling. It’s also a bold choice that will show just how seasoned you are as an amateur home stylist.

Here are five large-scale décor pieces to consider and how to incorporate them into your styling:

1. Large-scale mirror

Instead of creating a gallery wall with mounted and framed photos and pictures of different sizes, consider styling that part of your wall with one large mirror. Mirrors are best placed near a window, where the natural light pours in – it will reflect the light into the rest of the space and make it appear bigger than it actually is.

Another tip is to place it where you and others can actually use it to check out themselves before they leave the house. That means placing it in the entryway wall or at the biggest wall near the main door.

You can also place it behind the main sofa in your living room. Just make sure that it is mounted high enough so that the sofa does not crush into it when pushed back. Also, take to mind the dimensions of your sofa – it is best if the mirror is proportional to it.

Frame your mirror using a minimalist frame in a matte finish. The colour of the frame should borrow from another colour that’s already present in your home, this ties the look together.

2. Large-scale art 

Another option for a large-scale piece for your walls is large-scale art. The art I’m thinking about is paint-on-canvas art, a piece that has been created by hand, not by machine. Such art carries weighty sentimental value, more so if it’s a one-of-a-kind that you’ll probably not find anywhere else.

The thing is, though, you must have a keen eye for art to select a piece that captures the mood, styling and personality of you and your home. This is a large-scale piece of art, after all, so if you get it wrong then you get it astronomically wrong.

But if you nail it, it will elevate your home’s styling from here to the moon. I can imagine your guests standing before it in awe and getting lost in the wondrous third-dimension world it has created.

3. Large-scale wall hanging

A final large-scale wall piece is a wall hanging. This could be a cowhide, a jute rug or African-inspired décor like a wall basket. You could also consider abstract wall art crafted from a metal like bronze or steel. Or a large-scale wall clock in vintage or modern styling.

Remember that whatever you select, it must cover a significant chunk of your wall. One large-scale piece is best, two pieces are good but anything more than that is overkill.

4. Large-scale vase

Away from your walls, now we go to styling your floors. The go-to large-scale décor for your floors is a large-scale vase. It’s the type of vase that sits by itself on your floor and is sometimes taller than your sofas. (By the way, it’s sometimes called a floor vase.)

Place your large-scale vase along a visible wall or in a corner, don’t place it in the centre of a space, it will look like some misplaced centrepiece that you didn’t know what to do with.

The heavier the piece is, the more functional it is (to stay rooted to the ground) and the more stylish it will come across (it will literally add visual and tactile weight to your space).

As you would with the regular-size vases, go for a vase in neutral earth or nude colours. Something understated but is also versatile. One that calms the spirit not excites it. You can also never go wrong with ceramic. Further style your large-scale vase by putting large-scale dried sticks and flowers.

5. Large-scale sculptures

And finally, to style your floors, you can also consider metallic large-scale sculptures. You may have seen them crafted by local roadside artisans, the large-scale sculptures of giraffes, ostriches, lions and other Big Five animals from our national parks and game reserves. You can also get abstract sculptures such as sculptures of trees and people.

The tip when buying large-scale metallic sculptures is to go tall, rather than wide. That means that you would rather buy a giraffe or ostrich than a crocodile or snake. Also, consider the metal the piece has been crafted from. The most common materials are aluminium iron, bronze and copper.

Lastly, take to mind the proportions of the piece. Remember, they are crafted by hand using proportions that probably aren’t standard, therefore, make sure that your buffalo sculpture doesn’t look like a happy over-fed cow from one angle and an angry malnourished bull from the other.

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