The Art of Interior Styling

There's definitely an art to arranging accessories and objects into a well styled vignette. Too much of "this and that" equals clutter..."not enough"equals boring and bland, and so on. Holly over at decor8 has an Interior Styling group via Flickr with 4,000 + images uploaded from all kinds of talented people showing off their personal styling projects.  This gallery is bursting with inspiration...so much that I've managed to lose an hour  in what I call the Internet vortex...where you aimlessly wander through cyberspace with no concept of time - it can be dangerous!

From my experience with styling client's homes, model homes and my own place, there are a few rules of thumb that work just about every time:
1) group objects together in odd numbers - even numbers makes things look awkward
2) fresh flowers make any grouping of accessories pop  (as you'll see in just about every image in this post)
3) stagger similar sized objects at different heights - objects placed on stacked books is a good way to do so
4) group together several of the same accessories together for a dramatic effect (ex: the coke bottles below and the purple bottles toward the bottom of this post)
5) when accessorizing bookshelves or a mantle, mix it up with objects and accessories in all different shapes and sizes - this will make the overall look feel balanced when completed
6) don't group together lots of little accessories (unless you're going for the "tchotchke central" look)
7) mix different textures and materials together, such as raw natural wood with colorful porcelain, or metal and glass...makes things much more interesting! 
8) Edit, edit, edit! Know when to add or subtract pieces to get it just right :)

What are some of your personal styling tips? I'd love to know! 

IMAGE CREDITS: ALL IMAGES VIA INTERIOR STYLING GROUP ON FLICKR