Styling Shelves

Styling shelves can be hard. It is hard to decide what you want on it and how to make it all look good together.

Lets start...
Step 1: Clear your shelves. Starting with a blank slate is the easier than trying to add to already full or almost full shelves. 

Step 2: Do you need to store toys on your shelves? If you do, decide how you want them stored, hidden or in plain sight. Once you have decided how you want them stored, decide which shelf or shelves you want them on. For this, lets say we want the toys hidden and on the bottom shelf. Pick out  the basket(s) or bin(s) that will fit the shelf - measure height, depth and width (nothing is worse then falling in love with a basket, only to have it NOT fit).  I decided to keep the bottom left shelf open for the toys.

Step 3: What else needs to be on the shelves? In this case, we need the radio, speakers, dvd player, cable box and some books. I like to spread them all out and then fill in with the "pretty" things. Some of the electrical equipment has spots that it just needs to go on. If you have adjustable shelves, adjust them to fit these items accordingly.

Sort your books, in whatever way makes you happy. In this case, I sorted them by color, I got lucky because some of the red & orange books were also some of the tallest books. As you start to put your books away, you can add interest by stacking some with the spines vertical and some with the spines horizontal. You get a cleaner look by placing them tallest to shortest.

Step 4: You are getting close! Now is the time to start styling your shelves. Add in picture frames of friends and family. You get a more interesting look by doing different frames. To keep it clean, use matching frames. Fill in "holes" with collected items or mementos. Remember to layer your items, short and tall, some in the back and some more forward. Big items with little items. Use a stack of books to prop up a little item. If you are using your accessories to add color to your room, be sure to "sprinkle" the color thru out your shelves. You don't want all of the color in one area. As you place things, keep in mind that odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye.

Step 5: Sit back and enjoy your newly styled shelves!

*Don't forget to have fun. Your home should show off your personality, if something doesn't feel or look right to you, change it. :) As with most things there are a ton of correct ways to achieve the same result, so do what works for you.*

Hopefully this helps you get started! Still stuck? Give me a call, I'd love to help you out!
Thanks for stopping by!
Megan