Best Home Tips and Tricks: Project Design-Easy Steps to Style Your Shelves

Project Design-Easy Steps to Style Your Shelves

Welcome to our latest installment of Project Design. If you would like to turn your ho-hum bookcases into an eye-catching display you have come to the right place. Mary Ann (Classic Casual Home), Annie (most lovely things) and I are joined this month by our talented pals Kris of Driven by Decor and Sherry of Design Indulgence. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with what these talented ladies have in store for you.

#1 START WITH BOOKS

Use old and new, stack some on their sides, some standing with bookends or use some as risers for smaller items

#2 ADD SCULPTURAL ITEMS

#3 MAKE IT PERSONAL

Add Family Photos, heirlooms etc.

#4 VARY HEIGHTS OF OBJECTS

#5 ADD VINTAGE ITEMS FOR CHARACTER

Every shelf here has something old or something that looks old. On the first shelf old books are mixed with brass spheres from Home Goods, and a piece of agate from Home Goods. The second shelf has a new brass sculptural sphere from Home Goods and a faux vintage flask from Refinery in Paso Robles. Third shelf old wood meat tenderizers, mixed with faux gold coral and design books.

#6 ADD NATURAL ITEMS

In this particular bookcase, I have used coral, agate, and rope for my natural elements. You could use plants or flowers (I would kill them. ) Natural items tone down the new factor of store-bought items

#7 ARRANGE IN ODD NUMBERS WHEN POSSIBLE

I don’t always follow this rule. The main thing is to achieve balance. Here I stacked a group of the homeowner’s books, added a Home Goods vase, and an oyster shell ball to the mix.

#8 CONSIDER CONTRAST AND TEXTURE

Here I added something natural and textural (coral), a vintage basket for texture, and an old shoe form (vintage and textural)

#9 CONSIDER YOUR BACKGROUND COLOR

Due to the dark blue/gray/black of the cupboards, I chose neutral and brass accessories to contrast the dark color of the cupboards. If your shelves were light you should add darker objects to add depth.

#10 ALL RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN HAVE FUN

Beau kept photobombing while I was trying to take the pictures. He always breaks the rules.

These bookcases are in my son and daughter in law’s home. They bought a beautiful old home that is being renovated. This is the library. They are massive so it was hard to get pictures of the entire unit. Here is the main unit. We decided to add these “faux vintage” window casings to the center unit to break up the monotony of too much stuff. An antique wooden plane resides on the shelf below.

This unit is separated by a door to the entryway and this unit is on the other side of the door.

The cabinet pulls are not permanent. The pulls from Pottery Barn are back ordered. The rest of the room is not finished. Fortunately, you can’t see that part!