Raise your hand if you can’t stop buying keepsakes… If you’re anything like us, you love the sentimental value of heirloom pieces or trinkets picked up on your travels. But finding ways to display your keepsakes without cluttering up your home can be a challenge, to say the least. We turned to one of our favorite interior designers, Daniela Benloulou, to share some of her best tips for balancing sentimental value with a tidy home. Take it away Daniela…

Mix the Old With the New

I have a lot of family heirlooms and general trinkets of an older style. The only way to make these items speak to my aesthetic is to surround them with modern and clean accessories. For example, a traditional Moroccan tray paired with cleaner coasters, a book, and a tiny tray for jewelry. Or a traditional Peruvian vase and tray, against a backdrop of modern white furniture and accessories. The key is balancing old with new!

Group Up

When there are various items, especially of different sizes and shapes, it becomes too much visually. The best way to contain the chaos is to purposefully group these items onto a tray. Doing this instantly calms and organizes the space. You can go to town displaying outlandish items, but if they’re on a tray, they are confined to that area and will keep your home feeling relaxed, rather than overcluttered.

Keep Things Cohesive

For shelving displays and/or any large areas where you’d have multiple groupings, try to group your items in a color scheme. If color isn’t the focal point with your keepsakes, maybe try focusing on texture or pattern for theme. The key is to look for any similarities among these items and categorize accordingly. That way, it will look as if the pieces belong together, instead of just forming a mish-mash of random objects.

Stack It Up

Pretty much any small knick-knack will look great on top of a horizontal stack of books. It’s like the cherry on the sundae, or the star on top of your Christmas tree!

Clean Up the Mess

This may seem like a given, but when you’re trying to display fun accessories without cluttering your home, you can’t have any actual clutter. Even a throw blanket that isn’t perfectly folded, or a stray dog toy on the floor will make you feel unsettled. Channel your inner Marie Kondo and tidy up!

Do you have any go-to ways to display your trinkets?

We’re feeling ready to tackle our keepsake clutter thanks to these tips!

You can find Daniela on her website and Instagram, and follow along with our Interiors page to find even more home décor tricks.

Xx Team GM

Photos: Daniela Benloulou