Shopping for your house is not always as much fun as it sounds. There are so many decisions! What "look" are you going for? What's your style... are you a traditionalist, minimalist, or idontknowist?

We can breathe a little easier when decor shopping with these suggestions from Southern Living at Home's Independent Director, Barbara Gallier.

For versatile serving pieces, choose silver. You'll be able to use this classic metal no matter the occasion or color scheme. Silver also produces a "clean" look and has a great reflective quality that will make your table sparkle!

To decorate a bookshelf or little nook, follow the rule of odds. Cluster objects in odd numbers. Don't worry about everything being perfectly symmetrical... imperfection is in! Note the 3 Wall Tins and the 2 Renaissance Hurricanes arranged in 3 pieces.

Get breezy this summer! Think glass. Serve beautifully-colored tropical drinks in the Gallery Collection Stemware. Create a serving station with the Astoria Collection- a mix of glass and pewter.

So, next time you are shopping for your house, think on these things: 1) Something reflective (silver), 2) Something you can buy and display in clustes of three, and 3) Something glass. It's a no-brainer. You don't have to coordinate it with anything!

To see more from Southern Living at Home or to ask Barbara questions like "what do I do with my fireplace?" (with her products of course!), email bjgallier@yahoo.com, visit her website, or call 287.4787.

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