You've probably seen the Tik Tok trend, 'when you live with a boy and his things don't fit your aesthetic'. You know the ones that scan across a beautifully decorated interior only to reveal a battered gaming chair, an in-your-face sound bar or Millennium-Falcon-esque speaker. It presents somewhat of an interior styling conundrum. How do you keep your tasteful aesthetic while accomodating the essential gadgets you normally keep in a home?

As someone that lives with a tech journalist, I am very used to having all sorts of gadgets floating around a space I have spent hours trying to curate like a page from Architectural Digest. I must admit, I'm never particularly pleased when a wireless gaming keyboard clutters up the vignette of candlesticks I've just arranged. So how can we come to a compromise? Can we have our interior aesthetic and our gadgets too?

 

To get some expert answers, I caught up with celebrated interior stylist Steve Cordony at his home styling masterclass. Held at his home, the breathtakingly beautiful Rosedale Farm in Orange, Steve showed us around his space and explained how he styles everything from cushions and books to cables and speakers. Below, were his tips on how to style technology pieces beautifully and seamlessly into your space.

 

 

 

Don't hide it

The first thing I noticed when walking into Steve's home that all the tech was front and centre. Nothing was hidden behind a bouquet of flowers. When I asked him about it, he said it was deliberate. He never hides his tech or gadgets. He heroes them.

"Incorporate speakers just as you would your occasional pieces of furniture," Steve said. "I love to use them as sculptural forms within the lounge room, so placing them on either side of the sofa, or in the back town corners of the room, it creates structure but also a symmetry, which not only creates a strong visual look but is also great for balancing the sound."

 

Create styled vignettes

For many pieces of his tech, Steve liked to style these are part of his existing table or mantle arrangements - making them part of a vignette.

"I love to incorporate speakers within a styled vignette, as the hero or ‘large’ object. From there, a smaller ceramic bowl or vase, and a scented candle create a cluster that is not only visually appealing but also practical," he said.

Choose the right brands

These days, you really don't have to compromise on either aesthetic or quality. Steve's particular choice was Harman Kardon. Find a tech design with incredible sound and functionality while appearing to blend design wise is key. The sleek, minimal Harman Kardon speaker designs appeared almost like sculptural objects in his space. Each on made sense, and elevated the room rather than dropping the tone.