Easy Steps to Style a Shelf

Easy steps to style a shelf (the BEFORE), featuring my Ikea Vittsjö shelves.

The before.

As part of my dining room update, I added a few Ikea Vittsjö shelves to the main wall for storage and to help ground the space. Up until now It’s sort of been a disaster (see above), but this week I finally buckled down and made it look a little more attractive instead of like a catch-all dumping ground. Styling a shelf is not my favorite hobby, so before attempting the project, I did a lot of reading to help me out. Here’s what I learned…

1. Completely empty your shelves.
Clean them up and spread all of your items out on a table to see what you’re working with. It really helped me to see just how much stuff was actually on the shelves.

2. Decide how you will use the space.
Which room is the shelf in? Is it going to be used for storage, or decor, or a little of both? Which items are absolutely essential for it and the way it will function in the space? These should be the items that you use on it regularly. I cleaned out a few books that we don’t read anymore, and try to keep the kids books in their own rooms (one has a bookshelf, and one has a reading nook).

 

3. Set a focal point.
From those essential items, choose a focal point for your shelves and start adding items, larger items first, then smaller. For my shelf, I chose to put more visually heavy items toward the bottom, like the storage, wine, cat bed, and books. My higher up focal point is my bar tray, which serves as a functional and storage piece.

4. Use functional storage.
My shelf is both storage and decoration, so I added in some visually beautiful storage options. The dog statue is actually a piggy bank, and the clear jar houses candles that we use for our candelabra on the dining table. I also use the woven baskets on the bottom shelf to hold my grocery and produce bags. The basket and fur on the bottom shelf also serve as our cat’s bed, even though she prefers anywhere but her bed (especially clean laundry).

5. Add some flair. 
Now you can add in more decorative items, one-by-one until you feel your shelf is complete. I like to add in items that bring back memories for us, such as trips we’ve been on or special moments in our lives. And you can’t forget to add a little greenery too! My plant babies at the top and air plants on the bar tray are some of my favorite houseplants and have been with us for years now. I also like to hide my Sonos speaker cord behind the dark side of the shelf, so it’s not sticking out when you look at the shelf. A little clear tape holds it in place nicely.

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Do you have a shelf in your life that could use some styling? Do you have any tips to add? I’d love to hear!

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Comments

Responses to “Easy Steps to Style a Shelf”

  1. I’m going to make the gold and white globe into a purchase it’s so pretty! Great shelf space, I love how it looks. You did a great job.

    Abigail Alice x

  2. All of your shelving decor is absolutely lovely! Impeccably styled! I love the reminder that one must always have a focal point!

    hugs,
    Christina

    Christina | Fashion & Frills

  3. Your shelf looks fab!! I’m currently in the process of furniture shopping and I’m looking for new ways to decorate my place. I will definitely be pinning this post for future reference!
    Charlene The Frugal Fashionista

  4. LOVE how you styled this shelf! Its stunning and so functional!!

  5. I loveeee those shelves, you styled them perfectly!! I am looking to do something similar as well!

  6. Marlayne

    Where are those 2 round baskets from?? They are gorgeous and tribal looking!

    1. They are actually from Ikea but it looks like they no longer make them. The most similar I think are at World Market. There are also some similar at Container Store.

  7. I thought your shelf looked fab in the before pic too!

  8. Denzil Gomes

    Amazing job, really love it. I was wondering from where did you get the indoor greenhouse? As I want to get one with a dark outline, like your one. However, IKEA in my region, only has a white one at the moment. Looking forward to hear from you and once again an amazing job done with your Vittsjö.

    1. Thanks! I got it from World Market a few years back, it’s a raw steel frame. Maybe you could tape off the Ikea one and spray paint it? I just came across a similar terrarium at Pottery Barn.

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