5 Tips For Incorporating Decorative Busts Into Your Home Decor

We've seen plenty of recurring fashion trends throughout our lifetimes. Baggy jeans and cardigans anyone? It's the same for home décor with designs like herringbone flooring and arched entryways. Seeing trends reappear isn't a terrible thing; it gives folks room to personalize them to fit who they are now. One hot trend we've noticed making its way back into homes is the decorative bust. Whether it's an animal or portrait (lifelike human), they've won the hearts of many who enjoy having a piece of a museum in their home.

According to The Other Aesthetic, some of the academia style designs you may already be incorporating include lit candlesticks, small vintage mirrors, wooden materials with gold accents, or an overwhelming amount of books on your shelves. If that's the case, you'll love the look of portrait busts in your home. Because portrait busts correlate with things you see in museums or Greek history, they bring a sense of elegance and sophistication to the home, says Eye For Design. Busts can add texture, personality, and an interesting talking piece, as long as they're placed intentionally. It's exciting to engage in an old trend becoming new again, so we gathered some tips on how you can incorporate busts into your home.

Portrait busts make unique centerpieces for coffee tables or side tables in an inspired living room. They can stand alone on any style of coffee table from glass to wood finish or black matte. Foter Magazine suggests decorating a coffee table with an animal-style bust to create a fun look. The bust can be paired with a few books, decorative bowls, different scented candles, or picture frames. If you want to enhance the light academia aesthetic, opt for a gorgeous gold tray to hold a portrait bust, a few candlesticks, or eclectic knick-knacks.

There's more room on a coffee table to place multiple pieces of décor. On the other hand, side tables are typically smaller, so they only have space for one or two. The number of side tables in a living room will help establish where the busts will go. With two side tables, a bust and a thin, medium-sized ceramic vase can be placed on one, while a lamp will look great on the other. Side tables are also perfect for holding a single large portrait bust to make it the main attraction in a room.

Shelves are a prime location for busts, especially bookshelves because they add height layers and texture. Styling shelves can be difficult if you have a numerous amount of décor, but if you have multiple shelves you can place two to three items on each, suggests lifestyle blogger Love Grows Wild. For some shelves, you'll want to keep it to one statement piece, and that's the perfect spot for a bust. At most, it may share the space with a couple of books.

When decorating multiple shelves in the same location, varying the height of decorative items is essential, per Love Grows Wild. Placing a bust on the center shelf will make that the focal point. To encourage gazing eyes to move easily over the shelves, put it on the bottom shelf next to a small plant or a candle. Since busts come in different sizes, a smaller piece can be paired alongside taller décor, such as picture frames, vintage mirrors, or vases.

Think about the colors that will fill the rest of the shelves to help incorporate the busts. Neutral-toned décor like gray, white, or beige may be easier to style together in groups, but adding a pop of color from a green plant can up the interest.

If you've got an empty, boring hallway, you've just found a great home for a thought-provoking bust. Rooms To Go suggests that, when decorating hallways, you keep things to a minimum, especially in tighter passageways. Homeowners and guests should be able to move comfortably throughout, so a console table with a few decorative items is often plenty to spruce up the space. Busts are great space fillers, so place them in the middle or end of the console to add personality. Long consoles give you opportunity to display a bust next to family photos, a lamp, or other figurines.

A creative way to incorporate a large bust is to allow it to have its own space in a corner. Rooms To Go states that adding furniture such as a small bookcase or dresser at the end of the hallway gives the entire space an anchored and finished feel. Placing a tall narrow table in the corner of the hallway with a large portrait or animal bust will direct anyone's attention toward it. Hanging artwork or portrait paintings on the wall surrounding the bust will make guests feel like they're in a museum.

Minimalist, contemporary, or chic-inspired bedrooms do well with portrait busts as décor. Busts give a traditional look to a room, so pairing them with modern styles such as glass vases, brighter lighting, or sleek furniture can balance it all out. Adding other vintage pieces such as vintage mirrors or ceramic pots can enhance the traditional look, according to Vintage Unscripted. An array of busts that vary in styles and sizes can add structure and beauty to a shelf that showcases the entire collection. For minimalist bedrooms, use a giant portrait bust to fill any unused space and let it really stand out. 

Some bust styles are meant to be used as plant holders. If you enjoy the look of greenery in your bedroom, consider adding flowers or a small plant to an open top bust. The plant busts add color and life, even in a bathroom. Liz Marie Design notes that bust planters can be filled with real or faux plants, so if you don't have the greenest thumb, faux plants may change your life. One statement evergreen plant can stand tall year-round, or you can easily change it out with each season.

A bust can even keep you company in the kitchen. While it won't help you do the cooking, a Greek sculpture will revamp the look and feel of the space. Everyone's kitchens are decorated differently, but a bust can always find a home in there. If the kitchen has a simple layout with a few shelves, busts can be used as bookends to keep your cookbooks in place. If there's a breakfast nook, a bust planter would make a chic centerpiece.

Studio Dearborn suggests creating a gallery wall in your kitchen where different pieces can be added or changed over time such as photos, prints, notes, or artwork. By placing the gallery in the corner of the kitchen, you could add a table with a single bust to enhance the look.

Pairing a couple of smaller portrait busts around the sink with a few plants is a way to subtly incorporate academia into your kitchen. This type of vignette is versatile and can be decorated with almost anything depending on the illustration you'd like to present. Per Studio Dearborn, vignettes don't have to be limited to the living room; they can tell a story in the kitchen just as well.