Do you guys remember what these shelves used to look alike? No, I am not talking about this look, but this one from what seems to be centuries ago. If you do, that means you’ve been rocking with me for a long time. I feel like my home styling skills have come a long way. The lockdown has a lot to do with it. Since March, I have started to give my house a lot more attention since there isn’t much to do right now anyway. The family room is somewhat completed, I am working with Urban Barn to design our formal living area, and I just finished painting my boy’s room with a little help from Canadian Tire’s Ready to Roll paint, all while taking care of a newborn. Phew!
As if I did not have so much on my plate already, I decided to give the shelves in my hallway a little refresh. The shelves looked decent but I started getting bored with the look. Also, I collected a few new pieces within the last few months that needed a new home.
Scroll down to see the list of the items and where I got them from.
When it comes to styling bookshelves, my rule is simple, it must be visually appealing to my eyes. That means that I am careful with the colors I choose, the shapes I purchased, and so forth. It also means I am willing to move things around a few times, leave spots empty until I find the pieces I like, or completely start over if need be.
After styling these shelves from Ikea over and over again, I picked up a few tips along the way. Below are a few of them and they work for even those of you who are looking to style a functional bookshelf.
Create a Pinterest board. No, I do not know what life was like before Pinterest. Having a shelf styling inspiration board would help you narrow down the kind of styling you’d like to use. It would also help with ways you can place your pieces and groupings.
Then gather all the items you want to use to style your shelves. These could be items you’ve collected from trips, things you’ve purchased from home decor stores or unused decor from your house. Those items are but not limited to vases, trays, baskets, plants, knick-knacks, bowls, books (my faves here), bookends, frames, sculptures, candles.
Start by placing your books first if using any. I prefer to use vintage books in the same color family. If you are using books from your own collection try to group them by color, that way when you look at your shelves your eyes won’t wander everywhere. The place to get cheap books is in thrift shops. You can remove the cover if you want to. If not you can find cute books on Etsy here
After placing your books, try placing larger items like vases, trays, and frames.
Then add the smaller pieces by grouping them with other larger pieces. Think about symmetry as you placing them. You can also use the triangle rule. Don’t be afraid to move things around until you get to the look you like.
Row 1: Small white vase: Bouclair | Gesture Ceramic hands: Homesense| White Bowl: Structube | Two ceramic pots: Walmart
Row 2: Dough bowl: Homesense Similar, Similar, Similar | Oversized white vase: Urban Barn find it here
Row 3: Plant Vase: Homesense | Frame: Ikea| Print in Frame: Etsy here |Candle: Homesense | Sculpture: Homesense | Water Can: Homesense similar
Row 4: Bookends: Walmart Similar | Frame: Ikea| Candle holder: Crate and Barrel | Oversized Wood Vase: Homesense |
Row 5: Baskets: Ikea | Sculpture: Thrifted | Decorative white wooden balls: Homesense similar here
