Glimmering spaces

A dash of silver in home decor can lend an antique feel and enhance the overall appeal of the place, writes Sharmila Chand.

Imagine a beautifully carved silver bowl filled with red rose buds placed at the centre table in the drawing room. What can be a more perfect piece? Simply gorgeous! Nothing beats the beauty and luxury of sparkling silver when it comes to adding style and sophistication to home decor.

Silver is indeed timeless. It can enhance any kind of setting. Silver makes a beautiful statement when displayed with other collectibles. It is especially stunning when paired with cut glass or white china. 

Here are a few tips for striking silver in your own decor:

Say it with flowers 

Antique teapots and trophies make beautiful vases and are much more eye-catchy when filled with flowers than sitting empty on a shelf.

Gleaming table

No formal table would be complete without grand silver candelabras. Top them with tapers, seasonal fruit or leave them empty. 

It doesn’t matter because these grand dames of the table look sensational whether you dress them up or down.

Dress up a dull bedside table

with a silver platter holding a covered tissue box, a precious timepiece and a silver lamp. You can play around with a contrasting fabric for its lining if the look feels overwhelmingly metallic.

Place silver photo frames wherever you can and see how beautifully they enhance the look and feel.  Glam up your dressers 

Nothing elevates the style of personal accessories or toiletries more than a silver tray. Place a vanity tray holding perfume bottles and jewellery and enjoy the touch of elegance it adds to the room.

Place a silver platter to hold a collection of coloured glass perfume bottles and nail colour bottles. Place another small silver plate to display your lipsticks, so that they don’t get lost. 

Have an antique silver serving set? Consider using it to organise makeup or other toiletries. 

Or simply place any box on a silver platter and scatter small ornaments in it.

Antique charm 

Traditional table setting for special occasions always meant sparkling silver cutlery matched with earthen stoneware and formal table linen. 

Adding further charm to the table used to be silver candle stands. Go back to those days and once in a while create a similar setting.

Playful contrast

Rooms adorned with shimmering gold and silver accessories never fail to enchant. Placing silver platters in unusual spots adds charm to living rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens. 

A coffee station in the kitchen gets its due when a coffee press, sugar cubes, a creamer and a tea towel are neatly placed on a silver platter.

Wall art, subtle luxury

Perk up a room with a variety of silver platters put up on the wall. You can mix various types of platters and place them in a visually aesthetic manner. 

Or, if you have a very special single silver platter with some meaning attached to it or an elaborately engraved design, it can be placed as a stand-alone piece.

Group similar silver objects together

Group silver objects by theme. Maybe different animal-shaped figurines to create a point of interest on a mantel or shelf. Or, choose a livingroom lamp that’s lovely to look at, whether it’s switched on or off.

Mix materials & textures 

Give a living room depth by mixing materials and textures. Silver can easily make sharp lines look sharper and clean spaces look cleaner because it has a fantastic sleek finish.
 Choose silver accents or subtle accessories to have a chic, contemporary room. Blue bedspreads or silver beaded curtains can blend really well with silver accents and grey walls. A silver chandelier might be ideal for that exotic ambience. 

So, if you’ve got a few pieces of vintage silver stashed somewhere or on display behind glass, maybe now is the time to take it out and figure out how you can make use of it as a part of your everyday decor.

If you don’t have silver in your collection, don’t fret, you can still collect a wonderful assortment of mismatched pieces. It doesn’t have to be sterling silver or antique. Even old, silver plated pieces with most of the silver layer worn off is perfect. Look out for pieces which have interesting shapes and patterns rather than pieces with monetary value.

Whether you love classic formal style, or contemporary casual, decorating with silver is a fabulous way to enhance your aesthetics. 

Remember, silver works just as well as a counterpoint to a contemporary design scheme, as it does to complement a traditional one. To keep silver tarnish-free, take an old toothbrush, moisten it with water, then dip it in baking soda, so it forms a paste. Gently scrub the silver item with this mixture and rinse under warm water. Then pat dry with a soft cloth. Your silver will be sparkling new again.