Published: January 31, 2022 I HOME DECORATING

Are you thinking of decorating your bare living room shelf or doing something with it to make it look more interesting? This can be exciting but confusing at the same time, because there are a lot of items you can use to decorate, and the challenging part is how to put them all together. In this blog, you’ll learn easy shelf styling tips and how to mix and match items to make them look cohesive and put together like a pro!

Let’s get started!

Before doing anything with your shelf, you need to take out all the items first so that you’ll have a clean canvas. It’s best to start decorating from a fresh and clean space, right?

Next, gather all the accessories and décor items you want to use in styling your shelf. Here are some items you can use:

• Baskets
• Books
• Bowls
• Boxes
• Candles
• Figurines/sculptures
• Flowers, potpourri, dried leaves
• Macramé
• Photo frame/ art work
• Plants (live indoor plant or faux plant)
• Rattan balls
• Trays
• Vases/pots/ceramics
• Vintage items/ memorabilia
• Wooden chain
• Wooden beads

Now for the styling tips!

1. Styling a shelf with small space

If you have a small shelf space, carefully consider the number of items you place on each shelf to avoid overcrowding. Your shelves should be easy on the eye and not appear cluttered. For starters, let’s look at the beautiful shelf below. Obviously, it’s a neutral-colored shelf, so muted colored accessories are a great choice.

a. Books plus an accessory on top. A good rule is to put two to three books on top of each other and then place another piece of décor such as a bowl, a box, or a photo frame. These books can be of the same size or in different sizes with the biggest book at the bottom. The varying sizes add dimension to your shelf.

b. Books placed side by side (both either with the spine facing outward or inward) plus two smaller accessories on the opposite side. An example of this is the globe and the small flower pot.

c. Tall vase/figurine plus a small frame on the opposite side. Or if your vase is short, you can place a large frame on the other side.

Don’t forget to mix and match different textured pieces like wood, rattan, macramé, or pottery (for example, a clay vase).

2. Styling with a long shelf

Here, the shelf has relatively more space because it has no partition in the middle.

a. Small artwork plus two boxes. Pick a small artwork and place it on the left side of the shelf. Then, use a couple of boxes (not necessarily the same design but of the same color) and place it on the right side. Putting two objects side by side creates balance.  

Avoid placing framed photos on the same side in all shelves.

b. A slender figurine plus a pair of stout or wide objects of different heights. Different sizes and shapes add variety to your shelf.

c. Round or abstract-style bowls, used alone or paired with a stack of books. Bowls can be glass, brass, or wood/ reclaimed wood.

For the holidays, or depending on the season, you can put different objects inside, like pinecones and Christmas balls in winter or flowers during summer.

Here’s another example:

3. Choose two dominant colors

If you want to go with a bolder color or use an accent color, choose one or two colors that blend well to serve as the dominant colors in your shelf. For example, Nichole Blough chose blue and gold for this shelf.

a. The blue-patterned vase, decorative plate, and oriental vase with blue accents were placed in the middle of both shelves.

b. Golden frames for family photos and brass/golden ornaments were placed on each side for the upper and lower shelves.

4. Pairing items

Get two of each kind of accessory. Pairing decorative accessories such as animal figurines, bells, boxes, bowls, and bookends is a great idea too! Complement each pair with other small accessories.

Here, you can also see layering of vintage pieces, though using newer pieces are also great. If the heights of the shelves aren’t the same, you can use a taller piece of décor for the taller shelves so that the shelf doesn’t look too weird.

Here, two sets of big identical bowls occupy large parts of the shelf.

5. Add a splash of color

A great way to add color to your shelf and make it interesting is by using textured wallpaper for the back of your shelf. It forms a nice contrast to a white shelf while making your décor pieces pop out more.

6. Styling a shelf with a TV stand

If you have a TV stand with a built-in shelf, you can follow the same principles above while keeping the accessories to a minimum. Another thing, trays are great to hold the remote control and other knickknacks so you won’t lose them.