How To Style Your Shelves Like A Pro!
This post has been a long time coming, and I am so excited to finally sit down and share with you how I style shelves! I want to start by saying I understand how intimidating this can be. I used to get really stressed about how to do a perfectly styled shelf, until I realized that it isn't permanent, and it actually can be extremely fun to change seasonally! Basically, recognizing that I am not making a life long commitment to my shelf decor made me loosen up a bit, and now I really enjoy it! This is how I do it!
Tip Number One: Empty your shelves!
Take everything off of your shelves completely. This creates a blank slate, and its much easier to play around with your decor when it isn't too busy or crowded. Take this time to wipe down and dust your shelves so you can have a fresh start!
Tip Number Two: Choose a color scheme
In my recent post about my formula for designing a room, I talked about how I usually choose the rug as my inspiration piece to set the color palette for the space. A fun way to carry the color palette throughout the room is by finding pretty books that are the right colors. I love taking the covers off of books I already own, and if I need some more I love to shop at thrift stores! Amazon and Etsy also sell packages of books to use exclusively for decor if you want to go the super easy route as well. There are so many old books out there needing a home, and repurposing them as decor is a great sustainable way to decorate your shelves! This is also a great time to "shop" your home for decorative accents that fit your color scheme. Finding items within the same color palette as your room helps to create a unified look for the whole space. I find that the items you need are usually lying around your home!
Tip Number Three: Create a foundation
Remember those books? I like to lay them out as a starting place. I like to put some vertically, and others horizontally to use as a riser for other decorative items. Recently I had the opportunity to do a Room Restyle for a friend, and I started by placing books in her shelves. This is such a great way to create a balanced blueprint that only needed to be dressed up with fun accents and sentimental items.
Tip Number Four: Layer layer layer!
Larger photos and books with beautiful covers make great backgrounds for the boring back of the shelf. I also love to use platters and decorative trays to create a multi dimensional experience. Adding a background piece to the shelf also gives height and depth, and makes it look like you really know what you're doing. This tip adds so much to the look of the shelf, and if there is one thing you can do to upgrade your shelves it is THIS.
Tip Number Five: Accessorize with literally anything
Cute shoes? Throw em on a shelf! Same goes for pretty boxes, platters, book ends, greenery, etc. You can't go wrong! It adds so much character to your home when you style your shelves with the items that are meaningful to you. Your home should tell the story of who you are, and how you display your items starts that conversation for guests in your home. My friend had sentimental items from her travels that she wanted to display, but wasn't sure how. If something is meaningful to you and fits in your basic color palette, it belongs on your shelf!
Tip Number 6: Glue it in place
Okay, I know that sounds crazy, and I don't want you to ACTUALLY glue your stuff, but I cannot get over this museum gel. I am wondering where it has been my whole life! It keeps your items in place, so if someone bumps your shelf or a kid tries to grab something, nothing moves! You no longer have to worry about your fragile items shattering if someone accidentally knocks your shelf! When you are ready to restyle your shelves, all you have to do is twist and lift, and it comes off like magic! I am a total die hard fan and I won't stop talking about it.
I hope this was helpful, and I want to see your "shelfies" if you use any of these tips! Tag me on instagram at @threadofgoldhome! I also linked some great decorative items that would look great on any shelf below! Happy decorating!