How to style beautiful shelves

I love indulging in a bit of ‘shelf faffery’ – it’s a great opportunity to express my style and personality, and it’s the kind of creative, absorbing activity that I find helps reduce stress and anxiety. And I’m not alone – just look at the huge popularity of the #shelfie hashtag on Instagram and you’ll see what I mean! Beautiful arrangements rarely just ‘happen’, though, and knowing where to start can be daunting when you’re faced with a set of empty shelves. But there are a few easy tricks that you can use to create an elegant and balanced display, so I thought it was time I shared some of the shelf-styling tips that I’ve picked up over the years.

Of course there are no hard-and-fast rules, and your shelves should be a reflection of you and your tastes, but the following will provide a handy guide if you haven’t got a clue where to begin, or if you get stuck along the way.

Stick to a limited colour palette

I always think it helps to choose three or four colours and stick to them. Use the room’s wider scheme and any must-display items to guide you, but don’t be afraid to add one or two contrasts for interest. Most of my shelving arrangements mix black, white and grey with beige and metallic accents, but a few incorporate touches of green or dark brown, too.

‘Shop’ your home

Once you have a loose look in mind, take a wander around your home to find items that you think would suit – candles, ceramics, artwork, baskets, boxes, trays, perhaps even a postcard or family photo. Then, gather everything together in a pile and assess whether it works together or not. Make sure you have a good mix of sizes, heights, textures and shapes, and check if there’s anything obvious missing.

Position larger items first

When it comes to placing things on your shelves, start with large items such as books, vases and lamps. Then, gradually add medium-sized items around them, before finishing with the smallest pieces.

Think about balance and symmetry 

Try to vary height, size, shape, colour and texture to create a balanced look, and avoid anything too similar from sitting close together. For example, I’ve arranged the String shelving in my office so that darker and lighter pieces are distributed  across left, right, top and bottom, with no clumps of one particular shade to distract the eye. Even in the kitchen, where the open shelves need to hold multiples of the same item, I’ve varied things up by placing groups of tall tumblers next to shorter goblets and mugs, and by interspersing ceramics and glassware.

As a general rule, taller and larger items tend to look best towards the end of shelves rather than in the middle. And remember that you can add height and bulk by stacking things on top of each other, or by placing them on books and magazines.

Create depth with clusters and layers

Add interest and depth by arranging items in clusters, or by layering smaller pieces in front of larger ones (perhaps a vase in front of an art print or framed photo). For some reason, odd numbers look more aesthetically pleasing to the human eye than even numbers, so I often use groups of three interspersed with single items placed on their own. That doesn’t mean you can’t display things in pairs, but they tend to work best when the pieces in question have very different heights.

Be creative with books and magazines

If you’re using your shelves for books and magazines, stack them horizontally as well as vertically to break up the overall look. I like to select ones with covers that match the colour scheme, and I arrange anything too jarring with the spine facing inwards. In my living room, I’ve even gone one step further and turned all the books around. I realise it’s a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it approach, but I like the way it looks and I know roughly where everything is (all the novels are on the middle shelf and travel books on the top one).

Add greenery

Plants can really help bring shelf displays to life, and I have greenery of some form or another on most of the shelves around my house. Use them as an opportunity to add texture and height, or consider drawing the eye from shelf to shelf with a trailing plant as I’ve done with the String of Hearts in my dining room. Just make sure you choose a variety that suits the light and temperature levels of the space in question – a plant that needs lots of sunshine is unlikely to survive for long on the highest shelf in a dark corner, for instance.

Don’t over-clutter your shelves

Leaving some blank space on your shelves will create a sleeker, more striking look and allow the pieces on display to sing. Often, less really is more!

Stand back and edit

Once you’ve finished styling your shelves, step back and assess them. Do they look balanced? Are they overly busy? Are there any obvious gaps? Beautiful arrangements rarely come together straightaway, and they usually take a bit of refinement. Keep playing around with things until you’re happy, and if you’re really struggling try leaving it for a day or two and coming back with fresh eyes.

Change things around

Finally, remember that shelving displays needn’t be static. I often rearrange the shelves in my home, adding seasonal touches such as foliage, candles and Christmas decorations, and swapping items in and out according to my mood. It’s an easy and cost-effective way to update a room, and it creates instant interest.

I’d love to see your shelf-styling efforts, so if you put any of these tips into practice please let me know! And if you show the results on Instagram, just tag me (@thesefourwallsblog) and I’ll share them in my Stories. 

All photography by Abi Dare