Styling Your Shelving Like a Pro
Styling up shelves beautifully can be a little trickier than you might expect. We have some basic methods that we generally stick to, but the rules are there to be bent. Follow your gut and play around once you’ve got the basics nailed.
Start by placing the largest items first in a balanced way. Keep the rules of symmetry in mind for this part.
Decorate your feature items in odd numbers. Odd numbers is actually a really great one to keep in mind for smaller knick-knacks too. Evens can tend to look unfinished to the eye unless you’re really playing up the white space / asymmetrical look intentionally.
Keep in mind a colour palette. Don’t obsess over this. A mix can be really nice too depending on your overall aesthetic. If you’re going to a minimalist or Hamptons style for example, cohesive colours are important.
Use heights and widths to balance everything out. Eg. Don’t have three really short items all on the same shelf. If you have one tall piece on one end of a shelf, place the next tall-guy on the opposite side of a different shelf.
So what can you use to style effectively?
Plants and greenery. Don’t go crazy, we tend to find too many plants can make it look less like a well styled space and more like a plant shop!
Books in small stacks. Save your most beautiful ones for your styling, keeping them in the same palette if you can.
A personal photo in a beautiful frame.
Chunky bowls and knick-knacks. Smaller items tend to get lost and can make a shelf feel unbalanced. Alternatively place them in groups of three to elevate them a little.
Artwork - this is the prefect way to add some personality to a shelf. Just lean it up against the wall.
Different textures - eg. glass, ceramics, brass, earthy clays and timber.
