How to Create a Beautiful Decor Vignette
It starts with a spark. Maybe a piece of art, or a set of beautiful books, for me it was a photo. Let me show you how I took an inspiration photo and made it my own with a bit of DIY. Let’s dig into the process of how to create a beautiful decor vignette.
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In the world of interior design, Vignette means “Grouping of Decorative Objects“. As a general rule, a simple vignette is the best way to make a room look eclectic. Learning to layer objects is really the most important thing.
Watch this on Youtube:
The Six Easy Steps to Create a Beautiful Decor Vignette
Quickly Pull Together a Vignette of Your Own by Following this Outline
01 Group of objects you love.
To create a symmetrical vignette choose a variety of home decor in varying sizes, smaller items, and larger pieces. Pick out your favorite items first. Something to add visual interest and an anchor piece to create a focal point.
02 Horizontal surface.
To create beautiful vignettes you can use any flat surface. But some popular choices are a coffee table, countertops, bookshelves, end tables, console tables, a tiered tray, a dining table, or somewhere else in your dining room.
03 Statement Piece.
This is to add a sense of visual weight. Like a large mirror, piece of art, photo frames (like my vintage brass frame),
04 Pop of Color.
Fresh flowers, a bright-colored piece of art, colored candles, etc. You’re free to use a large variety of color, just keep it in one color palette and start gathering things that fit.
05 Vary the Heights.
You want a tall item, at least one, and other different heights to add interest. My favorite way to create any large and small vignettes is to make them appear completely random. I chose to use varying heights of candlesticks, cloches, and even a stack of books.
06 Add Natural Elements.
I love to include actual specimens, interesting rocks, sea shells, faux feathers and bird nests, sea glass, weathered wood, antlers, pinecones or other beautiful seeds, dried flowers, or even potted plants.
When You Want to Recreate A Simple Vignette From An Inspiration Photo
The Starting Point: Break Your Inspiration Down by Element to Start Gathering Your Items
They say the most pleasing random order to the eye can be achieved with odd numbers. And my inspiration photo has 5 elements that I am striving to include when I create a beautiful decor vignette.
01 The Glass Cloches
These are typically expensive, but I came up with several options besides spending a fortune.
02 The Color Scheme
What variety of color you use is up to you, but I personally love the dark greens, browns, and charcoal they’ve used.
03 The Birds Nest & Feathers
Did you know it’s actually illegal in some states to collect bird feathers? There is a pretty big market and they don’t want you hunting birds down for their feathers. So, faux it is!
And those are obviously real birds’ nests, which I don’t have. But I can replace them with faux options pretty easily.
04 Antique Books
Another thing I am more than happy to oblige. I have an entire collection therefore this step is super easy for me!
05 The Vintage Illustration
This particular illustration is a print by John J Audubon. His bird illustrations are pretty well known because they’re so gorgeous. Consequently, they’re also public domain images and free to download and print.
I first saw my inspiration photo (swipe right on the above photo) when I was searching for something entirely different on Pinterest. But as soon as I noticed it I stopped my scroll. It says it’s a fall-inspired color palette, but I think it speaks of spring in a real way.
It took me a minute to gather all the core parts of this inspiration photo by Benjamin Moore. But once I did, I had a lot of fun gathering all 5 of the main elements.
The cloches were by far the hardest thing to find on a smaller budget, but I think I’ve come up with several different options if you’re wanting to steal this look. I’ll put them in order of least expensive to most expensive options.
01 The Glass Cloche – 4 Different Options
I wanted to come up with a wide assortment of different cloche options to not only allow myself the ability to create a varied look of size, shape, and style. But also, to give you guys options, too!
Let’s explore the 4 Cloche and Cloche Alternatives I came up with!
Cloche Option One – The Cheapest Cloche Alternative
Glass Jars from Hobby Lobby
These wooden candle holders were purchased from Target on clearance years ago, so my total cost was the two jars from Hobby Lobby for $1.50 each.
I was hoping to find actual cloches at Hobby Lobby and I did, but I liked the rounded glass button at the top of these jars better than the smooth rounded top of their cloches.
They do a really great job of impersonating an actual cloche. But with the added benefit of being usable for treats if you wanted to do an adorable little snack bar vignette.
If you don’t have candle holders to add that wood element to the bottom there are other options. For instance, you could definitely take a $1 glass candlestick from the Dollar Tree or a thrift store and use E6000 to glue them together.
This would give them the apothecary jar appeal.
Or you could purchase these apothecary jars from Hobby Lobby, or this set from Amazon, both options are pretty fantastic.
Cloche Option Two – The Thrifted Cloche Alternative
A Thrifted Glass Cake Stand
I picked this lovely lady up for $7 at a thrift store. The glass ball on the top of this cake stand is very “cloche-like” and therefore I thought it would make a pretty close option.
Cake stands like this are pretty common in thrift stores where I live. I see them literally all the time. So, maybe you’ll be just as lucky as I was to be able to snag one up cheap!
This is another one of those pieces that have a bonus because obviously it can be used to display a beautiful cake, pie, or any number of assortments of goodies!
And then if you want to build a gorgeous vignette, it’s a pretty solid option to give you that cloche feel.
Cloche Option Three – The Ikea Cloche
Ikea to the Rescue, Again!
I’m an old worn brass type of person. I may need to rub and buff this baby into old brass. But it really is pretty as is, too.
What does that say about me? Basically, I like old stuff.
When I create a beautiful decor vignette I typically gather every possible piece from my own collection first. And I typically don’t get to go to Ikea, but this is not a typical vignette.
Cloche Option Four – The Amazon Cloche Set
Beautiful Combination of Wood and Glass – Set of 3
Though I’m not typically one to run to order brand new stuff, I actually think this was a pretty decent deal. And I know I will reuse these over and over again, making it an investment in my future!
When I want to create a beautiful decor vignette the first thing I do is look at the most creative way I can get the same look without spending a lot. But when it comes down to it, sometimes you just want the real thing.
I took a chance and ordered this set of 3 glass and wooden base cloches off Amazon and figured I could check the quality. If I wasn’t satisfied I could always return them. But I was satisfied.
They’re a petite, feminine, and (my catchphrase) so adorable. I have hopes of collecting treasures from our nature walks to display in them. But for now I just added more natural bird themed elements like moss, twigs, faux nest, faux eggs, and in one I put a petite terra cotta pot that’s been aged using a chalkpaint technique.
02 The Color Scheme – A Visual Connection
My love for brass runs deep. A great way for me to incorporate brass was to include my vintage ornate frame and my vintage candlesticks.
I kept my grouping of objects fairly neutral so that the Audubon prints could really stand out. I have a beautiful free printable of Audubon bird illustrations available in my subscriber’s library. Go ahead sign up and print these gorgeous illustrations out for yourself!
There’s really a nice mix of browns and tans which is why I think it works so well with the nature aspect.
03 The Birds Nest, Feathers, Wood – The Natural Element
I really wish I had some actually abandoned bird nests lying around, but I didn’t. Also, I’m also terrified there are going to be bird mites still living in them. If that is even a thing.
So, honestly, the faux bird’s nest, feathers, and eggs were perfect for me. They are really inexpensive at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or even on Amazon.
And I don’t think it would be complete without the wooden element that the candlestick holders add to the entire vignette.
04 Antique Books – A Beautiful Old Stack of Books
The perfect way to create beautiful spaces is to include books. I said it and I mean it.
I’m not typically one to buy books just for their covers, but I found myself at my local library book sale recently and these were staring at me. Plus, there’s a chance if I didn’t buy them (half-price day) they would find themselves in a dumpster.
They add warmth, history, and a sense of an educational aspect. I love books. I love antique books. And the thought of them being in a dumpster or cut up, painted, or ripped apart for crafts makes me cringe.
This is a much better use, in my humble opinion.
05 The Vintage Illustration – One of My Favorite Things
Do you know there’s a whole world of free public domain vintage illustrations and art just waiting for you? It’s like a treasure trove. Audubon’s illustrations are some of my absolute favorites and I recognized them immediately in my inspiration photo.
The colors in the illustration are so rich and earthy.
John J Audubon has hundreds of illustrations available to download for free, I picked a few favorites and resized them on canva. They’re available in my subscriber library for free!
Dear Friends, I hope I’ve given you some great ideas on how to create a beautiful decor vignette on a budget! Get inspired and start creating!
Thanks for stopping by!
Julie
Meet the Author
Hi, I’m Julie! Mother to five beautiful kids, Homeschool Educator, Writer, Handicraft & DIY Enthusiast, Photographer, Thrifter, and Furniture Restorer. Follow along for fun DIY projects creating a handmade home on a budget! Read more about me here→