Shelfie Styling Ideas

Image Source: New Darlings

There are few things that we love more than a shelfie - that perfectly composed photo of a styled shelf in someone’s home - and fewer things that are more difficult to curate. Styling a shelf requires a different level of interiors savvy than, say, painting a wall in your home or choosing pillows for your sofa. This task asks you to understand not only which pieces to choose for your shelves, but also how to arrange them in a way that is visually appealing.

So. many. moving. parts.

If it seems like a dramatic assessment of a small aspect of interior design it is (there are bigger things to worry about in life after all), but that doesn’t mean it isn’t something that so many of us struggle with. Fortunately, there are a few hard and fast rules that can help you get that achieve that curated, styled look you’re going for - without all the second guessing.

Our rules for styling shelves

Identify your aesthetic

Are you more of an eclectic bohemian, someone who collects beautiful treasures from flea markets or travels around the world? Or are you clean and serene, most at peace when your home is free from clutter and everything has its place? You’ll need to be able to answer this question to determine how you want to approach your shelfie.

Image Source: Apartment Therapy

Choose items with a variety of height, width, and sentimental meaning

Shelves look best when they give your eye permission to dance. This means no heavy visual blocks, but enough items to fill the space and keep your interest. Items like bud vases, old books, and maker-made knick knacks can spice up your collection. We also like to include a few pieces that are sentimental, think picture frames or meaningful trinkets, so that the shelves really feel personal to you.

You might be thinking - what about color? Based on your answer to the first question, you’ll either want to choose items in a variety of colors, but in the same level (muted tones, bright colors, or pastels), or in the same color family entirely (blues, neutrals, greens, etc.). 

Image Source: Karie La Vie

Arrange in odd numbers and don’t forget to stack

Often, shelves can look “off” because we are just arranging items on the same plane and moving them forward or backward to create depth. Use stacking to create different levels, being careful not to use the same stacking technique on two shelves that are directly next to each other visually. You want to avoid creating an orderly pattern as much as possible, so that your eye won’t hesitate on any one area of your styled shelf.

This is also why we recommend creating odd-numbered groups of items. Your eye won’t automatically group them into pairs, instead letting your gaze flow over the entire styling without stopping.

Image Source; aspynovard.com

Mock it up

One of the biggest roadblocks to styling shelves can be the amount of time it takes to move everything around until it feels “right”. We prefer to take a first shot at the styling, then snap a few photos, and upload the image into Canva or Photoshop where we can quickly sketch out what’s missing or physically move items around without losing any of the “magic” placements that we may have already stumbled upon. This saves time, and lets us see the shelves from a new perspective, which can make all the difference.

Styling shelves can seem complicated at its surface, but, if you follow these few simple rules and allow your styling to continue to evolve, you’ll be able to turn your shelves into a show stopping feature in your home - and take that perfect shelfie.