I love the idea of open shelves in my house, but sometimes how to style them can be a bit of a challenge. Where to start? What to put on the shelves? What colours to use? It can seem a little overwhelming at first! There are a few ways to style your shelves that help make it easier and creates an eye catching display.
– The biggest tip is to mix it up. It might be a book shelf you are trying to style, but mix up the books with, objects, artworks and natural materials. This is what makes the styling interesting and aesthetically pleasing.
– Symmetry is a good way to start when placing objects on the shelves. It helps give a bit of direction to where each item or book is placed. For example it always looks great to have books or magazines stacked both vertically and horizontally, but if you are going to have a horizontal stack of magazines on one shelf, its a good idea to repeat that elsewhere to balance out the styling. Even having the same object, like a glass vase dotted throughout the display helps create symmetry and balance.
– Colour is important in styling the perfect shelves. A great way to style books is to colour code them, this really catches the eye! Another option with colour is to choose a highlight colour or two and work them throughout the shelves. This is a great way to tie it all together and gives you a bit of guidance as to how you are going to style the shelves.
– I absolutely love added greenery when styling shelves. A potted plant looks great and is the perfect way to break up books and object and inject a bit of colour. Succulents are great because they hardly need to be watered, but any potted plant can really add to shelves or bookcase. Also vases of greenery, foliage or flowers are perfect to add to any display you are putting together.
– Display everyday objects, things you wouldn’t normally put on display. Sometimes a simple bowl or a stack of tea cups can look much better than you first thought when displayed amongst other objects. Its all about how they are displayed and with what. Think outside the box!
– Think about the actual shelving before you choose what to display on them. They could be painted a different colour to add interest, or sanded back and white washed for a more rustic look. Another clever idea to change up the shelves, is to add coloured wallpaper to the backing of the shelves. This is a great option if you want the shelves to shine and keep the styling simple.
The main thing when styling shelves is just give it a go! Spend time playing around with different combinations and different colours. Sometimes it takes a few goes to get the styling just right!
(All images via Pinterest)
