AFFORDABLE STYLING HACK | STYLING WITH MATCHES
I know what you might be thinking - is she really about to write a whole blog post about matches. YES! Yes I am. Matches have recently become one of my favorite styling pieces. Not only are they affordable, but they add such a nice texture (and function) to any vignette. There are really only 3 major things to consider when looking for matches to style with: color and length, what to put them in, and where to style them.
Choosing the right color and length
I usually try to get matches that have a longer stem, not the ones that you normally find in a typical strike style match book. The longest stem matches you’ll find are actually intended to be used to light a fire place if needed. These are usually 1/4” diameter and have a green or black flame-end. I think the longer matches are great for larger scale trays, and to style in a bookshelf or on your mantle. All of the ones I am currently styling with are about 4” long and fit great in smaller trays and strikers.
When it comes to color I am naturally drawn towards neutral toned ones. However, there are some great colored ones available on Etsy if you want to use them around the holiday. If you are planning on styling your matches inside the matchbox itself, then don’t even worry about the color of the flame strike!
Choosing the right tray and or Striker
Even though I insist on using real china for wine, that doesn’t mean I Choosing the tray or striker for the match might be the reason why I love styling with these so much. I always find these adorable smaller scale trays (hello pointer dog tray) and have had no clue what to put in them before now!
When choosing a tray keep in mind the lengths of your matches. I really only like the matches to lay in one row within the tray or bowl. Here are some of my favorite trays for both smaller (4” L) and larger (8”-10”L) matches.
Another thing to store your decorative matches in is an actual match striker. If you don’t have a match strike in your tray I have found this as an option if you plan to use your matches for a primarily functional purpose. I have yet to find a match strike that will work for larger matches, but all of the ones below will work perfectly for your 4” L smaller matches
Where to style them
As I mentioned earlier, you can really style these just about anywhere. I like to use them as the smallest of 3 items in a vignette. In this blog post here I talk about the ratio of 3 when styling a vignette.
A couple of places we have them styled in our home are on our entry table, on the bar cart, on our coffee table, and on our tv console. I try to make sure they are always by a candle, but I think they work well on their own if your tray is interesting!
Buying beautiful Matchbooks
This is the easiest and most fun way to style matches around your home. I really love collecting matchbooks from all of our dates, my favorite restaurants, and other places we’ve visited. I don’t have nearly enough to show off in a huge collection like Benjamin Reynaert but they are fun to display in a decorative bowl.
If you’re looking for a real statement matchbook I recently discovered House of Brinson and their amazing collectors matchbooks. They are so wonderfully large, vintage, and just a beautiful statement piece in any vignette. Plus, they also make really great and unique gifts.
