Standards For Wall Accents

To know the quality of wall accents does not require much time or information. Yet it does require caring about how one spends their money. There are quality standards which each person may desire for a given situation.

In the end what we purchase for our home accents should in turn provide something real in return for us. This is often an overlooked aspect within the home decor market. It is easy to miss the value of handmade items.

Why Focus On Walls In Decor?

Within an article at Insider they revealed 10 items that interior designers are willing to spend a little extra on. Among those items was artwork serving as wall accents. If you stop to think about it your wall space holds the largest square footage collectively within any home.

Outside of the usual money pits which every home has this space will be among the most decorated in the home. A kitchen and bathroom may rank near number one is how much money is spent. Yet your walls will determine the feel and visual aesthetics of every room.

It is for this that I believe interior designers acknowledge art and better wall accents as being something one may wish to spend more on. Yet to arrive at where to select these quality pieces of wall decor we need to first do something.

I wish to take a moment and attempt deprogramming years of marketing which has been plugged into our minds.

Divergence In Price To Item Quality

Accents and decor in our personal homes drives the biggest gains for chain retailers. Unfortunately these locations have the lowest standards in quality. You would be surprised to know that this includes stores such as Williams-Sonoma.

While you are definitely paying more, the quality of product per dollar simply is not there. Know that this may not be true for all products which they have, yet for most it is.

Wall accents are among the cheapest made items on the market. Locations such as Hobby Lobby offer the weakest brands in decor, and honestly I enjoy many other things they have. I also remember the big days of those such as Pier One yet they were nothing special in quality.

As an individual who is seeking out items for the home especially within decor one must determine first what they want their home to look like. If you want it to appear as the shelves of whatever branded store then that is fine.

If not, keep reading.

Quality Standards That Fail

I brought Williams-Sonoma up earlier for things I noticed being a craftsman. As a wood artist I avoid certain items which are a bit cliché in the woodworking world.

We were out of town on this day and my wife wanted to go to the local mall. As we were there I decided to shop. It was my sisters birthday and I wished to get her something a little nicer for her kitchen.

Immediately the cutting boards caught my eye. After looking at the wood cutting boards they had on the shelves I was unimpressed. In fact I was so unimpressed by the quality I in turn bought her a granite one.

The knives they had for kitchens then caught my eye. I saw what was supposed to be Damascus steel, yet it was not truly Damascus. For they price they were asking a real Damascus blade could be had being hand forged by a craftsman.

Due to this experience I never have cared to go back into Williams-Sonoma. I understand people love their stores. Yet I deal with artisans regularly. It appeared overpriced for sub par quality, yet this story rings true across many retailers in decor and home items.

In wall accents the story is no different among other retailers. Most often the decor which is purchased is made from lumber which can serve no other purpose. Whether it come from scrap boards or often mixed composite pieces they are thrown together as nothing.

You then look at the price and are asked to spend near a quarter of your daily pay for what I would define as junk. There is a lot of money which they need to go towards keeping the infrastructure of the corporate machine moving while you get nothing real in return.

What bothers me with these standards is that in some cases what is advertised is not even what the product really is. If I choose to buy Walmart things then that is fine, at least I know what I am getting.

This for me moves beyond quality standards that fail and into deception.

Purpose In The Item Matters

In wall accents and decor it is common to have cheaper items for seasonal uses. Additionally for rental property or home staging the best is not always used. For purposes like these it is more than understandable.

The irony I often see is that people will spend between 500k to a million dollars for a home yet the decor appears to be from Walmart. Within our personal homes our space should be personal and sacred to us.

The things we place within the home should do something to enrich our life or serve a function to make it better. With this said where does one turn to find comparable costs to have better quality?

Local Artisans And Craftsmen Is Where Quality Is Found

I am willing to bet that anyone reading this no matter where you live will be surrounded by local artisans and craftsmen. There will be those who read this that have no idea who they are or where to find them. Yet here is where a hidden goldmine is to be found and used for your life.

The beautiful part to this is that you to not need to spend a lot of money. In my local town an event is held yearly where those who make handmade decor items come to sell. Of course my wife had to go visit and see what they have so I often go along.

My first time there it shocked me how many people are into this hobby or business. It is not a place geared towards art but rather nicer wall accents and decor items for the home. Joanna Gaines would get lost in this place.

Price per item on average was on par or cheaper than chain retail stores. This includes the retailers we frequent online and the advantage is you could see, hold, and then buy in person.

Quality of the items exceeded that of what is found in stores. As a wood artist I am not easy to impress. Yet a few wood turners were there and I promise you that you would not find anywhere near their quality anywhere else.

Your Local Shops Are Key Places

To find accents of any kind that are locally made is not difficult in most towns or cities. Where I live local downtown shops that are privately owned is the place to be. They cater to two different types of products.

First are products from those who are local and then secondly those artisans who are abroad. I know a lady who owns a store that is always on the lookout for talent and those who can provide items for her. These shops are like little treasures for the community and a throw back in time.

Often these stores will also cater to better brands that you have never heard of. So let me go back to a cutting board story once again.

From this same lady’s shop locally I have carved designs into many cutting boards that were used as wall accents within kitchens. The quality of these boards make Williams-Sonoma look like Target.

Trust me I can tell the quality of the wood as my blade cuts into it carving. I was impressed. It was not made from overrun or scrap garbage. This held true across all her brands.

Here is the real kicker. The price was comparable almost dollar to dollar of the Sonoma brand. Her items come from other artisans across the country, and at times from around the globe. She hunts them down to bring in the best for her shop.

Finding accents for your home, especially the ever important wall accents, is not a difficult thing. It only requires getting to know your local community. Once you do this the days of buying decor from the big stores are numbered.

Buying Art For Wall Accents

I am a strong advocate for original artwork. Why? It has a lot less to do with its future value and a lot more to do with its longevity and personal meaning.

Art in of itself is not something I would count towards having intrinsic value over time like other assets. Yet consider for a moment that frequently purchasing new wall accents will add up quickly to a quality piece of wall art.

It is a misconception that all art is expensive. Today this is far from the truth as many artists are offering their work far too cheaply. Only those who have made some headway in branding or are somewhat known can command as much as they are really worth.

In this way when looking for artwork to serve as your wall accent you need to find a piece that truly means something to you. It is a focus piece for a room which sets the tone, feel, and gives you something to better your life.

Here the value is quite personal and less focused on money. Indeed you will pay more than the mess you find in stores. Yet in return the lifespan which this work will serve is for many years to come.

Wall accents of this nature can last a lifetime and frequently become heirlooms. Meanwhile you did not break the bank. In turn you very likely have saved money over time.

Where To Find Artists For Your Home Decoration

Artists are like craftsmen, often we are local to you. If you prefer to support local artists then they are not difficult to find. Your local arts center will have a lot to offer you and many artists who are local interact with them.

It is interesting that as I state this, personally I have never set foot in my local arts center. Those such as myself use online resources and many artists are beginning to do the same. This avenue is another good option for searching.

The benefit here is that your walls at home will be unique with original work that no one else will have. You also have benefited a local artist or another abroad that is independent and a real person just like you.

Quality Wall Accents Prevent Hoarding

This may seem comical to say, but cheap wall accents promote hoarding. Quality wall accents prevent it. I cannot say who in my family is guilty of this hoarding of decor but I bet we all know one person in our life like this.

If you happen to be this person walk into your hoarding space and begin to add up the money. Even at ten dollars per item suddenly the price tag grows much more than ever anticipated.

Let me put this simply. You are worth having some quite nice, unique, and beautiful things that do not always end up as yard sale items. The difference quality pieces make in the atmosphere of the home is measurable in how they impact you daily.

This kind of value is not often or frequently replaced. Those kinds of good feelings are kept around for a much longer period of time.

Changing Our Thinking Can Change Our Lives

We spend way too much time being programmed by brands. The best wall accents to be found are already around us. It simply requires us to change our thinking.

In doing this when someone walks into your home they are not seeing the shelves of the big box stores. Rather they are seeing the local work of people from your community. It is unique and no other home will be like yours.

You will also benefit with a fresh sense of what these accents give you. Searching out these wall accents becomes more of an adventure looking to find that next piece which speaks to you. It becomes far more personal and has a deeper meaning.

Our homes should never reflect a corporate store. How we decorate our lives should reflect who we are.