One of my favorite parts about having a blog is being able to look back and see how I have improved in my craft. For some reason, I used to struggle with styling shelves in our apartment/home and now it’s one my my favorite things to decorate!
We have this antique hutch in our kitchen that I just love! We opted to leave the doors off of it because I wanted this to be a fun spot to display lots of treasures. These pieces are much better on display than behind closed doors. I’ll admit, this has become one of the spots that I have the most fun with in our home because the possibilities are literally endless.
I like to start by choosing what kind of vibe I’m looking for. To make it easier on myself, I typically choose about three “elements” so that decorating isn’t so random. For this space I went with copper metal, white/tan ceramic and clear glass. You can totally switch this up to include whatever you’d like! By choosing your elements ahead of time, it helps the shelves look cohesive and not so sporadic. There is a method to my madness, I promise.
If you’re looking at the cabinet from afar, you can see that I have each of these “elements” spread out. For example, you wouldn’t want all of the copper pieces on the top two shelves or the white dishes side by side. By placing them randomly throughout the shelves it allows your eye to look at the hutch as a whole and not focus too much on one area.
Now, the next little tip will be helpful if you have multiple shelves like our hutch shown here. Notice in the photo above how the top shelf has the copper canisters. I like to call this a “collection shelf”. Below that, I have the white plates stacked with an antique copper mug. I like to call this a “centered shelf”. I alternate my collection shelves and my centered shelves so that the cabinet never looks too busy. I continued this pattern and never had too many “collection shelves” too close together.
Another thing I love doing is to stack plates/pieces on top of each other. Stacking allows for more height and appeals to the eye a bit more than placing pieces directly on the shelf. I’m a sucker for layers!
I always loving playing with pieces and using my creativity when styling spots like these but my basic thought process is pretty much the same each time. 1. Choose your elements 2. Space them out 3. Keep your collection shelves & centered shelves distanced.
I hope this was helpful if you have shelves in your home that you’re struggling to style! As always, thanks for popping over to the blog today. It means the WORLD that you’re here.
xo,
sarah jane
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