Simple Shelf Styling

I believe shelf styling has the power to make or break a room, truly. Too cluttered and it's a sight for sore eyes. Too minimal and it looks unfinished. Getting it just right takes lots of tweaking and trial and error. Often I will think it's done and the next day I'll take a look and swap something out entirely. In fact, I did that just now and had to retake the photos.

Shelves should be a display of pieces that mean something to you or evoke a feeling that's important to the room. You should be able to look at your shelves and feel an emotion, like pride, nostalgia, peace or comfort. For example, my living room shelves include a print of Naramata, one of my favourite places in the world, ceramics I have collected while travelling afar and thrifting locally, a photo from our wedding in Italy and design books full of inspiring interiors.

There are tips and tricks I've picked up over the years just by trial and error or learning from others. It really comes down to playing around with objects and finding a formula that works for you. For me, I love simple, minimal styled shelves. But I've seen maximalism done beautifully too.

My Shelf Styling Process:

1. Spread out your objects on a table or the floor so you can see everything you have to work with

2. Pick a larger statement piece and anchor your top shelf with it

3. Place stacks of odd-numbered books horizontally and vertically, creating a zig-zag throughout the shelves

4. Fill in with ceramics and framed photos/prints

5. Step back, assess and tweak according to the tips and tricks below. Repeat until it feels and looks right

Tips and Tricks:

1. Stick to one colour palette and ensure those colours are spread out throughout the shelves

2. Mix different shapes ie. hard angled books and curved ceramic vessels

3. Group objects in 3's but balance that with an object by itself

4. Vary the height of objects on each shelf

5. Stack books horizontally and vertically. Top a horizontal stack with an object and flank and vertical stack with bookends