Shelf Styling 101
Do you need a little shelf help? Don’t we all! All kidding aside, shelf styling happens to be our very favorite thing here at Shelf Love Collective. A shelf has the power to set the tone of an entire room, add a ton of personality, and with some clever rearranging, a shelf can create a whole new look for your space seasonally or whenever you feel like it.
If you want some practical shelf styling tips, read on!
First, we will go over a few shelf styling design basics and then move on to 6 practical tips on how to decorate your shelves like a decorating pro. Equipped with some basic shelf styling know-how we hope that shelf styling will be one of your favorite past times!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Looking for more? For a deeper dive on shelf styling, be sure to check out the Shelf Styling Guide. In this 31 page downloadable PDF, you will find a practical step-by-step guide, design principles on how to style single or multiple shelves, and a variety of shelf layout samples to replicate (plus much more!). We may be biased, but we think it’s pretty awesome!
Basics of Shelf Decor + Shelf Styling
We believe a well decorated shelf should bring a smile to your face. What you choose to place on your shelves should reflect your unique style and personality, whether that is calm, grounded and natural or cheeky, unexpected and fun.
The first question to consider in your shelf styling quest is what is the overall style or color scheme you are going for. Do you have a coastal, boho, modern, minimalist, Scandinavian, eclectic or other specific decor scheme in your home? Next, think of a color scheme or theme for your shelves. Use that vision to help lead you in selecting which decorative items to include on your shelves.
Hunt and Gather
Gather decorative items from around your house. You may be surprised to find that forgotten items around your house become creative and unexpected shelf decor. This part should be fun so don’t be shy about gathering “too many” items because you won’t be using all of them. Be sure to choose groups of like items for some consistency, and items with varying heights.
Look for meaningful items to incorporate in your shelf styling such as family heirlooms, framed family photos, artwork you love, and any other special decor items. Check out the blog Shelf Decor Ideas for loads of inspiration!
SHELF LOVE PRO TIP: Choose what to display with intention. Many times, people rush out to shop for trendy items to display on their shelves and end up with buyer’s remorse. Sadly, an alarming amount of cheaply made home decor items end up in landfills. Take your time shopping for quality items and add to your shelf decor over time as you accumulate special items with stories behind them. In fact, intentional shopping is the very idea behind Shelf Love Collective.
Do’s + Don’ts of Shelf Styling
- Don’t shop frivolously just to fill empty space.
- Do shop with intention - take your time to acquire items you really love.
- Don’t feel like you need to keep up with trends.
- Do display things you love or that have meaning to you.
- Don’t buy cheaply made, toxic home decor.
- Do seek out quality items that you will keep for a long time.
Be Minimalist Minded
When it comes to shelf styling and decorating, even the maximalist will find that less is more. It can be tempting to squeeze all your shelf worthy items onto your shelves. The result tends to be cluttered and none of your items end up feeling special. When fewer items are displayed, each item on your shelf gets the attention it deserves. A little breathing room goes a long way.
SHELF LOVE PRO TIP: Rotate your shelf decor. If you find your collection of treasures borders on hoarders, we have a simple solution for you. Store your special items that don’t have room on the shelf in a box in your closet or garage. This allows you to easily rotate your keepsakes whenever shelf styling inspiration strikes!
Top 6 Tips on How to Decorate a Shelf
Tip #1: Grouping Items on a Shelf
A golden rule of shelf styling is creating groupings of objects. Grouping items of varying heights and sizes in three's or odd numbers is pleasing to the eye. Play around with incorporating height variation in your groupings - tall, mid-height and short.
Tip #2: Choose Your Focal Points
Assess the size of your shelves and the size of your objects and decide if you can fit 1, 2 or 3 focal points per shelf (with space in between). Then, alternate quantity of groupings from shelf to shelf.
In this set of three built-in shelves, the top row has two groupings, the middle has one large grouping, and the bottom has two groupings.
Tip #3: Balance Sizes and Accent Colors
With shelf styling, it is all about balance. Evenly distribute large decor items, accent colors and texture to create that pleasing balance. With multiple shelves, oversized objects like large baskets or pottery should be at the bottom.
SHELF LOVE PRO TIP: Before styling your shelves, group your shelf decor items by material like glass, metal, woven, etc.. Then, when you begin decorating, it will be easier to distribute items evenly across your shelves.
Tip #4: How to Arrange Books on a Shelf
This is a fun shelf styling tip for arranging books. To add interest and break up long rows of books, break them up by alternating stacking books horizontally and vertically. Horizontal books can also act as risers or platforms for small decorative items, and you can play around with creative bookends for vertical books.
Don't have attractive looking books to display? Consider buying decorative linen wrapped books for a cohesive look.
Tip #5: Utilize Accent Colors and Neutrals
Another key shelf styling tip is to stick with a base of neutral colored items and natural materials and then have fun incorporating your accent colors and statement pieces. This method helps combat clutter as you build your shelf styling skills.
Tip #6: Stand Back and Make Edits
It is very important to stand back and take in the bigger picture. Expect to edit and rearrange several times until you are happy or try walking away and come back later with fresh eyes.
We hope these 6 design tips on shelf styling and decorating were helpful in kick starting your own shelf styling journey. We have a lot of fun styling shelves and we hope you will too!
CAUTION: Practicing Shelf Love shelf styling tips can result in feelings ranging from mild excitement and happiness to prolonged feelings of euphoria.
Need more guidance? Don't forget to check out the extensive Shelf Styling Guide. Our goal at Shelf Love Collective is to make shelf styling fun for all so that you can love your shelves!
Leave a comment
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.