I have been seeing the shelfie hashtag popping up all over social media lately. A "shelfie" is a play on the ever-popular "selfie" but focuses on a beautifully decorated shelf.
Not only do we love an impeccable vignette, we also adore perfectly styled shelves. I've decided to pull back the curtain — or cabinet door, if you will — and share some of our go-to tactics for creating the perfect shelfie moment.
A surefire way to end up with a hodgepodge of stuff on your shelves is to go in without a plan. Think about the story you want to tell in your space. Is this a place for displaying sentimental keepsakes or a stylish way to show off your ginger jar collection? Or do you simply need to dress up some built-ins before your book collection takes over? Define the purpose of the space, and let that guide you as you select items.
After you've landed on a purpose, think through how you want the shelves to fit into your space and the color palette you want to highlight. Do you want them to add texture but blend in? Consider monochromatic accents and accessories that coordinate with your space. Do you want your shelves to pop? Pull from the other colors in the room and find bold pieces. Tie your space and shelves together by adding accessories that pick up other elements in the room. For example, a woven basket would pick up the colors and textures in a sisal or jute rug.
Having thought through purpose, functionality and aesthetic, it's time to find the perfect pieces.
Start by shopping your own home. You're bound to find at least a piece or two to get yourself started. Look for a variety of shapes, sizes and textures to keep your shelves visually balanced. Accessories we often use include books (of course!), art, baskets and small trays, vessels and bowls of all kinds, floral and greenery arrangements and things like picture frames for sentimental moments. Don't forget: Tall accents can be difficult to find but are essential to adding movement and drawing your eyes around your space.
Once you have collected all your accessories, lay them out so you can see everything with which you have to work. (I like to group by size.) Then, it's time to start stylin'.
I like to start with my largest and tallest pieces first. Spread them throughout your shelves, making sure no two like pieces (or like-sized pieces) are directly next to each other vertically or horizontally. From there, begin to fill in each shelf, placing medium-sized pieces throughout. Stack books on their sides and top them off with an accent to add height. Push art against the back wall of the shelf to create depth or pop a smaller piece into a tabletop easel to make it jump out. Unless you want to feature repetition, try to stay away from using the same materials right next to each other — two wicker baskets of the same size might look best separated, for instance. Three wood frames would look best sprinkled throughout (unless you're going for repetition).
