13 Effortless Ways to Give Your Home Professional-Level Polish

Designer Michael Herold wasn't afraid to play with color and tone. He arranged a three-part vignette atop a console table that mixed a color, a geometric sculpture, and metallics in the form of an scalloped mirror, all to dramatic effect.

Alessandra Branca of the Manhattan design firm Branca gave a master course when it came to the perfectly arranged wall. She selected a set of four paintings from the artist Veronique Gambier and confidently hung them in a symmetrical pattern in a room full of competing, contrasting, but ultimately harmonious patterns and colors.

Alan Tanksley outfitted a study with a decidedly masculine vibe. The books displayed throughout the space, though, read as neither particularly masculine or feminine. Instead, he brought weight to a light-colored bench by stacking books and a piece of coral art together for a highbrow but playful vibe.

When decorating a study, Thom Filicia gave extra thought to the area surrounding his centerpiece desk. He chose to avert one's gaze from the desk itself toward the circular artwork perched on the windowsill. The effect of the inspiring element is to expand the area around the desk and draw the eye upward toward the ceiling.

Texas-based decorator Cathy Kincaid was all about the tried-and-true in her space, a bedroom. She proved that fully embracing a style can be perfect when done properly by mixing a number of blue and white pieces from John Rosselli Antiques & Decorations with mounted plates and a candlestick, achieving a comprehensive vintage look that nonetheless feels clean and chic today.

Learn to love the saying "more is more." In the cast of designer Mark D. Sikes, adding decoration upon decoration — in this case, flowers, lamps, glassware, and paintings — is a very good thing.

Cathy Kincaid's bedroom was also a study in the expert use of wall hangings to add loftiness to an otherwise standard space. Her vignettes were all built up toward the ceiling, stacking paintings and clocks above lamps and side tables to create the illusion of height where it was otherwise lacking.

Alessandra Branca found a color she loved — red — and ran with the theme. She employed the hue via wallpaper, a bookcase, and on accents throughout her sitting room. By choosing only one bright color, she was able to tie together a space full of disparate elements.