Written by Catherine Seagrave

Styling shelves, don’t know where to begin? Read on... 

My week started with the joyous news that my boys’ school has closed for 2 weeks - yes we’re back to the fun of homeschooling again! So in between battling with technology to make online lessons happen, and providing mountains of bribes to make my boys sit still and listen, I decided now was the time to tackle my very overdue messy shelf problem.

I don’t know about you but I find that over time shelves have a tendency to collect stuff - things that were never meant to be there but somehow just arrive. I move things around to display birthday cards and never quite get to move them back, extra books pile up and gifts don’t quite ‘fit’. One day you wake up, take a look and think hmmm, that’s not quite right. And so I thought, what better time than right now to empty my shelves, make a complete mess, rush to restyle them and probably never quite finish the job??! 

I know that shelf styling can feel a daunting task, but the best place to start is to empty the shelves completely and begin again, that way you come at it with fresh eyes. And do it when you have time and you’re not going to be rushed (it’s definitely a case of do as I say not do as I do here!!). You’re going to want to stand back, look, adjust and keep looking and adjusting and taking your time.

1. The first step is to lay everything out on the floor and assess what you have. Although you’re aiming for a casual mix and match look, you need to sort your things into categories and look for themes which you can then spread across the shelves. Sort your bits and pieces into groups by colour, texture, size, or type like plants, books etc. 

2. Then go on a treasure hunt around your home and steal from other rooms. Mixing things up can make you see objects again in a whole new light. You may want to buy a few new bits, but you’ll probably be surprised by what you already have and can just reuse in a different way.

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3. It’s good to try to find a variety of things to give interest. Too many books (unless it’s a library), vases or photo frames can make it look unbalanced and too static. Don’t be afraid to use some quirky pieces that are personal to you and your family.

4. Now that you have your collection ready it’s time to think about how to arrange it on the shelves. You want your eye to travel back and forth and up and down the shelves to create a harmonious uniform look, finding similar colours or textures throughout the shelves.

5. Start the styling with your favourite or largest pieces and place them on the shelves, then build around these important items.

6. It’s good to place something large on the bottom shelf to help anchor it.

7. Next you are looking to create layers on shelves. A great way to achieve this is to lean art, photos, trays or mirrors at the back of the shelf and place objects in front of them, adding depth and texture and a good base.

8. As you start grouping pieces,  you want to look for things with different heights and to avoid placing similar pieces together. Your eye finds interest in the way the objects speak to each other - which they won’t if they are all one height. If you are struggling to find a variety of heights, books can really help. Try placing a few books under an object to lift it up and show it off.

9. Books are generally very useful. Not only do they help to fill the space (not too many though!), they can also provide colour, and texture. You can stack them or stand them up, group them in colour order or turn them around so you can’t see the colour and just see the pages (controversial I know, but it can simplify the look if you have lots of very random colour books). There are many ways the book is your friend!

10. Remember the rule of 3 - everything looks better when grouped in odd numbers, especially 3, and helps the shelves feel balanced and less cluttered.

11. Speaking of cluttered, now’s the time to stand back from the shelves and take another good look. You’re looking for a balance between large and small objects. If there are too many small items on one shelf it can feel too busy so try moving some items up or down a shelf.

12. Make sure you have spread one or two colours through the shelves. Again repetition of colour and texture stops the cluttered look.

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13. Leave space - the gaps are as important as the items on the shelf. The negative space gives the objects space to breathe and creates focus - you don’t want to look like a hoarder! Edit it down, take some things away and see if you miss it.

14. This might seem obvious, but if it’s not beautiful, hide it. It may be the router, or a collection of files and paperwork that you need, so put them in a box, or basket, or hide them behind a larger item like a plant or painting.

15. And finally - greenery. Whether faux or real, use liberally! Trailing plants look particularly good on shelves and help draw your eye from shelf to shelf.

I hope that’s helped to talk you through some of my shelf styling secrets and break down the different tricks you can use to style your shelves. And remember, if you don’t get it right the first time, try again - just maybe not whilst trying to homeschool too!!

Right I’m off to take some shelfies for instagram - and tidy the terrible mess I’ve made!!