Today I am sharing some tips on how to style shelves. For this post, I am showing two bookcases in our family room that flank a double exterior French door that goes out to our patio. They are 34″ wide. These tips and methods on how to style shelves can be used anywhere in your home!
Items for styling shelves:
- Artwork and or photos with frames of various heights but with similar tones
- Vases, bowls, pottery
- Books, monotone books
- Objects, sculptures, figurines
- Simple large items like baskets or a large bowl or vase
Tips for styling shelves:
1.) Layer, keeping in mind proportion. Find a spot for the largest items first, placing them in a balanced way. For example, place one large item on the top left shelf and another on the bottom right, or like the second photo, one large item on the bottom.
2.) Each shelf should vary slightly from the other and also vary the shapes of the objects. For example, don’t line up three similar sized items in a row. Some shelves can have two or three items or groupings and some can have only one item. Continue to balance smaller pieces with larger pieces.
3.) Step back and adjust. Look for varying heights, shapes, textures and tones, spreading out and balancing items that are similar to each other.
If your shelves start to feel cluttered, take a few things away and see how the extra space looks.
To create a look that won’t go out of style, don’t just run out and buy all the items at once in one store. Combining items that you already have and love, vintage items and new items will create a timeless and collected look.
I hope these tips are helpful in taking the guesswork and stress out of how to decorate your own shelves! If you enjoyed these tips and found them helpful, check out my Tips for Styling a Mantel.
