5 Tips for Styling Shelves

Caitlyn Torres
Sep 25, 2019
2 min read

Updated our dining room shelves with a subtle fall twist! Generally speaking these shelves stay pretty similar throughout the year and on special occasions - like every basic b's favorite holiday: fall - I change it up! Woooo.

Here's my five tips for shelf styling:

1. Start fresh.

Take everything off your shelves and clean it. That way you can see what you have for decor and what you need. When you're shopping, be sure to grab only things that you really love and not just what you found at Homegoods.

2. Choose a color scheme and stick with it.

For my home, neutrals bring me a sense of peace so for the most part, I stick with textures and neutrals. Try to spread out the colors so you eye falls evenly throughout your shelves.

3. Work diagonally, and work up. Group similar items.

When you put something on a shelf, use a stack of items on the shelf diagonal from it. This will help keep the balance. Also "work up", use the space between shelves to grab some height. Tall vases, candle sticks, stacks of books are great options. If you don't have a tall vase, stack some books and place a small planter on top of it. Group similar items (like candlesticks) together to keep it balanced.

4. Start with a focal point.

This way you don't have a ton of small trinkets, and more focal pieces that catch your eye.

5. Add greenery.

I always feel like this gives it life. If you don't have real greens, use faux greens. This is a great way to change it up for the season too. Use lemons sticks in the summer and copper leaves in the fall. Pine tree's or mini christmas trees in the winter. Switch it up! Some of my favorite places to buy faux greenery is Ikea, Michaels & Hobby Lobby.

Take a step back to check your work and keep arranging until you get it just right! Make small adjustments as needed so everything feels balanced and cohesive. Honestly, I feel like a shelf is never really complete. When I find random items that I fall in love with, I usually replace items on the shelf to utilize my new things!