So we have these shelves. And we have lots of them… like, LOTS. There are built-ins all over our home and lately they have been giving me a run for my money. We have built-ins in our main living space that surround our fireplace and TV. They are the focal point of this space and demand the attention of everyone that walks into our home.
While decorating a home seems to be a never-ending process, the shelves in our living room were sort of the last thing that really bothered me. And by bothered I mean I couldn’t sit down to watch TV without staring at those darn things without trying to visualize my ideal styling arrangement.
This past weekend I decided to attack those little shelfies once and for all. I pulled everything down, bought a few new decor pieces, and I am so happy with how they turned out! I’m happy to report I can sit on the couch in peace without being taunted by my unfinished shelves.
Here are the top tips I came away with after decorating our shelves for the millionth time.
- Work in numbers and diagonal lines. If you put one item on a shelf, put a small collection of items on the shelf diagonal from it. Work this way all the way up the shelves.
- Use simple, classic pieces as decor. Here are a few of my favorites! Click on the pictures to shop the products.
Books
Bowls, Baskets, and Boxes
Vases
Decor
Greenery
Artwork
Candles
- Keep a consistent color scheme. I went with white, black, light woods, and greenery. The key is to find items in the same color scheme that have different textures.
- Start with a clean slate. Pull everything off your shelves, lay the decor out on the floor, and work one shelf at a time. I even gave my shelves a good cleaning before decorating!
- Plump up your book stacks with thick frames. I actually raided my parent’s house for all the books I used on our shelves. Didn’t spend a dime… thanks mom! 🙂 One of my favorite tips when stacking books is to use thick white frames to make the stacks appear bigger. They blend right in with the books and help to fill space!
Happy decorating my friends. Good luck tackling those shelves!
Your shelves look BEAUTIFUL! Awesome job. 🙂 We have some shelves in our dining room and I tried to make them as minimalistic as possible without looking too bare. You did a great job of that!
Megan
http://www.lifeonshadylane.com
Thanks so much Megan! Yes, I had the hardest time finding a balance between cluttered and bare! It can be hard when you have so much shelf space. Thanks for stopping by with your sweet comments! XO
I have such a hard time decorating my shelves so this post has given me so much inspiration! I love your simple yet classy style, Katie! 🙂
Aw, thank you Lisa! I’m so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your kind words! XO