Among the several types of accessories used to embellish interior spaces, containers and vessels have their own special place.

Unfortunately though, there are times when we take certain decorative items for granted. We often leave the odd vase sitting in the same place on the display shelf that it has always occupied, without the benefit of fresh flowers or new decorative pieces to give it renewed life. A well-chosen and placed container can be the single point of visual focus in a room. If it is a piece that is beautiful, soothing and harmonious in appearance, it can be a point to contemplate, too.

Containers are not limited to vases. Antique boxes that reflect the style of the room can look wonderful and provide valuable storage space. You can even make a decorative feature of utilitarian items such as a china jug or tumbler. Whatever you choose, show it off to its best advantage. Gather a collection of a particular type of container and exploit its decorative merit.

Vases, pots and containers need to be carefully selected and thoughtfully placed in a room. You need to consider not just their visual impact but also the function of the vessel. A collection of a particular period and style of vase acquires stronger decorative merit when set against a backdrop of other artefacts of a similar epoch.

So always consider the decorative scheme as a whole. Positioning the pieces in the right light is also beneficial, especially when the item to be displayed is glass or silver. Make the most of any reflective surfaces to welcome natural light into the room.

A tall vase filled with tube-roses and placed in front of a window where the sun filters through the flowers and glass will be gloriously cheerful than if placed in a dark corner. Any type of vessel can become decorative, given the right setting and accessories.

A classical porcelain urn standing proudly alone against red damask on the console table has more decorative input than a massed collection of small trinkets huddled on a table.

Wooden bins and wire-work baskets provide storage spaces in children?s rooms. The country-style kitchen or dining room can include a wide variety of containers made from locally available materials, such as wire-work bottle holders, woven baskets for fruits and earthenware storage jars. Colour and texture are important. Some pieces make fine illustrations of the benefits of mixing aesthetic textures.

For example, dark and lustrous clay pots make handsome partners to woven containers and plates in subtle, earthy shades. Create a tableau using a stack of rough wooden bowls in different sizes, or a row of rugged terracotta flower pots filled with herbs, nuts and dried fruits, set on the sideboard in the dining room.

Indian jewels and baubles ? made with zari, sequins and beads ? can be made to glitter like a treasure trove on a brightly painted bowl. The North East provides a rich repertoire of ?natural? containers ? in wicker, rattan and bentwood. Other states, too, have their own share of container creations ? be it paper mache and walnut wood boxes from Kashmir, brass pots from Uttar Pradesh, bronze urns from Rajasthan, softwood jars from Gujarat, not to forget the metal and wooden containers from the south. When travelling, look carefully, one can sometimes find truly authentic or ingenious work.