Sorry Sylvia, I’m decorating ….
I’ve been slightly obsessed with bell jars (also known as “cloche”) this week after searching high and low for the perfect ones for an upcoming project. At this point, I can call myself an expert on where to find them in Toronto, where to get the best deals and what sizes are available. While not new (glass cloches were first popular in Victorian decorating), bell jars are right at the cusp of being a major decorating trend and I predict that we will see them a lot more in the months to come. I know a trend is coming when I see something being used as propping in a major high-end furniture store (Roche Bobois in Paris, par example), styled in the better decor magazines and turning up in the trendier stores with limited release. They are a simple, cute decorating item that has unlimited potential for creating mini vignettes on bookshelves, mantles, consoles, dining tables etc etc etc. So, in the spirit of DIY I decided to style two of my favorite finds in as many ways as I could think of to give you some ideas on incorporating bells into your home. Of course with the holiday season on it’s way like a freight train, I couldn’t resist doing a few with a festive feel. The real goal here is to get creative and use bells to showcase some of your favourite things.
See below for sources and tips.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Make sure you have at least one tall thing in each vignette because you want to fill the vertical space. To add height, try layering something on the bottom like a small cake plate or a nice looking box.
2. Have a good variety of sizes and shapes in each vignette but stick to a theme to keep it all tied together.
3. Group bells of different sizes together for big impact.
4. Don’t be afraid to let the bell’s contents “spill” out on to the surface outside. It’s nice to see one ornament on the table as an accessory.
5. Little plants and orchids DO thrive in bells and look fantastic.
Sources:
Small bell: Urban Outfitters $44, medium bell: Morba $99, large bell: wholesale (sorry).
I had many of the items around my house but I did buy the christmas decorations from:
Ornaments: Homesense, nutcracker: Hudson’s Bay, white houses: Urban Barn.
As an added treat, here is how West Elm is doing them (and FYI: you could totally do this yourself):
Stephanie Saunders Design 