Decorating
Top Shelf: Master Open Shelving With 9 Expert Styling Tips
Turn shambolic shelving into something Insta-worthy with these top tips from an interior designer
Blame it on the shelfie craze, or perhaps we’ve just been stuck inside too long this winter, but it seems we’re all obsessed with open shelving right now. It’s easy to see why: open shelving is practical and affordable, and it allows you to display the things that are meaningful to you in a fresh and fun way. If you have open shelving in your home, make sure it looks its best with these easy styling tips.
2. Arrange books with care
Whether you have a book collection to rival the National Library of Australia or you’re more of a one-book-a-year kind of reader, books are up there as one of the most popular items for living room shelves, which is good news as they can really bring open shelving to life.
Stack your books both vertically and horizontally, and mix up the colours evenly for a sense of balance (or colour block them, if that’s more your thing). Then, use a pile of horizontally stacked books of different sizes as the foundation for your favourite ornament or vase, and continue to build from there.
Whether you have a book collection to rival the National Library of Australia or you’re more of a one-book-a-year kind of reader, books are up there as one of the most popular items for living room shelves, which is good news as they can really bring open shelving to life.
Stack your books both vertically and horizontally, and mix up the colours evenly for a sense of balance (or colour block them, if that’s more your thing). Then, use a pile of horizontally stacked books of different sizes as the foundation for your favourite ornament or vase, and continue to build from there.
And don’t forget about books in the kitchen…
Choose a few of your favourite recipe books and put them on display – having them readily accessible in this way might even encourage you to try out a few new recipes.
Upper Cabinets, Open Shelves or Space?
Choose a few of your favourite recipe books and put them on display – having them readily accessible in this way might even encourage you to try out a few new recipes.
Upper Cabinets, Open Shelves or Space?
3. Use open shelving for essential items
Open shelving can be a great place to store your everyday kitchen essentials, such as glassware, crockery and condiments, as it keeps your benchtops clear and everything close to hand. Add in a stack of beautiful bowls or unique pottery finds and your shelving soon becomes as pretty as it is practical.
Put items you use regularly within easy reach and those things you use less frequently, such as appliances, vases and platters, at the upper and lower levels.
Tip: If you’re thinking of replacing closed upper cabinets in the kitchen with open shelving, but you’re worried there’s nowhere to hide your less attractive items away, a mix of cabinets and open shelving could be the perfect solution.
Open shelving can be a great place to store your everyday kitchen essentials, such as glassware, crockery and condiments, as it keeps your benchtops clear and everything close to hand. Add in a stack of beautiful bowls or unique pottery finds and your shelving soon becomes as pretty as it is practical.
Put items you use regularly within easy reach and those things you use less frequently, such as appliances, vases and platters, at the upper and lower levels.
Tip: If you’re thinking of replacing closed upper cabinets in the kitchen with open shelving, but you’re worried there’s nowhere to hide your less attractive items away, a mix of cabinets and open shelving could be the perfect solution.
For real visual impact limit yourself to just two or three colours, and group pieces of a similar size, colour or material together.
4. Add interest with art and small mementos
You might think art should just be reserved for walls. Not so. Art, particularly those smaller pieces that can sometimes struggle to get noticed on a large wall, can be a great addition to open shelving. Use small works of art as well as mementos and trinkets you’ve collected on your travels to add personality to your display, and reveal a little about where life has taken you.
You can add depth to your shelves by layering items. Try placing a framed artwork at the back of a shelf and then put one or two smaller objects or different-shaped pieces in front of it, but slightly off to the side.
You might think art should just be reserved for walls. Not so. Art, particularly those smaller pieces that can sometimes struggle to get noticed on a large wall, can be a great addition to open shelving. Use small works of art as well as mementos and trinkets you’ve collected on your travels to add personality to your display, and reveal a little about where life has taken you.
You can add depth to your shelves by layering items. Try placing a framed artwork at the back of a shelf and then put one or two smaller objects or different-shaped pieces in front of it, but slightly off to the side.
5. Have a unifying element running through your displays
When you’re decorating a home, it’s always important to have a clear and consistent colour scheme, and the same applies to the contents of your shelves. A subtle thread of the same colour, as shown here with the blue accents, is a really lovely way to create a sense of flow through your shelving display and your home.
Tip: When selecting items for the shelf, stay within the colour palette of your room but play with tones and shape to create depth.
Master the Art of the Shelfie
When you’re decorating a home, it’s always important to have a clear and consistent colour scheme, and the same applies to the contents of your shelves. A subtle thread of the same colour, as shown here with the blue accents, is a really lovely way to create a sense of flow through your shelving display and your home.
Tip: When selecting items for the shelf, stay within the colour palette of your room but play with tones and shape to create depth.
Master the Art of the Shelfie
6. Add a dramatic backdrop
Itching to try that bright paint colour in your home, but don’t want to use it across an entire room? Try using it to make a feature of open shelving instead. By choosing a colour that contrasts with your display items, you’ll find that it highlights their form and texture beautifully.
Bright and light colours tend to work better than very dark ones as they won’t close in a space. Consider this season’s on-trend teals, greens and blues for a living room or family room, dusky pink for a child’s room, or sunny yellow for a home office (added bonus: it’s said to add energy and enhance productivity).
Tip: Paint the backdrop before you install shelving.
Itching to try that bright paint colour in your home, but don’t want to use it across an entire room? Try using it to make a feature of open shelving instead. By choosing a colour that contrasts with your display items, you’ll find that it highlights their form and texture beautifully.
Bright and light colours tend to work better than very dark ones as they won’t close in a space. Consider this season’s on-trend teals, greens and blues for a living room or family room, dusky pink for a child’s room, or sunny yellow for a home office (added bonus: it’s said to add energy and enhance productivity).
Tip: Paint the backdrop before you install shelving.
7. Think beyond vertical lines
Shadow box shelving is an increasingly popular alternative to long, vertical shelves, and can be a great option if you need to work your wall storage around furniture, size restrictions or awkward room layouts. They’re also great for creating unusual, eye-catching wall displays.
Shadow box shelving is an increasingly popular alternative to long, vertical shelves, and can be a great option if you need to work your wall storage around furniture, size restrictions or awkward room layouts. They’re also great for creating unusual, eye-catching wall displays.
Tip: Using shadow boxes of different shapes, colours and materials will add drama and interest to a space. Alternate between hanging the boxes horizontally and vertically for even more appeal.
Tip: Do you have some leftover paint around the house? Take your shadow box to the next level by painting the back. When choosing colour, think about the item or items you’ll be displaying in the box – you’ll want to be sure that the colour provides enough contrast, such as a white vessel against a navy backdrop.
Tip: Do you have some leftover paint around the house? Take your shadow box to the next level by painting the back. When choosing colour, think about the item or items you’ll be displaying in the box – you’ll want to be sure that the colour provides enough contrast, such as a white vessel against a navy backdrop.
8. Add open shelves to unexpected spots
Not just reserved for kitchens and living spaces, open shelving can steal the show in your bathroom too. Display fresh fluffy towels, luxury toiletries or a lush, leafy vine in an otherwise overlooked corner of the bathroom, as the owners have done here.
Tip: For bathroom shelving, choose an oil-based, semi-gloss paint finish that is mould- and mildew-resistant to ensure it copes with moisture.
Browse images of gorgeous bathrooms
Not just reserved for kitchens and living spaces, open shelving can steal the show in your bathroom too. Display fresh fluffy towels, luxury toiletries or a lush, leafy vine in an otherwise overlooked corner of the bathroom, as the owners have done here.
Tip: For bathroom shelving, choose an oil-based, semi-gloss paint finish that is mould- and mildew-resistant to ensure it copes with moisture.
Browse images of gorgeous bathrooms
9. Resist the temptation to fill every shelf
It’s okay to leave some shelves empty. Really. You might choose to leave some empty in order to give the pieces on display some breathing space or to create a sense of balance, or you may wish to draw attention to the beautiful joinery.
It’s okay to leave some shelves empty. Really. You might choose to leave some empty in order to give the pieces on display some breathing space or to create a sense of balance, or you may wish to draw attention to the beautiful joinery.
And remember, you don’t need to be a master of the vignette to master open shelving. Just trust yourself and experiment with different arrangements until it feels right.
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Did you enjoy this story? Tell us in the Comments section below. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to like it, share it, bookmark it and share the conversation.
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Read more storage stories
Should your shelves be filled with pretty things? Absolutely. But just as important are the functional and sentimental items that make your house a home. Plants, photos, ornaments, art, vessels and vases – include them all. And as you do, be mindful of mixing up the sizes, textures, styles and tones of the items you display on each shelf in order to create variety and interest.
Tip: Be careful not to over-fill shelves as they can quickly look cluttered. Instead, create a more open look by leaving plenty of breathing space around items – a good way to tell you’ve done well is if you can see the back of the shelves beyond the display.