READY SET DECORATE: OKL'S VINTAGE MAKEOVER CHALLENGE

Certain things in life require minor adjustments, tweaks if you will. Styling surface areas is one of those places tweaking is a must. Playing with scale, height, volume, color and texture to achieve the right balance is part of the game. Getting it right is always a work in progress. Creating something appealing and functional takes time and effort, like most things in life. Interior designers can spend days arriving at the correct balance of books to objects when styling bookshelves. Why should other surface areas be any different?

I was recently asked by One Kings Lane to take part in their Vintage Makeover Challenge for their Live, Love, Home editorial section. The task? To re-work an area in my home, layering in vintage items from their ever-varied, constantly-evolving Vintage and Market Finds assortment. I chose my nightstand to makeover, because it is a spot I use every day, and I wanted it to be functional, pretty and inject it with a dose of the unexpected. After I submitted my makeover area, Vintage Buyer and all-around style connoisseur Andrea Stanford of One Kings Lane set about selecting the items to bring a bit of zing to my bedside table.

The results of her vintage selects and my styling are seen below, in a step by step guide to the art of the "try it out and see" school of styling. What she sent was a surprise, so when it arrived, I got to work. Starting with a blank canvas, I set about creating a layered effect to get a bit of sparkle, a lot of color and a functional spot to do more than just hold the remote control. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.