With carefully chosen decorative objects, you can turn a shelf into a unique eye-catcher. Styling shelves beautifully isn't difficult. Arranged thoughtfully, they give your favourite design pieces and personal keepsakes a place of their own. Discover ideas for decorating your shelves!
Styling a shelf – here's how:
1. Choosing decorations for your shelf
2. Styling your shelf: 4 tips for a cohesive look
3. How can I style a wall shelf?
4. Tips for styling your bookcase
5. Kitchen shelf decor: enjoy cooking more
1. Choosing decorations for your shelf
There are lots of ideas for decorating shelves, but it's often hard to know where to start. First, choose the items you want to display. It doesn't matter whether you're adding to design pieces you already own or starting with an empty shelf.
Decorative figurines offer lots of ways to show off your personal style – from playful figures with intricate details to simple sculptures with bold shapes and personal keepsakes from faraway places. If you love Nordic simplicity, Normann Copenhagen's pared-back figurines are a great choice; arrange them however you like to make your shelf feel more personal.
Plant pots filled with cacti, succulents or other plants create a lovely contrast with decorative objects and bring your shelf to life. Plants such as pothos and peperomia take up little space and do well in shadier spots.
Vases can hold a bouquet or stand on their own. They're ideal for breaking up a display.
Clocks can be casually leaned against the back of the shelf. Alternatively, choose an attractive table clock.
Boxes are a great way to style an open shelf. They conceal documents and other loose items in an attractive container.
Lamps provide a soft source of light on your shelf. Their glow lights up the interior of the shelf and creates an interesting play of light.
Candle holders and tealights work well in a group. If you light a candle, make sure the flame has enough room.
Picture frames are particularly well suited to living room shelves. Display personal memories in photos or frame your favourite print.
Bowls are attractive containers for figurines and other objects. Whether you fill the bowl or display it on its own is up to you.
Books don't belong only on bookcases. Use coffee table books as a base for other decorative objects or stack several favourites together.
You'll find more shelf styling tips in our home story featuring blogger Consti from dreieckchen.de.
2. Styling a shelf: 4 tips for a cohesive look
If you want to display several decorative objects, these tips will help you create a cohesive arrangement.
Try placing an odd number of objects. This tends to feel more appealing and open. Three or five decorative objects together create an inviting display.
Choose contrasting decorative objects to create an interesting effect. Play with contrasts in materials, sizes and shapes. For example, combine a glossy ceramic vase with a rough wooden bowl.
Be careful about combining too many different styles, as the display can quickly look haphazard. Two contrasts are usually enough to achieve the effect you're after.
Several objects of the same kind, such as the Little Bird wooden figures by Normann Copenhagen, can also make an attractive shelf display. The key is to choose several figures in different sizes to create a cohesive yet organic arrangement.
Loosen up your shelf display even further. A striking pop of colour, for example in the form of flowers, can help.
Feel free to step back from time to time and look at the overall effect. When styling a shelf, it's important to consider not only the individual compartments but the whole piece.
3. How can I style a wall shelf?
Because of the way they're mounted, wall shelves often look more delicate than freestanding shelves. So it's important not to overload them visually.
Avoid decorations that look too big or heavy for your wall shelf. Match the decor to the shelf's design and material. Many wall shelves look like works of art even without much decoration. A metal display shelf, for example, can make a statement on its own.
4. Tips for styling your bookcase
A bookcase gives your favourite novels and stories a home and can display them beautifully. Bookends not only keep your books in place; a designer bookend also adds an artistic decorative object to your shelf. Think about balance: heavy books need solid bookends, while light books and magazines work well with more delicate designs.
If you'd like a particularly cohesive look, sort your books by colour. Many interior bloggers take it a step further: with the pages facing forwards, the stack of books has a uniform look.
5. Kitchen shelf decor: enjoy cooking more
Kitchen shelf decor doesn't have to be elaborate. When placed well, practical everyday items can help style your kitchen shelves. That way, they're always to hand when you need them, and rummaging around in a drawer becomes a thing of the past.
Kitchen utensils such as wooden spoons, whisks and the like have a home in a decorative pot. Display pretty glasses, an egg timer or your favourite coffee mug on the shelf. Herb pots are also a clever way to decorate a kitchen shelf. Surround yourself with things that make you look forward to cooking.
Try different arrangements for your favourite design pieces. Have fun styling your shelf!
