Match Accent Colors to Find the Right Accessories for Your Home

A Rainbow of Bangles from Match Accessories

Long time readers of the blog are probably familiar with Match Accessories, the home grown jewelry company that pioneered the Disneyland inspired D brooch, and created many more fantastical, vintage, and Disney inspired jewelry items that have appeared on the blog. Recently they launched a glittering bangle collection and I was gifted a set in exchange for shooting product photos for them, but I loved them so much I decided to share them with you all as well!

Inspired by the glitter lucite bracelets of the 1950s and 60s, Match created ten different colors, which match other resin poured pieces they offer, including their D brooches.

One of the complaints I hear a lot with bangles, both new and vintage is that they don’t fit, either they are too big or too small, and Match has tackled that issue head on by offering three different sizes. I opted for the “Standard” which has a 65 millimeters opening. They also offer a smaller size, at 58 millimeters, and a larger size, at 75 millimeters.

Not only does Match offer a lot of fun accessories, it is also a business made up of caring people. A few years back, when Sam, one of the founders of Match, was diagnosed with leukemia, they created an awareness collection, donating sales to the American Cancer Society. They have continued that legacy of caring and donations with an anti-racism collection as well, donating to Black Lives Matter Global Network.

You can follow Match on Facebook and Instagram to see sneak peeks and know when fabulous new products launch.

Disclaimer: I was given these bangles in exchange for product photos, but not a product review. I chose to do a review of my own accord because I simply adore Match!

How to Choose Accessories to Match Your Personality and Occasion

Hi Imogen,

It seems that different personalities especially regards to accessories, associated with a certain refinement level. For example elegant chic & classic seems accessories that associated with mainly level 1 or maybe 2. Relaxed person associated with refinement level 3, or maybe 2.

However everybody has life situation that involve various refinement levels.

Many people, including me, struggling finding accessories or just simply dressing a different refinement level than the level typically associated with the given personality

How can a classic-elegant chic, or a classic-dramatic dress down an outfit to level 3 that it fits their personality?Or how can a relaxed person do dress up an outfit to level 1?

Thanks

Orsi

To answer these questions I’m going to delve into two aspects of accessory selection, the level of refinement and understanding the personality of accessories.

Level of Refinement in Accessories

The level of refinement relates to the dressed-upness or dressed-downness of the jewellery and the outfit. For example, you would most likely mix sparkly with sparkly and matte with matte when putting jewellery together. This maintains the level of refinement and helps create harmony.

That said, I think that we can all own a range of different styles of jewellery, made from different materials. None of us are one dimensional and so we don’t have to stick with just Classic pearls or Elegant Chic diamonds, or delicate and intricate Feminine bling.

For any well functioning wardrobe, I’d be looking for a range of accessories in different materials, some dressier, some more relaxed, so that it’s easier to dress up or down your outfits. You are not a one-dimensional person, and neither should your wardrobe only be an expression of one personality dressing style.

So let’s look at some examples.

Here with this blue dress, you can dress it up with a more refined jewellery selection, or lower it’s level of refinement to level 2 by wearing a more colourful and less sparkly and delicate selection of accessories.

When figuring out the level of refinement of any piece, consider the more delicate and intricate, the more sparkle, the higher the level of refinement. The more chunky and matte, made from natural or ‘raw’ materials, the more relaxed and lower the level of refinement.

You can see by simplifying the accessories, by adding some ‘chunk’ you dress down an outfit. Want to dress it up? Add some delicate elements, more sheen, more sparkle and it will raise the level. Whether it’s the shoe (notice flats vs heels, slim heel vs stacked heel) or the details of any accessory, each element adds to the dressing up or down of an outfit.

Remember, this rule doesn’t just apply to jewellery, but to all shoes and accessories like scarves. A silk scarf with a finished edge and some sheen is much more refined than a cotton scarf with a fringe or tassel, but that is still more refined than a chunky woolen knit scarf.

A chunky level 3 scarf is less appropriate for work if you are office based.

A fine silk level 1 scarf is less appropriate if you are out watching sport or doing other outdoor leisure type activities, or if you want to look more approachable and relaxed.

Accessories change the tone of an outfit which is why they are so powerful in changing how an outfit appears and how it communicates (check out some of my posts on Yin and Yang which talk about how clothing communicate).

Personality of Accessories

Everything also expresses a personality element (or two). A Relaxed accessory will tend to lower the level of refinement, while a Feminine one may raise it, due to the materials and construction.

Classic jewellery is smaller, more refined, not too much bling or detail.

Relaxed jewellery is chunkier, made from more natural materials, more matte and has had less ‘processing’.

Feminine jewellery is sparkling, delicate and intricate.

Creative jewellery may be made from unusual materials, be asymmetrical, have a handmade appearance, or be made from materials you wouldn’t ‘expect’ to be put together.

Dramatic jewellery is larger in scale. It may be brightly coloured. It has presence. Bold is the word I think of.

Elegant Chic jewellery is made from quality materials, has some sheen, and also boldness.

So when considering jewellery personality, you may want to express different elements of your personality with your jewellery.

Notice how changing a necklace changes the feel of the outfit? I could wear any of these necklaces with this outfit. Which I choose will depend on what I want to express about my personality and the occasion. I see no reason to stick with only one type or personality dressing style of jewellery, so why should you?

How to Choose Your Accessories

So if you want to change the level of refinement down to a more relaxed vibe (which is what you get with level 3 – which is what I otherwise think of as ‘outdoor leisure’), you’d want to either wear no jewellery, maybe replace necklace with a scarf, or if you were going to wear a piece of jewellery, it needs to be very unprocessed, such as made from wood, or leather, be chunkier, less delicate.

Naturally, those who have a dominant Dramatic dressing don’t enjoy wearing level 3 style clothing, as it just feels too dressed down to them (same goes for Classic and many Elegant Chic dominant people), but predominantly Relaxed people love dressing in level 3 clothing and struggle with level 1.

So the choices are:

Expand your accessory collection with pieces that express different levels of refinement

Wear your classic or elegant chic jewellery with your more relaxed clothing, and just accept that you will always look more ‘dressed up’, and be fine with it as it’s an expression of your personality.

More tips on Choosing Accessories

Match Accent Colors to Find the Right Accessories for Your Home

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, on purchases made after following an affiliate link. See my full disclosure here .

Matching accent colors in your home decor is critical for creating a cohesive space. Today I want to share with you my three favorite ways to match accent colors when you’re pulling together a room or shopping for home decor.

Have you ever found something cute at the store, but realized it was the wrong color when you got it home? Once you got it home your realized it doesn’t go with the other things you have, even in the same color. It’s too bright, too muted, or just plain the wrong shade.

Frustratingly enough, it’s easy to get color wrong.

Color clashes can happen inadvertently when you’re shopping for new home decor and have no way to compare colors in the store to your existing decor. You think you’re getting a color match, but it’s off.

To prevent bringing home the wrong color of decor, I recommend using one (or all) of these methods to easily match accent colors.

This post contains affiliate links to the products I use and recommend. I may receive a small commission on purchases made after following an affiliate link. See my full disclosure here.

My Three Favorite Ways to Match Accent Colors

1. Paint Chip Method

Match accent colors for your home decor to paint chips. Find a paint chip that closely matches your favorite accent pieces. Keep those paint chips in your purse, so you always have them with you when shopping.

For example, I matched our basement accent colors to these paints:

No matter how bad the store lighting is, you’ll be able to pull out your paint chips for a quick color comparison. If the object your considering is a direct match or a lighter or darker shade of your sample, go for it. If it’s a different color mustard yellow instead of lemon yellow), keep looking.

2. Store Colors in Your Phone

There are probably dozens of apps that can save colors or paint samples, and there’s always your phone camera, but the easiest way to match accent colors and save them is with the Nix Mini. It’s a color sensor and free phone app that can scan the color of any surface and match it to most major paint brands. See how I used the Nix Mini to match all the paint colors in my house here.

Get your own Nix Mini. Use code NixDecorating for 10% off through October 31, 2017.

To use the Nix Mini, you simply scan the surface and the app displays the scanned color and shows matching paint colors.

You can save color matches by project interior colors, exterior colors, accent colors) and by room.

That way you can have all your paint colors and accent colors organized by room in your phone. It will always be on you for a quick color comparison.

I recently got a colorful quilt for our guest room. Since I can’t cut out a swatch of the quilt to take shopping, I scanned each individual color and stored them together in the Nix Paints app. Now I’ll always have them with me.

The Nix Mini can scan the color of almost any surface. It’s great for scanning one color from a fabric or wallpaper pattern – just place the sensor over the desired color. Likewise, you can scan and match a specific color from a favorite photo or art piece. You can also use it to scan ceramics like vases or lamp bases.

I used the Nix Mini to quickly find paint matches for every accent color in our master bedroom, from the art to the ceramic lamp bases to the accent pillows.

One limitation of Nix Mini is scanning transparent surfaces. For the scanner to work all ambient light must be blocked out. So if you try to scan a curtain panel in front of a bright window or a lampshade, you’ll get an ambient light warning. One option is to put a piece of white cardstock behind the surface before scanning.

If you prefer to have the actual paint chips for color comparison, Nix Mini makes quick work of finding the closest paint matches so you don’t have to collect a bazillion paint chips from the store.

3. Take Actual Swatches or Objects with You

When I was helping my parents makeover their kitchen, I took my mom shopping for new curtain fabric. To make sure we found a great match, we took a sample of the backsplash tile and a dried paint stir stick with the cabinet paint color to the fabric store. It was super helpful and we found a great fabric to coordinate with the other elements in the room.

For fabric and wallpaper, it’s best to have an actual swatch of the material. Keep a sample in your purse when you’re shopping.

Make a simple swatch book to organize paint and fabric samples. I created this swatch book four years ago. It holds all my paint swatches, fabric samples, and any other sample I can fit inside, like thin wood samples and upholstery fabric samples.

You can also carry with you wood samples, small painted samples or dried paint stir sticks, and tile samples.

If you don’t have a small sample, don’t be shy, take a pillow or vase you want to match with you when you’re shopping. Just put it in a shopping bag and bring it along. It’s much easier than buying and bringing home things to see if they match. And trust me, the furniture and decor stores won’t mind, people do it all the time.

Bonus Idea: Bring Photos of Your Room

Either keep an album of room photos on your phone or keep a small photo album with printed photos in your purse.

Although the photos won’t be ideal for color matching, they will be helpful for context. It can be surprisingly hard to remember all the details of your own home. With photos in hand, it will be easier to imagine how a color or new accent piece might look with the rest of the room.

So before you find yourself at IKEA again wondering, “is this the right shade of blue?” make sure you’re armed with one of the three methods above to match accent colors.

Let Me Help You Pick the Right Accent Colors

Check out my Create a Cohesive Home with Color class and learn how to confidently choose colors for your whole home—wall colors and accent colors!

You’ll learn:

How to describe a color—what hue, tint, tone, shade, neutral, and undertone mean and how understanding them can help you choose colors

and mean and how understanding them can help you choose colors How to choose colors and neutrals that coordinate with the existing finishes in your home (like your wood floors, tile, carpet, countertops, etc.)

The trick to seeing the undertones in neutral colors so you can choose the right white, beige, or gray (and not be surprised when you paint it on the wall)

How to build your whole house color palette with a detailed 7-step process to make the color decisions easy

How to decorate with accent colors, wood tones, and metal finishes to make your home feel cohesive while still giving each room it’s own unique personality How many accent colors to use and where to use them The do’s and don’ts of mixing metal finishes (yes, you can mix metal finishes!) How to mix and match wood tones for furniture and decor

Learn more about Create a Cohesive Home with Color