styling shelves: how to

This is the post several of you have asked for! Today I’m sharing five tips to get you started on styling your shelves.

1. Look for inspiration and determine your vision
Pinterest is an obvious (and great) source of inspiration. I also like to look at store catalogs, design books, interior designer blogs and magazines/online mags, such as Elle Decor, Lonny and Better Homes and Gardens. I knew very little about decorating when I got married and our first big furniture purchase (Sloane leaning shelves and desk from Crate & Barrel) overwhelmed me. I looked at the C&B catalog to see how they styled the shelves, and that’s where I stole got the idea of hanging art over the desk space.

Oh, and I totally copied someone else’s gorgeous shelves when drawing up plans for our den shelves. There’s no shame in my game!

Check out a variety of bookshelf styling ideas all in one post here.

When it comes to creating a vision, think about what you want the shelves to be used for and what you’re hoping they’ll look like. Do you want them to look airy and bright? Crowded and colorful? Do you want to display mostly decorative accents, storage solutions, books or a mix of all three? My top priorities when setting up the den shelves were displaying lots of books and my various brass decor items.

2. Gather items (keeping dimensions in mind) and start with the big stuff
It’s time to get all of your stuff together in one spot! Try going around your house and “shopping” the various rooms for items you could put on your shelves. Don’t forget to only grab items that work with the dimensions of your shelves.

Getting started can be the most overwhelming part. I recommend putting big items up first (including large storage pieces). Play around with left, right and center alignment. For my den shelves, I first put up the antelope bookends, armillary sphere, large framed picture and magnifying glass stand.

3. Add in books and smaller items
Next, add your books. There are lots of options here — stack them horizontally and vertically, lean them against something, group them by color... I recommend trying a little bit of everything! Then add in all of your smaller decorative objects. Try grouping like items together, such as a trio of bud vases or a pair of framed pictures. Make sure to put your most unique accents around eye level or slightly above.

4. Evaluate scale and finish/texture
Scale refers to the height of an object in relation to another object (or person). See the four items in the very middle of my den shelves? They all vary in height, but I have two relatively large items and two relatively small. My sketches for Jessica’s built-ins show more examples of how to use scale in design.

Aim for a variety of finishes and textures throughout your shelves. On my leaning shelves I have a leather magazine bin, a textured box, a vintage fan, white textured birds, a pitcher, a plant, a metal oversized initial, a wooden bird, silver frame and porcelain bowls. It all works because it draws from a mostly neutral color palette.

You’ll notice from looking at inspiration photos that some people totally stuff their shelves and others have a lot of white space. I personally think SOME white space is necessary, because it gives your eyes a break.

styling by Emily Henderson - photo by Ryan Liebe

I like how the white walls, white brackets and white shelves help keep the unit pictured above from being overwhelming. Notice there is a mix of tall and short items, plus a mix of finishes. I want that lamp.

5. Edit one more time!
Once you’re done, take a picture — then switch the placement of a few of your pieces. Take another picture and see which one you like better. Now take something off of the shelves, and take another picture. Go through the pictures and imagine you’re looking at them in a magazine. Which picture appeals to you the most? Sometimes simply moving (or removing) one thing will make a big difference.

I have a trio of miniature wooden bowling pins that I really wanted to display on our den shelves. I kept moving them from shelf to shelf, seeing how they looked. They’re adorable, but for some reason they didn’t look great on the shelves. Seeing the way they looked in a picture versus in person helped me make the decision to nix them completely.

If you’re still stuck, who you gonna call?

(The answer is me. Not Ghostbusters.)

styling shelves: Jessica’s built-ins

contest update -- Caitlin won! thank you for entering!

I’m excited to share with you the first post in a series I’ll be doing on styling shelves! To kick off the series, we’re going to peek into the home of my friend Jessica. Jessica lives in a ranch-style home in Suffolk, Virginia, and has a gorgeous wall of built-ins in her family room. She sweetly asked for my advice on how I’d decorate them, and out of her request a blog series was born!

Here are those swoon-worthy built-ins:

The cabinets are being used to store DVDs, games and toys, and it’s time the upper shelves got put to work, too! She wants to use the built-ins as a space to display family photos, books and decorative accents, and would love to see some nods to Scotland, where she and Matt spent their honeymoon. She describes her decorating style as “relaxed, warm, lived-in coastal cottage.” Her favorite colors are earth tones. 

As much as I love a great vase or kooky decor item, I wanted to make sure I was also bringing in some pieces that will have a practical purpose. Baskets and boxes can store small toys, crayons, handwritten notes, loose photos, stamps and envelopes... the list goes on. I also imagined that some of the shelves could display pretty dining pieces, like a serving platter, cutting board or set of glasses. Below I share some of my favorite finds -- but as much as I love them, I see them more as a jumping-off point. I’m all about finding a bargain or waiting for a sale, and I tend to space out my “big” purchases. It’s worth looking at the home section of Goodwill, Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Michaels, Hobby Lobby... even Craigslist!

clockwise from top left: Scoop Ball Set (hide the ball in a cabinet) - $39.95 / Infusions Decanter - $1.97 / Amuse Serve Board - $19.95 / Kiwi Bird - $29.95 / Mini Heirloom Watering Can - $18 / Nate Berkus Snail Placecard Holder set (just for decoration) - $7.99 / Asst. of Three Essential Book Boxes, Navy - $29 / Whale Bookends - $45 / Mae Bud Vases - $5.97-7.97 ($20.91 for the set) / Blackwash Rattan Bin - $25 / Chalkboard - $12.99 / 4 inch Terra Cotta Clay Pot - $0.78 each (plus $0.77 for saucer) / Terra Cotta Vases (set of 4) - $27.99 / Rope Lantern - $15 / Navy Bisgo Marten Paper Drawers - $26.99 / Gold Quatrefoil Hurricane - $19.96 (but I found it at Marshalls for $12.99!) / Yuzu and Sea Salt Mason Soy candle - $14.49 (or buy pillar candle for hurricane - p.s. I have this candle and it’s amazing) / Clarus House Box - $34.97 / Blair Tall Vase - $6.97 / Glasgow Heart Print - $18 / Leone Blue Pitcher - $6.97 / Wood houses - $6.97-11.97 ($28.91 for the set)

Other potential items, not pictured: metal sphere, artisan botanical object, and of course, Jessica will want to find frames she likes to display family picks. For grouped frames, I’d suggest thin black frames with a white mat. For single frames to display throughout the shelves, she could do something that would give more of a statement, like this. I also bought Jessica two bowls — one brass, and one amber glass. They’re perfect for placing on top of a stack of books. (Also, I’d pick one of the two sets of bud vases pictured above. I chose to work with the set of four when I drew out plans.)

My top picks: Everything! But if I had to choose only three things, I’d go with the whale bookends, gold snails and the set of wooden houses. That kiwi bird is rather fabulous, too.

Please excuse my smudge-y and terrible drawn ideas for how Jess could style her shelves. I’m no artist! Also, I apparently don’t know how to properly scan paper. This is my first time doing this, people. Let’s play the game “guess what decor item Laura was trying to draw.” Try not to look at my watering cans and whales too closely. :)

Option one:

Whoops, I forgot the snails! I’d put them on the far left, second shelf up, in front of the vase. I put the set of wooden houses on the shelf above the entry. The far right top shelf decor item is an imagined low basket with bowl fillers, like these. Here’s a DIY for those triangle bookends. The two rectangles on the middle far left shelf are the rattan baskets. This option doesn’t have the kiwi bird, and has a potted plant on the bottom middle shelf.

Option 2:

For this option, I have a set of decorative plates on display above the entry. I have the snails (terribly drawn, lol) in front of the set of three plants.

Phew! Are you still here? I had so much fun with this project, and I can’t wait to get started on my next one! Jessica, thank you so much for encouraging my love for decorating and for giving me the opportunity to play with your built-ins.

Fun news: I’m doing a giveaway for a free design consultation! We will discuss a room or area in your house that you’re struggling to decorate, and we can communicate through Skype, e-mail...however you want! I can offer you the same service I gave Jessica, or tailor my service to your needs.

To enter: leave a comment below or on Facebook and include the phrase “I want to win!” Contest ends Friday, May 8th at midnight.