In February last year I redecorated my bedroom. I completely forgot to post this, but I thought I'd still publish it. Maybe it's still interesting for some of you.
I decided to buy a beautiful grey desk and I got rid of my red feature wall. Instead, I painted all my walls in a light grey. With all this new space, I had a blank canvas to work with and I loved decorating the new desk and filling my walls with pictures and a new shelf. Whilst decorating the shelf I found that it is not at all easy to make it look well put together. So, in this post I have compiled a few tips and tricks that, in my opinion, help a lot when decorating a shelf.
Stick to a colour theme.
It's important not to combine too many different colours when decorating a shelf, since it can quickly look like there is too much going on. I would recommend choosing two colours, three at a max, and otherwise use neutral tones like white, black, grey and cream. My shelf turned out to be mostly neutral but with a few bits of blue in between.
Consider heights and sizes.
When styling a shelf, definitely try to utilize the entire space you've got. That means to not only use the boards but also the space above it, so that the shelf looks filled but not cluttered. Try to vary different heights and sizes to make your shelf visually interesting and exciting to look at. Using different sized items will also balance out your shelf.
Use books to create vertical and horizontal lines.Consider heights and sizes.
When styling a shelf, definitely try to utilize the entire space you've got. That means to not only use the boards but also the space above it, so that the shelf looks filled but not cluttered. Try to vary different heights and sizes to make your shelf visually interesting and exciting to look at. Using different sized items will also balance out your shelf.
Is a shelf without books even a proper shelf? In my opinion, no. They are perfect for not only filling the space but also for giving your shelf a structure. By stacking and combining books in different ways, you'll create vertical and horizontal lines which will help to balance out the look of your shelf, especially if these lines are alternated on the different shelf boards.
On my shelf, I mainly used books in neutral tones, so that it wouldn't look to hectic and the books wouldn't take away too much of the other things that are displayed on the shelf. I also couldn't change up the books as much since the shelf is quite small. However, if you have a bigger shelf to decorate, definitely put the books upright sometimes to create more vertical lines. I purposefully didn't put the book stacks both on the far right, but placed the one on the top shelf more towards the centre to create a balanced look. Normally I would have put the book stack on the far left, but the plant next to it gets more light on this site of the shelf...
Add plants.
Since I've just mentioned my little plant, let's continue with it. I love house plants and I think they are perfect for bringing life to every home (as long as you don't forget to water them). Plants also help to incorporate organic shapes into your shelf decoration. Depending on the plant you choose, they will also use the height of your shelves to their full potential.
I chose a "String of Hearts" plant, which is a hanging plant. Because it hangs along the entire shelf, it manages to pull everything together and connects the different parts of the shelf, which I really like.
Add different textures and materials.
Using items made from different materials and textures really helps to make your shelf more visually appealing. You can, for example, use pottery, wicker baskets, glass pieces... There are no limits.
I put two glass cases filled with my crystals on my shelf, which brings three different textures together: brass, glass and stone. Furthermore, I love that the crystals add a little bit of sparkle to the shelf. I also put some pottery and an interesting looking stone on a stack of books which integrates more rounded shapes and organic textures to the shelf.
Incorporate art pieces and pictures.
Leaning pictures or art pieces against the back of the shelf helps to give your shelf some depth. You can put smaller things in front of it and thus make the back of the shelf more interesting. Abstract art or simple art pieces that only use lines (I don't know the correct term for that form of art) look especially amazing in shelves since they blend in really well. Personal pictures in beautiful frames are also perfect, but they work better if they are placed separately so that they have their own moment.
On the picture of my shelf you can see that I didn't follow my own tips in terms of the kind of art piece to use, however, I think it still works quite well, since there isn't too much going on otherwise. I chose a picture that I bought in London. It adds a bit of colour and I absolutely love it because it reminds me of my trip to London, which brings me to my next tip.
Add things with meaning.
This last step will definitely make your shelf feel like a piece of yourself. Adding things you love or things that remind you of certain moments will make your shelf very personal and you will looking at it. I personally added of course my crystals which I've collected since I was young. I chose the art piece from my trip to London and added a little Eiffel Tower, which my parents brought back from Paris. On the top shelf, I put two elephants because I absolutely adore elephants and they have been my favourite animal for a long time. I'm still not so sure if they work well on that shelf but I really don't care much because they mean something to me. Lastly, I added the interesting looking stone to the stack of books because my grandfather, who sadly passed away, brought it back from one of his travels. Now the stone reminds me of him every day. All of these things make the shelf really special to me and can't stop smiling when looking at it.
I hope these tips and tricks were helpful if you're planning on styling a shelf. If you any other advice, let me know! :)
I hope you're having an amazing day. See you online, xx
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