• About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Work With Us
    • The Creative Team
    • Disclosures
  • Subscribe
  • Shop Our Products
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • DIY & Decor â–¾
    • Crafts
    • Home Decor
    • Home Improvement
    • Technology
  • Recipes â–¾
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Side Dishes
    • Easy Dinner Ideas
    • Slow Cooker
    • Fun Food
    • Desserts
  • Clean/Organize
  • Kid Ideas â–¾
    • Birthdays
    • Castle Playroom
    • Outer Space Bedroom
    • Teacher Appreciation
    • Travel Tips
  • Free Printables
  • Holidays â–¾
    • Christmas
    • Gift Ideas
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father’s Day
    • Independence Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving

Ideas for the Home

You are here: Home / Home Decor Ideas / Tips for How to Style Shelves

By Lori Greco on February 1, 2016 2 Comments

Tips for How to Style Shelves

Home Decor Ideas

  • Share
  • Tweet

Learn how to style your shelves with these helpful tips and get some great ideas for new artwork and items that work well together.

Hi Kenarry readers! I’m Lori from Greco Design Company back today to share my tips for how to style shelves. Knowing what to display on your shelves and how best to arrange these items can be a little daunting. Styling a shelf is like creating a piece of art. But you don’t have to be an artist to do it well. And even though there are no strict rules for how to do it, I’ve come up with a few guidelines that I think work well and get me over the fear of styling a shelf.

greco design tips on how to stay shelves

I bought a multi-shelf unit for our sunroom and I finally got around to styling it to be a purposeful and pretty display that’s also meaningful to us. Just like anything in your home, your shelves should reflect YOUR style. You can look on Pinterest and in magazines for ideas but ultimately your style should be a reflection of you.

greco design tips on how to style a shelf

1. Figure out what you like. Instead of just filling the shelves with random pieces, I try to figure out what I really like and what’s meaningful to me. This is where you can search blogs, Pinterest, and home decorating magazines for what catches your eye. Then write a list to help you streamline your ideas. Keep in mind where your shelf will be displayed. Is it in a kitchen? A bedroom? Or a sunroom like mine? A sunroom may have more natural and airy items and colors, where a bedroom might have a warmer and cozier feel. Wherever your shelf is going, be sure to make your items purposeful and not just pretty.

My list looked like this:
– blues, neutrals and grays
– burlap and natural elements
– pop of color like red or orange
– nautical items
– distressed wood
– initials, signage and thoughtful art prints
– games
– photos
– baskets

greco design tips on how to style shelves

2. Shop your home. You don’t necessarily need to buy new items. I had a lot of shelves to fill so I bought 2 new pieces but I only spent $24 so it wasn’t too bad. Once I have my list of items, I start searching my house for things that fit that description. I’m somewhat of a hoarder collector so I had a lot of stuff to work with. Gather all your items so you can decide what works best. It’s hard to visualize what will work on your shelves, so I find it’s best to just try them all out before I make any decisions.

greco design time on styling shelves

3. Start with larger objects. These are the objects that will fill the most space. Be sure to spread them out. My multi-colored wood board balances with the big basket and welcome sign. Leaning some of these pieces against the back of the shelf – or the wall if your shelves are open – is a good solution too. If your shelves are closed in the back, consider lining the back of a few with decorative paper. This will add a big impact and the color and pattern will have the same effect as a large object.

greco design tip on how to styles shelves

4. Add the tall items. Don’t forget to add height to your shelves. It’s not a strict design rule but putting tall items on the ends seems to work well. Like bookends. But tall items also need to be balanced. If you have a tall item on the left side of one shelf, add a tall item to the right side of another shelf. I also like to put one of the biggest and/or tallest items on the top shelf – like the sailboat. This makes the unit – and the room – appear even larger by forcing your eye to move upward and around the room more.

greco design tips on how to style shelves

5. Break it up. If you’re styling more than one shelf, sometimes they can get a little busy with all the items. So I like to break this up by keeping one shelf very simple with one large item. Here I used a big basket to hold magazines making the shelves look less busy and more visually appealing. If you have just a single shelf, it could be something as simple as balancing a busier side with a larger, more simplified item on the other side.

greco design tips on how to style shelves

6. Stack & layer. After I have my larger and taller items, I begin to fill in the gaps and layer in items. Items should actually touch or overlap each other – this way they create a more cohesive unit and are more pleasing to look at. This might mean covering some of your favorite items a bit. Don’t worry though, you’ll still see them and they’ll probably get noticed even more if it’s a more pleasing arrangement.

greco design tips on how to style shelves

7. Repetition. By repeating similar colors, shapes and textures, your eye flows more easily because it relates them visually. For example, the pop of red is repeated in the lantern, the air plant and the glass balls. Repeating also works with textures and shapes. The silver orb, decorative dish, colorful glass balls, and white cake stand are all good examples of repeating the circular shape.

greco design tips on how to style shelves

8. It’s all in the details. Here’s where you add the smaller items for a personal, finishing touch. I love natural elements like shells, plants (I heart air plants!!), candles, jars, coasters – even beautiful rocks. These items may not be large in scale but they have a huge effect to the visual balance of your shelves. A good rule for adding smaller items is to keep them to a minimum and space them out. You can pair them with larger items or ground them with a dish, tray or pedestal.

greco design tips on how to style shelves

9. Trial & error. Once your shelves are looking good, just keep moving things around until you have a nice balance. Again, your eye should move easily around your shelves. It shouldn’t get stuck on one area or one item. I’ve changed these shelves several different times over the past few days until I really liked how they looked. I even just recently added a small art print on the lantern shelf. Click here to purchase that art print in my Etsy shop too!

And remember styling a shelf is more like creating a piece of art than an exact science. There are no real rules but I hope these tips will help. And even though I find styling shelves to be somewhat daunting, if I go through this process, I love how my shelves look in the end!

greco design tips on how to style shelves

Here are a list of common items that work well on shelves (you can also check out the items that Carrie used on her bookshelves:

Baskets – great for storage and a way to bring natural texture into your scheme.

Books – assemble them in cohesive color groups or stack them for height. If books are damaged or unattractive, try wrapping them in decorative paper.

Boxes – mix and match decorative styles.

Vases – great tall elements that can be filled or just left as is.

Dishes – a beautiful dish, platter or cake stand can be a great addition to any shelf. Lean a platter or use cake stands for pedestals.

Trays – these make great landing spots for smaller items or work well leaning on their side.

Picture frames – they work best when layered with varying but related finishes.

greco design tips on how to style shelves

Finding artwork for our homes is often one of the hardest things to decide on. That’s why I’m excited to also share with you a brand new idea to add new, fun art to your shelves or walls and help you to see how easy it is to change the look of your home. I created a yearly art print subscription where you will receive 12 new and unique art prints in your e-mail in-box – one each month – for a whole year!

Each print is uniquely designed by Greco Design Company and it’s only $24/year! That’s only $2 per month for new art! And that’s a 50% savings compared to buying each digital art print separately from my Etsy shop.

Yearly art subscription from greco design company

Yearly Art Print Subscription

If you need some more DIY ideas for your shelves, check out these related posts:

DIY antique sign how to tutorial

DIY Antique Sign

Decorative Candy Jars from up cycled glass food jars

Handmade Decorative Candy Jars

What’s Next?

Looking for more great home decor ideas?

  • How to Make a Fabric Headboard
  • How to Make Your Own Rustic Mirror
  • DIY Modern Indoor Plant Pots
  • Share
  • Tweet

Home Decor Ideas

About Lori Greco

Lori is a freelance graphic designer living in the Boston area with her husband, their three kids and a yellow lab puppy. She started Greco Design Company in 2014 when she realized that her love for design was extending beyond the corporate advertising world and into all areas of her life. She shows us some unique but simple DIY projects, gives some great ideas for home design, provides her outlook on current fashion trends, and loves to do beauty and product reviews. She incorporates her graphic design background through her free printables, paintings, signs, art prints, invitations and stationery on her blog and in her Etsy shop. Lori believes in the importance of surrounding ourselves with good, purposeful design that can help streamline our lives and still be affordable. Her tutorials are easy to follow as she shows how you can make anything you set your mind to!

Lori shared her great ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® from June 2015 - September 2019. Follow Lori on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

In this ultimate guide, you'll learn how to make a burlap wreath with ribbon for your home. The FREE eBook includes easy step-by-step instructions plus inspiring craft and decor ideas to make wreaths for fall, Christmas, Easter and other holidays.

Subscribe today to get ideas in your inbox plus FREE exclusives only for Idea Insiders!

Almost there! Now just check your email to confirm your e-mail address and get your free eBook.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

You're already signed up! YAY! As an Idea Insider you have instant access to our Kenarry Idea Insider Resource Library with exclusive printables, offers and other freebies as soon as you confirm your subscription.
Previous Post: « Kids Valentine Cards: 10 Ideas for Toys and Trinkets
Next Post: Winter Mantel Decor Ideas: White and Red Accents »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. How to makeover and style a cabinet (that can be changed easily) says:
    October 17, 2016 at 8:00 am

    […] Now style your shelves to match your new more colorful cabinet. Click here to see some of my shelf styling tips I shared on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® in February. […]

    Reply
  2. Living Room Organization: Your Complete Guide | Clutter Keeper says:
    September 21, 2018 at 6:01 am

    […] know how much will actually fit in them – you can being putting things away. These tips for how to style shelves can help you display sentimental or useful items you’ve decided to […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Carrie Ypma from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®Hello, I'm Carrie! I'd love to personally welcome you to Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® where we curate and share great ideas you can create at home. Whether you're cooking, crafting or creating for your family, you're bound to find inspiration. Please pour yourself some coffee and stay awhile. We're glad you're here! Read more...

Sign Up and Get a Free Gift

Subscribe to become an Idea Insider. You'll get our weekly newsletter plus special deals and other resources that are only for subscribers -- all for FREE!

Almost there! Now just check your email to confirm your e-mail address and get your free eBook.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

You're already signed up! YAY! As an Idea Insider you have instant access to our Kenarry Idea Insider Resource Library with exclusive printables, offers and other freebies as soon as you confirm your subscription.
In this ultimate guide, you'll learn how to make a burlap wreath with ribbon for your home. The FREE eBook includes easy step-by-step instructions plus inspiring craft and decor ideas to make wreaths for fall, Christmas, Easter and other holidays.
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Shop Our Products
  • My Account
  • Cart

Footer

Disclosure: Posts may include affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are our own. You are reading and following advice from Kenarry, LLC at your own risk. Always use safety precautions. You should read and follow manufacturer’s directions for the products and tools you use. Read more.

 

Privacy Policy: The privacy of your personal information is important. We make every effort to safeguard your information and will never sell it to third parties. Read more.

Terms of Use: You are welcome to link to this site or use a single image and brief description to link back to any post. Republishing posts in their entirety is prohibited without permission. All images are property of Kenarry, LLC. Do not crop or remove watermark. Do not reproduce without link back or permission. If you do link to this site, please contact us to let us know. All free printables offered are for personal use only. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated. Thank you!

As it relates to comments and content posted on this blog by those other than the owners, any such content that contains the copyrighted and/or proprietary work of others is expressly prohibited and will be removed. Repeated posting of such content by the same user may result in that user being banned from this site.

Copyright © 2020 Kenarry LLC · Powered by Captivating Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in