You’re not alone in feeling a little overwhelmed when you stare at your big empty shelves as there’s a lot of things to consider to transform them from practical storage surfaces into beautiful design features.
There will always be an element of fiddling and tinkering until you get the right look, but you can make the process of styling your shelves to perfection a whole lot easier by following some basic rules and principles.
Luckily for you, we’ve outlined 13 easy-to-follow tips to get your shelves looking like they’ve been styled by a professional.
1. Get rid of any junk
A well-styled shelf will be brimming with visual interest, but that’s not to say you should pile on the number of accessories with little to no thought and hope for the best.
You have to stop and ask yourself whether or not an item is truly display-worthy before going ahead with it so that you end up with a look that’s curated rather than cluttered.
Keep up this fussy approach until the shelves are adequately filled while leaving some space between each piece to give off the impression they have been staged like an art gallery.
2. Curate your items over time
We get it – you want to make a bulk purchase at the nearest home decor store so that you have something to show off as soon as the shelves go up.
However, doing this robs your display of a soul, which is exactly the kind of quality that separates an ordinary shelf from a stylish one.
You’ll thank yourself later by curating your accent pieces over time, keeping an eye out for treasures as you travel around, maybe even hit a few vintage stores to find those old-world pieces with a history and story to tell on your behalf.
3. Use contrasting colors
There’s no point investing a great deal of time and effort in your shelf display if it’s just going to fade into obscurity against a backdrop of the same color.
If the wall behind the shelf is dark then fill it with brightly colored items!
This way, you will end up with shelves that punctuate the scene and demand your attention. Just be aware that too many different colors may look a bit tacky, so it’s best to stick with one tone and let the power of synergy do its thing.
4. Incorporate some books
If you have amassed quite the book collection, now is the time to channel your inner librarian to help solve your shelf styling woes.
From an aesthetic perspective, it’s a good idea to display them in different arrangements with some books stacked vertically and some laid flat, and then you can push the stacks together to form an L-shape configuration.
Always go with your favorite titles as this is a great way to express your interests and passions, and all of a sudden you will have the perfect conversation starter.
5. Throw in some leaning art
You can always turn to art when there’s a large amount of real estate on your shelf left unfilled, and they offer casual elegance in abundance when you lean artwork against the wall.
For heightened visual impact, find a big piece that fits the bill as the focal point and then build around it with smaller prints in differing themes and mediums, remembering to overlap and layer as you go.
Don’t go overboard as busy shelves aren’t the prettiest – allocating about a third of shelf space to artwork is a good rule of thumb.
6. Aim for variety
A shelf that generates wide applause is packed with a wide variety of objects that offset each other in terms of color, shape, pattern, texture – the list goes on and on.
Think along the lines of a rattan basket next to a glossy or glass ornament, or a green plant beside a ceramic bowl.
Try your hand at mixing round and square, hard and soft, old and new items, and you should find that eventually you’ll end up with stylish shelves that guests won’t stop talking about.
7. Spread it out
You can be forgiven for thinking that the contents of your shelves should be sorted by color and type as this is somewhat logical and keeps everything organized, but it’s not necessary for items that are used solely for display.
It’s much more aesthetically pleasing to spread out items of the same color or same material because it creates visual balance.
So think twice before grouping together all your glasses or your metals or your collection of blue trinket boxes, and instead place some on one shelf and the rest on another, leaving you with a display that looks well thought out.
8. Coordinate with off-shelf decor
Chances are there’s other decorative elements in the room beyond the items which are sitting pretty on your shelves.
This gives you an excellent opportunity to expand your shelf styling repertoire by coordinating with off-shelf decor.
It could be as straightforward as placing a small potted houseplant on the end of the shelf so that you establish a visual connection with a nearby floor plant.
9. Follow the design of the shelf
Sometimes the blueprint for styling a shelf like an interior design expert can be found by looking at the design of the shelf itself.
For example, if you have a shelf that features a decorative frame, it’s just a case of using the frame as a parameter when seeking out perfectly sized decor.
However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Feel free to stir up a bit of drama by having one or two items extend beyond the border.
10. Consider item weight
Bookshelves that are top-heavy tend to look a bit weird. The proper way to style shelves like a professional is to take visual balance into consideration.
In other words, save those thick hardcover books and storage bins for the bottom of the shelves and place lightweight decorations higher up.
To confuse matters, you can break this rule on occasion because the mind enjoys a design twist from time to time, so don’t be afraid to elevate heavier items if you’re sure you can land the desired effect.
11. Play with depth
You’ll know when you’ve nailed down a truly stylish shelf display because it will look unique from every angle. Achieving this means breaking the habit of placing everything in a neat line.
Even if it goes against your instincts, set a selection of square-shaped objects at an angle to mess with those straight lines and let small objects come to the foreground with larger ones placed behind them.
One of the easiest ways to style a shelf to give it a keen sense of depth is to take a trailing plant and have it cascade over the edge, blocking the view of objects below it.
12. Add some lighting
A walk in closet that wants to be taken seriously needs to have many forms of lighting such as under-shelf lighting so that you can properly inspect an article of clothing before deciding to wear it or not, but even shelves in the rest of the home can benefit from being lit-up, at least from an aesthetic perspective.
After all, light is a powerful tool for guiding the eye and as long as you use high quality illumination it can flatter the carefully-arranged contents of your shelves. Ergo, under-shelf lighting is a win-win.
13. Put tall items on the ends
Outfitting a shelf with tall accessories will help a lot with the height factor, but you will only create maximum visual impact if they are in the right place.
Consider putting that tall lantern or vase on the ends of the shelf to polish things off and perfectly frame the whole look when observing your shelves from a distance.
Once again, it comes down to that all-important sense of balance, allowing the eye to be drawn to your well decorated shelves with total ease.