Tips for Pretty Shelf Styling

 

A few weeks back I posted a shelfie (yes, that’s a thing… shelf+selfie) which got quite a bit of action on Instagram. So it got me thinking that this might be a great topic for a blog post… pretty shelf styling.

Now, I am not a professional designer and by no means do I follow a firm set of rules. What I think is most important about styling your home is picking out what you love and what speaks to you.

Here’s just a few tips that I have found helpful when setting up your shelving.

1. The Golden Triangle Rule – My background is in marketing, and I was always instructed that our minds like to view items in triangles.  The same rule applies in interior design.  Before you begin staging your shelves, group like items together.  They don’t have to be exactly the same items but maybe they are the same color, same material, same pattern… you get the idea.  Then you will want to stage these items in groupings of three so that they form a triangle.  Then you can add in your other items around the “golden triangle” to balance it out.

Here’s an image I created to give you a better idea.

2. Use height to your advantage. – To give a shelf some more visual complexity, use items of various heights.  If everything on each shelf is the same height, it’s going to look more like a shelf at the grocery store.  Not cute!  Using items of different heights also enables you to layer the shelf from front to back so you don’t have to make everything straight across in a row.  Here’s a pro tip… you can always use other items like old books or wooden crates to stack your shelf pretties.  Then you can build up your height and make things a bit more visually interesting.

3. Don’t be afraid to mix old and new. –  I just love seeing new and old come together in a home.  Taking a trip to your local flea market or antique shop can be a great place to purchase some vintage treasures for your shelves.  On the flip side, I always love hitting up Target’s Dollar Spot for some new, cute finds at a great price.

4. When in doubt, add greenery. –  As you can probably tell, I’m a big fan of incorporating greenery into your home styling.  Real or fake… it doesn’t really matter.  I just love how it can bring in fresh, natural elements into your home and makes it feel… I don’t know… homey.  🙂  Succulents can be great for shelves because they don’t require too much sun or too much work. 

5.  Make it meaningful to you.  –  I think it’s so important to show your own style and interests through your home.  Yes, we’d all love for our homes to look like they’re straight out of a magazine, but you don’t want to lose those personal elements.  Maybe you want to showcase a hobby or the love for a pet through your home decor.

All in all, there’s just remember… there are no rules.  Do what you like, and what looks good to you.  And don’t be afraid to switch it up from time to time to keep it fresh.  I’m always moving things around and perfecting my spaces.  I think that’s part of the fun of it.

xo,

lauren

p.s.  If you liked this post, I would love love LOVE if you could share it by pinning the image below on Pinterest.  Thanks friends!

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