Happy Tuesday Lovelies! It’s been hot here in Melbourne so I
have spent my days relaxing at home with my air conditioning blasting! Tried to
stay busy but it became very difficult when my stupid power decided that it was
overworked and underpaid and went on strike! We waited for a little bit but
darted out of the house to a family members home that was not only powered but
their air conditioner was better than ours…..so that was a bonus! Luckily the
heat wave has given us a break for a few days before it decides to hit us
again.
Sorry rambling……a friend asked me recently about styling
shelves and how to use them for their intended purpose while still keeping them
pretty and uncluttered. Sounds difficult right! The bookshelves in my home tend
to become a form or storage where anything that doesn't currently have its own
place ends up. I see them every day, screw up my nose and decide it’s a job for
another day. That day is still yet to arrive! However I thought I would share
some hints and tips about styling your shelves, using them for their purpose
and keeping them pretty at the same time.
Firstly when tackling your shelving situation it’s always a
good to start with a blank canvas…….get everything off the shelves! I bet you
forgot how big your shelves were! At this stage in the process it’s always a
good idea to work out what you really need to keep and what you haven’t touched
in years that should be either donated or thrown in the rubbish. De-cluttering
at its finest!
Now that you have your blank canvas there are a number of
things you can do, you can jump right in and start putting the items you kept
back in, or you can decorate it a little bit first. I absolutely love the look
of a shelving unit which some wallpaper or paint that jazzes up the back of the
unit, it adds that little bit of extra flare and just makes it look pretty!
You can even create some accents out of your books by
covering them with fancy paper as well. I have a few books covered in fabric
that I style with that look absolutely fantastic! A simple little DIY project
makes the world of different. I might even share how I covered my books with
you in an upcoming post. Simple but looks amazing in the end.
Now that your bookshelves are ready to go you can begin the
fun part……styling! Now obviously one of the first things you should put back
are your books……there you go, bookshelf being used for its intended purpose. I
find that books all stacked vertically are boring to look at, so because we
want to make our shelves look pretty try stacking your books both vertically
and horizontally. When you place some of your books horizontally they almost
create another ledge to work with, place a small décor piece, it doesn’t matter
what it is, on top of your stack of books.
Placing objects vertically gives more height to your shelves,
creates the illusion of more space and makes the unit look taller. It also
helps draw your eye up to the top of your object which helps bounce your eye
between different items. You don’t want someone to look at your fantastically
styled shelves and focus on one point, all of your hard work will just go to
waste.
Another thing I love to do when styling my books, is I love
to keep them in colour groups and sometimes create a bit of a rainbow effect.

Once all of your books are back on show you can then start
to mix in alternate items, place a group of smaller objects next to the books, preferably
in off numbers, groups of 3 or groups of 5. Don’t be afraid to layer as well,
try adding some pictures in frames or prints at the back of the shelves and
layer with a few smaller pieces in front of the frame. Make sure not to cover
the whole picture and not just to place items in the centre of the shelves,
that begins to look a little pedestrian and you will notice that people are not
as interested in what you have on display. Make sure to use objects that are
all different heights to keep the eye moving. When you are doing this however
remember that bigger accessories stand out more and have a bigger impact than
smaller ones. They also take up more space which is helpful if you don’t have a
lot of things to decorate with, or if you aren’t too keen on dusting your
shelves every day!

A few more tips for you to keep you thinking when styling
your shelving. A bit of greenery freshens up the look of anything and
everything around it, even if it’s fake, so throw in some greenery. Make sure
that you have lots of colour. The eye moves when there are many different
varying objects, but the eye also is attracted to colour so make sure you
include several splashes throughout your shelving. Also make sure not to over
clutter your shelves, you have just de-cluttered so let’s not get carried away
when styling, keep it simple and minimal.

Once you’re at the end of your styling make sure you step
back and assess the final product. Sometimes I find that there is just
something a little bit off, it could be an item in the wrong place, the colours
of my book spines not working together or even too much negative space. Taking
photos of your work is always a great way to work out what needs to be changed
etc. Make sure you take a photo each time you move something around, that way
you can look back at your catalogue of photos and see which one looked best. Sometimes
it is also a good idea to walk away for a little while, maybe go and cook
dinner, read a book or simply just have a styling break for half an hour and
then come back with fresh eyes. You may see something that you missed before
and all of a sudden….perfection!
I love seeing other peoples styled shelves so please share! It might even motivate me to tackle my own.
xox
Kim