Even after you’ve done everything that you’re supposed to in order to make your home the way you want it, it might still be missing a few of those details that really make it stand out. For instance, you may have noticed that even though you have the same wall colors and furniture as you saw in a favorite design catalog in your living room here in Milwaukee, it still wouldn’t look as complete – and that’s because you’re probably lacking in all of the accessories that the model room has.

While pictures of houses in these design magazines always look great, it would be hard to justify actually setting up a bird cage or other blatant props that wouldn’t serve a purpose in your home. Instead, it’s best to search for functional accessories that also pack a design punch. Books, for example, can be very well stylized, and are just as interesting on the inside as they are on the outside.

Whether you collect coffee table books actively, or have simply ended up with them over the years as you get them as gifts, chances are that you have many of these large, photography-filled volumes in your house. If not, used book stores tend to offer these volumes at affordable prices, as they can be steep when new.

Artfully stacking your coffee table books can help to bring a little more visual interest to your room, and you can even place permanent decor items like lamps over a stack of them – provided you like the covers more than the interior. This can be a great way to tie in more interesting elements of your design scheme. If you need any help picking out the rest of your look, the staff at a local Milwaukee fabric store like Bazaar Home Decorating is there to answer any questions you may have.