One of the things I hear most from people is how they aren’t sure how to decorate shelves in their home. And it can be a little overwhelming if you aren’t sure where to start.
The general phrase I like to use is “odd triangles.” Let’s break it down:
Odd: keep the number of objects on one shelf an odd number. This is more appealing to the eye.
Triangles: think of your decor making the shape of a triangle. For example, you have a larger piece of art resting on the back of your bookshelf, and in the front on the left a medium sized basket, and on the right, a smaller candle. Taking a step back, we have a triangle shape.
And with that, another key to shelf styling, is to vary the sizes of your objects. Notice I added large, medium, and small to the size of my objects. Often people get caught up in similar sized objects and they get jumbled together when you look at them.
Here are a few examples of some shelf styling throughout our home.
I’m beginning with this photo because on the left I’m breaking a rule. Notice the wood wreath and plant on their own? There used to be a large cutting board behind them but it fell down and I haven’t replaced it yet, but that vignette would look more complete with one more thing. The other two groups of items each have three objects to them, and there are three total groupings.
In our kitchen I have one group of items on the left, one slow drip coffee device to bring the two groups together, and then I used a tray to group the next set of three objects, followed by a singular item. Trays are a great hack for grouping items!
Here you see a group of five items together.
Layering objects by putting the art toward the back and faux plant and vase in front.
I love this little riser to make things more interesting here. And notice the size difference of objects.
I hope this was helpful! I’ve linked so many shelf decorations in my LTK, and here are a few you could grab at an affordable price right now:
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