7 Styling Principles to Elevate 
Your Home

By Alicia Xiberras  |   7 minute read

Creating a home that feels calm, curated, and truly your own goes beyond aesthetics. Styling your space with intention can transform it from something purely functional into something deeply personal, a place that invites comfort and reflection, and supports the way you live.

I’m Alicia Xiberras, Founder and Creative Director of Alicia Xiberras Interiors, and for me, good styling isn’t just about how a room looks, but how it makes you feel. It’s about creating balance, layering with purpose, and designing small moments of calm that make everyday living feel beautiful. 

In this article, I’ve teamed up with GINGER&ME to share seven of my go-to styling principles, along with suggestions on how to apply them using pieces from their lifestyle collection. Whether you’re refreshing your living room, styling your bathroom shelf, or setting up your bedside, these tips will help you create a home that feels effortlessly intentional and undeniably yours.

1. Style in Odds

There’s a reason stylists often work in threes, odd-numbered groupings are naturally more balanced and visually dynamic. Styling in threes creates movement and flow. It gives the eye somewhere to start, move, and settle without things feeling too symmetrical or staged.

To make it work, combine objects that vary in height, shape, and texture. Think tall, mid, and low. Something structured, something soft, and something that offers contrast or functionality.

Try pairing the  Mindfulness Candle  with a mid-height vase or lamp and the Candle Care Kit  as your third piece. The trio balances light, structure, and functionality while also being visually beautiful. Place the group on a tray or book stack to ground the arrangement and add layered interest.

Styling tip: Don’t keep everything at the same height. Let one piece lead, and let the others complement.

2. Mix Textures for Depth

Even the most beautifully styled space can feel flat if everything is too similar. That’s where texture becomes essential, it brings warmth, interest, and personality into a space. When you mix contrasting materials, you invite not just visual richness but also a sensory experience.

Think about combining rough with smooth, matte with glossy, and natural with refined. This works especially well in high-touch areas like bathrooms, bedrooms, and coffee tables.

Style the  Bath Salts  on a folded waffle towel for softness. Add a wooden body brush for warmth and natural tactility, then decant some salts into a ceramic bowl for elevation and contrast. The layering of smooth glass, natural fibres, and raw ceramic instantly elevates the moment and adds depth to the surface.

Styling tip: Include at least one natural element (like timber or linen) and one refined finish (like ceramic or glass) in every styling zone.

3. Use Candles Instead of Overhead Lighting

Lighting can completely change the mood of a room. Overhead lights tend to be flat and stark (especially at night)  while soft, ambient lighting creates a feeling of comfort and ease. Candles are one of the easiest ways to introduce this kind of glow, while also adding fragrance, which is just as powerful in setting tone and atmosphere.

Strategic candle placement allows light to flicker gently in corners, reflect off surfaces, and soften your space without overpowering it.

Use the  Mini Candle Trio  throughout your home to create warmth and sensory consistency. Place one beside your bed, one in a reading nook, and one on a bathroom shelf. Each one adds a gentle layer of glow and fragrance that turns ordinary moments into rituals. Avoid relying solely on ceiling lights at night and let your candles guide the ambience instead.

Styling tip: Scent is just as important as light, it’s often the first thing people notice when they enter a space. Let fragrance set the tone of the room.

4. Use Trays to Anchor and Contain

A tray isn’t just practical, it’s a stylist’s best friend. Trays help define the space where your objects live, turning everyday items into a curated display. They give structure to your styling, reduce visual clutter, and make even functional areas feel polished.

Trays are perfect for surfaces like coffee tables, vanities, consoles, and nightstands where you want to group objects without making them feel scattered or disconnected.

Try styling a timber or ceramic tray next to your bath. Place the Mindfulness Candle, a bowl of Bath Salts, and a rolled face towel inside. In the hallway, you might style a tray with the Mindfulness Diffuser, a bud vase, and a key dish to create a welcoming entry moment. The tray pulls the look together and gives the arrangement purpose.

Styling tip:  Echo the tray’s texture or tone elsewhere in the room like a frame, bowl, or candle holder to build flow.

5. Leave Space Around Your Styling

Not every corner or surface needs to be styled and sometimes, the most powerful styling decision is knowing when to stop. Negative space helps draw attention to the items that are there. It gives your eye room to rest and makes the overall look feel elevated and intentional.

When everything is styled or filled, nothing stands out. But when you allow objects to “breathe,” they gain impact.

Styling tip: After finishing a space, take a step back. If nothing stands out, remove one or two pieces until the space feels calm.

6. Choose a Fragrance Theme for the Whole Home

Fragrance doesn’t just set the mood, it sets the story. Just like you’d repeat certain tones or finishes for cohesion, repeating or complementing scents throughout your home creates a seamless sensory experience.

Avoid clashing strong scents from room to room. Instead, aim for fragrances that belong to the same scent family, think warm, woody, citrus, or floral, or use the same hero scent in different formats across different spaces.

Use the Brave Candle in your living room, and the Grateful Diffuser in your bedroom both have sweet, fruity notes that complement rather than compete. Or, stick to one fragrance family across your candles, bath salts, and diffusers to create a unified atmosphere.

Styling tip: Let fragrance subtly guide the feeling of each room don’t overcomplicate it. Keep it consistent or complementary.

7. Use Books to Vary Height and Add Depth

Books are one of the most versatile styling tools available and one of the easiest ways to add interest and structure to a space. A small stack can lift candles or diffusers, act as a base for a trio, or fill space on a shelf in a way that feels deliberate but not overdone.

Opt for linen or hardback covers in neutral tones to keep the look elevated and cohesive.

Stack two to three books and top them with a Mini Candle, the Affirmation Deck, or even your Candle Care Kit. This not only gives those items more presence but adds another layer of styling without creating clutter.

Styling tip: Match the tone of your books with surrounding objects for a seamless, tonal look think soft creams, oat, blush, or charcoal.

Home styling isn’t about getting it right, it’s about creating an environment that reflects your energy, your rhythm, and the way you want to feel. Choose textures that comfort you, lighting that calms you, and fragrances that carry a feeling from room to room.

The GINGER&ME lifestyle collection is more than just beautiful, it’s intentional. Each piece is designed to be styled and used, helping you turn your space into something that not only looks good but feels meaningful.

 

Alicia Xiberras
 

Interior Stylist & Creative Director


@alicia_xiberras_interiors
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