Who doesn’t love a beautifully styled shelf? Chances are, you have more than one shelf situation in your home, and we’re here to help you make them as photo-worthy as possible—aka, create the perfect shelfie! We tapped four of our favorite follows (and members of our ambassador program, The Loop) to get their top shelf styling tips. From “shopping” your home to layering in all the plants, keep reading to hear what they have to say, and prepare to assemble your most chic shelf yet!
@theblushhome’s Plant Party
Walk us through your shelfie look!
I love these living room shelves—I think they add so much dimension to the space and they make a great home for my plants. These shelves were actually the first thing I built when we moved into our home. When I style these shelves, I like to stick to around 3-4 main colors. Currently I have whites, greens, and blacks with wood accents. This keeps the shelves feeling cohesive, and they flow with the rest of our home, which is very open-concept. The top three shelves are actually filled with all faux plants (I would never be able to reach up to them for weekly watering!). Using plants that trail down help fill in the space and look so pretty. My favorite item that I style with here are the loop candleholders—they’re so fun!
What are your top shelf styling tips?
When I want to style my shelves, I like to collect a bunch of items from around the house that I think might look good. This might be various planters, some books, and some pieces of art. As I mentioned earlier, I like to stick to a palette of 3-4 colors as well. The plants I have on my shelves generally stay the same. I might move them around on the shelves, but they’re happy there so I don’t usually swap them out.
For styling anything around my home, I like to group things in threes (I find it’s more pleasing to look at) and always with varying heights. Use books stacked vertically or horizontally and layer in a framed print behind them, along with a plant. Use a small footed tray to add height to a planter and add a decorative item and some candlesticks grouped together. It’s all about having fun when styling! It’s also important to take a step back and look at the shelves to see how everything is looking together. Don’t get discouraged if the shelves aren’t looking quite right off the bat! I tend to style and restyle a few (dozen) times until I like how things are looking!
@bohofrisco’s Bold “Built-Ins”
Walk us through your shelfie look!
This shelf was born out of a need to combine my interests with my husband’s in our apartment decor (which is not always an easy challenge!). The one thing that he loves the most is his book collection. He’s actually read all of these books! I knew that I wanted the shelf to have a more “built-in” feel, so I measured endlessly to find a set of bookshelves that would fit perfectly in this open space between the windows. I found three different cabinets from IKEA that are pushed together to make it look like one unit. I think my favorite part is how it ended up looking custom!
What are your top shelf styling tips?
To start styling any shelf, I always think it’s best to completely clear off everything (and you might as well dust it and wipe it down while you’re here!) so you have a blank slate. Once you’ve got that, put the largest items up first, and prioritize the things that you want to be on the shelf the most! After I had all of the books, I wanted to add my style with the plants. I use a mixture of real and fake plants to achieve this look. I start at the top and work my way down. Do not be afraid to move it around a bunch until it feels balanced. And don’t forget, trailing plants look amazing on a shelf. I think people have the wrong idea that interior designers know exactly where something should go, but the truth is we just try everything until it clicks!
@wilsonaesthetic_’s Sentimental Spot
Walk us through your shelfie look!
The way I style shelves is actually pretty simple. I start with things I love that are sentimental to me, and build around them. We all know weddings can be expensive and we throw away so much decor from the event. I actually kept a lot of stuff from my wedding and little trinkets that remind me of that day. I used those as the focal pieces of my shelf because I love looking at them and thinking of all the wonderful memories. Then of course, I love bringing in some life to my shelves so adding plants is also a must!
What are your top shelf styling tips?
I know styling can be intimidating, but you do not need to be an interior designer to style a shelf—anyone can do it! Start by collecting things you love and put them in a pile. Group items together that are similar in height, texture, and color. Then, mix those items up in groups of twos and threes. So easy and so beautiful! A shelf should be a reflection of your personal style, so don’t get too caught up in replicating things you see online and instead trust your style and vision and watch it come to life beautifully! You got this!
@designbecomeshim’s Earthy Ease
Walk us through your shelfie look!
When I go about styling a shelf, what I like to do is lay out all the items on a table and start with a blank slate. This also helps you see what you have to work with and ensure the color story will work. Next, I like to start with bigger pieces to act as a foundation, and build off of that. I am a plant LOVER so I always layer in a lot of plants as well as natural elements and wood tones. It’s important to create layers and height differences so you can see all of the beautiful pieces. Using books to create different heights is always a good idea. One thing you’ll want to avoid is filling the shelf too much. While you want to create beautiful vignettes, you also don’t want it to be too crowded. As you can see here, I left some blank space on every other level.
What are your top shelf styling tips?
Shelf styling isn’t always something that you’ll get right away. You’ll be moving pieces around all the time until you know it’s just right. Also, don’t be afraid to “shop your home” as we say. Sometimes I like to take decor pieces from one room and move them into another. That’s one of the most fun parts of interior decorating and design. When it’s right, you’ll know.
