The Art of Styling Shelves and Displaying Collections
Shelving can be an excellent way to display your unique collections, but creating a well-styled shelf takes time and patience – you may need to move things around multiple times before arriving at an arrangement that works for you.
Balance and visual weight are integral to creating a coherent shelf arrangement, and using odd numbers in stacks of books makes the experience less tiring for the eye.
Book Shelves
No matter if you’re creating an intimate reading nook or grand home library, bookshelves provide an ideal spot to showcase decorative objects and collections. But how you arrange these objects can make or break their overall appearance on your shelves.
Book shelf styling options are limitless when it comes to book shelf designs. From stacking or laying horizontally, grouping or mixing books together, to stacking or laying horizontally and grouping them vertically — there is something suitable for every preference when it comes to book shelf styling. As a general rule of thumb when it comes to larger shelf arrangements — less symmetrical is better as this creates visual movement and gives your arrangement a more natural aesthetic. Varying heights also works great – try adding baskets or tall vases into the design!
When it comes to displaying large collections, designers recommend grouping similar pieces together by color, theme or material. This gives your shelves an elegantly curated appearance while making specific items easier to locate when needed; for instance, collections of white porcelain or blown glass could easily stand out against your shelves this way.
Artwork Shelves
Shelves provide an easy and aesthetic way to display artwork and collectibles, grouping them according to color for an eye-pleasing display. If there are several items of similar hue, grouping them may make your shelves less busy–even book spines can benefit.
A collection of vases may seem random when left on a shelf, but their visual weight and shapes help balance one another out. By stacking them at different heights and pairing them with sculptural elements or plants for added interest and vibrancy.
Create your own creative shelves using easy DIY projects! For instance, TheBirchHomeCo’s natural birch tree trimming shelf serves as a lovely accent to wood planks for easy book storage and display of travel memorabilia. Or mount an old suitcase on its wall as a display!
Vase Shelves
No matter if you collect vases or use them solely to display greenery on shelves, it’s essential that their heights vary. Each shelf should include taller items, shorter items and some in between; this helps the eye move through your arrangement without it feeling overwhelming or overwhelming. You could also try placing something underneath an item to elevate its height slightly as well.
Your goal should not be for your shelf to look like an overgrown thrift shop. To avoid this from happening, begin with one large piece that makes an impact and work your way around it by adding smaller objects as you go along. Also try mixing up textures and glosses – for instance spiky pine cones could contrast nicely against smooth balls of moss or rough agate stones.
Decorative Shelves
Shelves provide the perfect place for decorative objects that add interest and visual depth to a room, such as family photos or travel mementos that create an appealing storytelling aesthetic that elevates any space. Other popular decorative pieces include vases, plants, textured woven baskets or metallic decor pieces.
To achieve an elegant and balanced appearance, begin by placing larger objects on shelves first, followed by smaller decorative objects in odd numbers (threes or fives) as filler items and visual similarities spread out across your shelving unit. Interior designers usually advise grouping objects that look alike together in groups of threes or fives on display shelves or dispersed throughout a unit’s shelving units.
Be sure to layer in plants and greenery to add color and life to a shelf design, creating depth. Make sure that there are multiple heights on your shelves by including different books of various lengths as well as tall items like planters or bowls. Contrast is another key aspect to keep in mind when styling shelves; try mixing up textures such as weaving with metal finishes like brushed metal and matte with glossy finishes for an eye-catching display.
