Looking for a way to incorporate more personality into your home decor? Adding a statement piece is a great way to show off your unique taste, create a conversation piece and bring a new dynamic to a tired space.

We caught up with Richard Eaton, Design Director at Poole Pottery, who shared these five tips for styling statement pieces in your home: 

Choose a focal point

For your statement piece to really stand out from the rest of your interiors, you can strategically place it in a spot where it becomes the focal point. This could be a location that is immediately visible when you walk in the door or it could be a place where the natural flow of your room is directed, like over the fireplace or in the middle of furniture in a conversational arrangement. Doing so will ensure than an already eye-catching item is prominently noticeable within your decor.

Colour match (or don't)

Think of your statement piece as the lead singer in a band: when it incorporates a particular colour scheme, the rest of your decor should follow its lead. Whether this involves echoing its hues or allowing it to stand apart as the star of the show is completely up to you.

One way of doing this is to pic out the key shades in your piece and then decorate elements of your room to match. For instance, if you have a vase that has two or three key colours to it, you could select soft furnishings in these tones or paint a wall to match. You'll soon find you have a beautiful colour scheme running through your decor that really ties everything together.

Alternatively, you can choose not to match your statement piece, instead opting for neutral tones or a contrasting colour scheme for the rest of your space. Picking a neutral, like beige, grey or cream, will ensure that your more colourful piece pops out visually against the backdrop of the room. If you decide to opt for a contrast, take care to select shades that are on the opposite side of the colour wheel, as they tend to complement each other better.

Follow the rule of three

Not sure how far you should go when matching your statement colours with other elements of your room? Then stick to the rule of three. This line of thinking says that patterns are more aesthetically pleasing when they appear in groups of three, which you can apply to your matching accents.

For instance, say you have a lovely new statement sofa in a deep red, you should look to work this colour into two other accessories in the room. Following the rule of three will ensure that this red only appears sparingly throughout, bringing a balanced sense of matching style. 

Look for other ways to create contrast

Your statement piece should be the star of the show, so it's a good idea to find other subtle ways of creating contrast, rather than just sticking to colour. You can do this by looking at the other attributes it has and selecting elements that don't match. For example, is your statement piece a sleek, modern item? Then surround it with traditional or rustic elements that have a lot of texture to them. Choices like these will build interest and understated contrast.

Don't confine yourself to just one statement piece

If you have more than one statement piece in mind, don't assume you have to choose only one. It's possible to work in more than one item that attracts attention in a room, you just have to put some distance between them, visually and in real terms.

Think of the different areas of your room as vignettes; you could style one corner to emphasise an ornate reading chair, while the main sitting area could be focused towards a grand mirror hanging over the mantle. Just make sure there is clearly a boundary between the two. This can be achieved by keeping matching or contrasting colours or patterns to the space around the piece, as well as creating visual barriers, such as using a rug to mark an area or strategically placing a sofa or cabinet.

Hopefully this advice will help you incorporate that statement piece that you have fallen head over heels for into your decor. Stick to these tips and you will soon find the ideal home for it.

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