Styling shelves, whether built in, open shelving, or within a piece of furniture, can often seem like a daunting task. Staring at the blank and empty shelves can leave people feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to do first. That all changes today. You no longer have to fear how to style shelves in your home with these fool-proof tips.
How to Style Open Shelves:
- Clear and clean your shelves off to start with a blank canvas
- Gather all the items on the floor that you’re considering using so they’re in close proximity
- Section each individual shelf off mentally into two or three sections depending on how long and large the shelves are
This tip helps you to focus on only styling one section at a time, and therefore only one shelf at a time
In the example photo below, I separated the shelves mentally into two sections when styling them: - Plan to have two or three items in each of your groupings or “sections”. These items should vary in height and they shouldn’t be too similar to each other or the surrounding groupings. Some items to consider pulling in are listed below.
How to Style Shelves: Popular Items to Consider
- Art Vases
- Baskets
- Bowls
- Collected objects
- Framed photos
- Items that vary in height
- Objects that vary in shape
- Pieces with texture
- Lanterns
- Stacked books
- Vessels
5. Place the larger items first to anchor the shelves
6. When you’re thinking about how to style shelves in a space, always remember to pull the existing colors used in the space and incorporate them into the shelves for a cohesive feeling and look
7. Don’t be afraid of some white space! This gives the eye time to rest between objects and some space to breathe.
8. Mix old and new for a more collected feel
9. Keep it simple, less is often more
In the below space the colors we carried over from the room design into the shelf styling were woven textures, wood tones, white, grey, and a few light blue accents to play off the rest of the room.
How to Style Shelves: Making Two Built-Ins Cohesive
If you’re approaching how to style shelves in a space that has shelving on either side of a fireplace or has more than one shelving unit or built-in in a room, don’t be super “matchy-matchy” placing the same elements on either side on the same shelf. Instead, think about how you can be consistent on each side but mix up the levels.
As you can see in the above photo there is a shelf on each side consisting of leaning artwork and stacked books with a floral plate, but they are on different levels or shelf heights of each built-in unit. This creates consistency without being a mirror image.
When tying two shelving sides together in a space like this I recommend pulling at least one element that is the same on each side. I did this on the bottom shelf in this space (as I like to do every time) with baskets. This ties everything together, while bringing warmth and texture into the space.
I hope these quick tips help you as you’re styling your space to feel more like home. I’d love to see your space as it comes together. Feel free to tag me on Instagram or send me a DM!
If you have any questions about how to style shelves or anything else home-related, please feel free to get in touch. Need help in your space? Check out our services here.
Shopping links coming soon for this project space.
[Pottery Barn shares some great shelf styling tips in a video here]
Photos by Eliza Poe Photography
