Shelf styling can feel like a daunting task sometimes.
What item goes with what?
How many items can I put on a shelf?
Do they all have to match?
I am diving deep into shelf styling with you today to help ease the burden!
My tips for shelf styling
1- I like to start with a blank slate. Clean off those shelves and set everything aside. Now is a good time to do a good deep cleaning on the shelves!
2- Do not over clutter the shelves! A good rule of thumb is to leave about 20% of the shelves empty!
3- Stack books horizontally and vertically.
4- Stick to neutral tones. This will help create an uncluttered and soothing feel.
5- Instead of lining up all of your objects in a row, try creating layers. You can do this by adding objects on a stack of books!
6- Stand back and critique. I am constantly doing this until it looks just right. It might take several attempts to get it just the way you want it, and that is ok!
7- Distribute color. If I am using black books on a top shelf, I like to make sure I have other black elements on s shelf below. This helps in making everything look cohesive.
Here are some items I like to use on shelves
Candles
Plants, faux or real
Art or framed photos
Books and bookstands
Bookends or heavy objects
Book boxes or other boxes that can hide things you don’t want out in plain view.
Keep reading to see some of my favorites!
Let’s get started!
Start one shelf at a time.
1- Large coffee table books are a good place to start.
Gather ones that are all about the same size and lay them flat on the center of a shelf, starting with the largest, to the smallest on top. I like to group them in no more than groups of 3.
I also like to take off the dust jackets. If you don’t have any books that have cohesive neutral bindings, head to the thrift store and peek under the dust jackets! I find a lot of my books at the thrift store.
Play around with adding an object on top of the stack of books.
A good rule of thumb is to not add an object that is smaller than the size of a softball.
You could use a candle, wooden or marble links, or maybe it’s a pretty bowl {raid your kitchen cabinets!}
2- On another shelf add some smaller books. I like to see what kind of hardcover novels I have laying around and if their bindings are the right color. If not, I will often cover them in paper. Wrapping paper is a good way to do this! You can see I used matte black paper above. You can see how to do this on this post here.
Grab some pretty bookends for either end!
This is also a great place to add book boxes! You can simply spray paint them to match your covered books. I find these at the thrift store too! Can you spot mine above? I keep odds and ends in mine.
3- My favorite shelf styling item is this acrylic book stand. It elevates the book and keeps things looking interesting and not flat. Again, you can shop these items at the bottom of this post!
4- Neutrals don’t have to be boring! Add in some gold elements. A little goes a long way!
Maybe it is a small tray with a candle on top, or a little metal box?
5- Add a pretty vase with a plant or faux flowers. The vase doesn’t have to be a vase necessarily either. Scour your garden shed and grab a pretty planter or pot! It might even be a pretty large kitchen bowl or pitcher!
6- Chunky candleholders are another good shelf styling piece. You don’t even need to add candles to them! Just have them be the decor on their own.
7- Baskets filled with blankets. The basket I have below is filled with magazines. I didn’t want to see the magazines so I placed a blanket on top to hide them!
Here are some of my favorite items to style shelves with!
Faux florals {my favorite!}
Stone doorstop {used on stack of books}
Abode book {on acrylic bookstand}
Travertine bowl {similar}
And here’s a few more options for you!
Linen wrapped decorative books
I hope you got some helpful tips from this post! Be sure to pin any of these images if you found this helpful.
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