7 fun new ways to style your shelves
Styling your shelves can transform a room…
Main image: Pfeiffer Design
Shelves, like eyes, are the windows to your soul. Ok, not quite, but close. They provide a canvas with which you can tell your story and stamp your personality, bringing in books, objects and photos that you love. They can fit in anywhere – above a bed, in a nook by the door, alcoves by the fireplace, or span across an entire wall. Shelves can change how a room feels, and, what’s more, you can easily change the result if you don’t like it.
By the book
Your shelf-ish intentions may be entirely practical – i.e., it’s where you will store your book collection. But even the most utilitarian of designs will benefit from curation. Organise your books by the colours of their spines and group them together. Then break up the shelves with larger coffee table books on their sides. The perfect activity for a cold autumn day!
Pictured: Pfeiffer Design, Ligne Roset, Decorbuddi
The shelves themselves
You can keep them plain, letting the objects do the work, or have some fun by painting the bookshelves in a contrasting colour to the walls around them or wallpapering inside the bookshelves. You could also make a feature out of freestanding iron-work shelves.
Pictured: Darlings of Chelsea, Decorbuddi
In the details
Plants add interest to a shelf but do consider how you will water them and how heavy they will be. There are some excellent artificial options for an easy life. Illuminate your shelves with a picture light above, or LED spotlights. Rechargeable lamps are the solution if you don’t have sockets nearby or want to avoid wires for higher shelves. Book ends will bring some order, if you hate a wonky tome.
Pictured: Pooky Lighting, Click Style, Nkuku
We asked Decorbuddi’s local interior designers for their tips…
Keep it personal
“Shelves are a lovely place to display things that mean something to you. Mix decorative pieces with favourite books, photographs, collected objects or something brought back from a special trip. These are often the things that give a room its personality and make it feel like home,” says Kasia Fiszer.
Think about the room as a whole
Lorraine Sakharet says: “Choose pieces that work with the colours, materials and style already within the room. Consider how the space is used too, bringing out beautiful, useful or interesting pieces that might otherwise be tucked away. “
Create interest with texture & shape
“Mix different materials, shapes and finishes to allow for interest and variety. Ceramics, glass, books, artwork and natural materials can all work well together. Try not to make everything match too closely; a few unexpected or older pieces can make the overall arrangement feel much more natural,” says Jo Miller
Vary the height
Advises Tracy Duncan: “Avoid arranging everything at the same level. Stack books to give smaller objects some height, lean artwork behind other pieces and mix taller items with lower groupings. This helps create balance and stops shelves from feeling too uniform or overly styled.”
