How To Decorate A Wall Shelf

If you've ever struggled with styling shelves, this post breaks it down step by step! Click through to the post and get ready to style your shelf decor beautifully!

I know I've confessed this earlier, but decorating is kind of hard for me. Yes, I realize I write a decorating weblog. But sometimes having countless possibilities for a space makes me feel overwhelmed, and I don't know where to outset because I literally could practise annihilation I wanted. Eeeek! Force per unit area! 🙂 When this happens, it helps me to make some "rules" for myself, a formula to follow to keep me on track.

Take my floating shelves, for example. I decorate them at to the lowest degree four times a twelvemonth, and though I typically but bear witness the final production on the web log, I end upwards going through a bunch of steps to get from empty shelves to something like this:

Styling Shelf Decor for Fall | JustAGirlAndHerBlog.com

Since I've busy these shelves so many times now, I've kind of worked out a trivial process that I get through each time I do it, and though I'g far from a styling "proficient," I idea I'd share my niggling process with you all in example shelf styling is kind of hard for yous too! 🙂 Here nosotros go!

one. Report.

Instead of simply throwing random things onto the shelves, I effort to figure out what I actually like! Earlier I put my fall shelves together, for example, I did simple search for "fall decor" on Pinterest, and wrote downwards a listing of things that consistently jumped out at me in photos that I loved. My list concluded upwardly looking something similar this:

white pumpkins
hydrangeas
feathers
wheat
wood tones
white/grayness/neutrals
aqua
lots of texture

Now just because my list didn't include things similar reddish and orange and tons of leaves doesn't hateful those things are "incorrect"– not at all! In fact, they may be the absolute perfect things for your manner! Take some time to look effectually at photos of other peoples' spaces and encounter what you're fatigued to over and over. Doing this really helps clue me in to what I'll truly like on my own shelves.

2. Store the house.

Once I have a list of items I'm looking for, I start searching my house for things that fit that clarification. I normally bring everything I can find downwardly to my living room so that I can run into it all in 1 identify and begin deciding which pieces will piece of work together and what I'll really use. I am not awesome at visualizing what everything will look like in a space, so I like to physically put information technology up there and try it out before I brand any decisions.

Sometimes I need to edit what I take to brand it piece of work for the infinite. I had all of the filler for this lantern, for example, simply all of the pumpkins were brightly colored. I gave them a few quick coats of white spray pigment, and they fit perfectly with the look I was going for.

If I've used everything that I have and in that location are still gaps in my shelf decor, and so I'll get out and purchase a piece or two, but ~~I'm cheap~~ I change these upwards then often that I mostly effort to stick with what I take.

iii. Choose the "leaners."

Now, steps 3-5 could be done in various orders and they sometimes happen simultaneously, simply because my "leaners" tend to exist larger objects, I ordinarily beginning with those. "What in the world are 'leaners'?" you may be request. I'm sure that'southward probably not an official term, but that's what I call the objects that lean against the wall and typically fill in the back layer of my shelves.

On this meridian shelf, the large frame is my bacteria. It helps give superlative to the whole grouping and actually "grounds" everything. Along with big frames, I've besides used wreaths, 2 frames adjacent, mirrors, and bunting as my leaners. Plates hung on the wall, a tapestry, an old window– then many things could be great leaners!

4. Put tall stuff on the ends.

See all of my technical lingo? Alpine stuff. Then chichi and professional. Simply really, that'southward what I do. I really similar when the ends of my shelves accept height because information technology kind of frames in the whole wait and gives it balance. Flowers, sticks, and other natural elements are wonderful for this.

I sometimes also will layer a vertical frame on the finish to give some peak or use a tall decor particular like a lantern or a tchotchke attack a book to get in higher. In that location are occasions when I break this "rule," but in general, I like tall stuff on the ends most of the time.

5. Layer, layer, layer.

Later I have my leaners and my tall stuff, I begin to fill in the gaps and layer in other items. I know that is pretty much the to the lowest degree specific guideline ever, so hither are some things I try to proceed in mind when I'm layering:

I utilize "repeaters," significant I'll use the same object in a few different places on the shelves to make the look more cohesive. For my fall shelves, I used feathers, white pumpkins, off-white candles, and twine in several different places equally my repeaters.

I grouping things in 3s (or 5s). Don't ask me to explain the science behind information technology, merely for some reason our optics like groupings of odd numbers. I also find myself tending to "cascade" the items downward– one of the items volition exist alpine, one medium, and one curt, so the eye follows them from peak to bottom.

I put items at different depths. So rather than lining everything up in one row, I tend to place some items closer to the back of the shelves and some items closer to the front to get that layered look. One exception I've seen to this that can look cute is if you lot have several of the same item {like several vases of the same flowers} and line them upward in one line. Otherwise, though, I attempt to vary the depths.
I layer frames on top of frames. This is one of the easiest ways to layer, and typically anybody has a few frames in various sizes laying around. I commonly just put a simply patterned piece of newspaper, wrapping paper, gift bag, etc. in the back frame to give a piffling pop of involvement, and then the front frame has a more detailed print or photo.

{This fall arrows impress is actually a freebie from the amazingly talented Bre at Rooms for Rent! You tin can snag it here.}

I love texture! From the feathers, to the dissimilar textures of the assurance filling the lantern, to the twine, to the wheat, texture is another thing that will give your shelves more than depth and make them seem polished.

six. Move things around until it finally looks right.

Truly, this is the name of the game. I typically fashion shelves over a period of a few days because I similar to let them sit for a while. So when I walk by, something will take hold of my eye every bit being out of identify and I'll switch some things effectually. When things have sat for a day or 2 and I haven't touched them, so I know I'm washed. 🙂

seven. Recruit a second prepare of eyes.

I don't ever do this, only a lot of times I'll inquire Donnie or my mom and sis if anything looks "off" earlier I officially deem my shelves finished. Sometimes they'll catch something I've missed considering I've been staring at it for and so long. A lot of times they'll have an idea I hadn't idea of. Two heads are often meliorate than one!

I realize that shelf styling is more "art" than an exact scientific discipline, then it is hard to say "every shelf should have this and not this." In that location will always be exceptions to every dominion. I observe that if I go through this process, though, I almost always come up out with styled shelves that I dear in the end!

Pssssttt… If you're looking for more shelf decor ideas, check out these past favorites…