Shelf organization throughout the house is the epitome of an organized home. Shelves provide countless uses from displaying family photos to displaying your collection of antique teacups. You never have to worry about where the essentials are when they’re in a memorable spot and properly visible on the shelf. Shelves shouldn’t be an opportunity to display clutter or allow a neat display to go array. Shelves give an ambiance to the entire room they reside in and the design and decoration should fit your taste. It’s time to arrange or rearrange, be decorative and creative!
If you’re looking to add a bit of personality to your shelves, here are some great ideas:
Decorating the Shelves Themselves
- A paint job may be exactly what your shelf needs to take away the bland or dated effect. Some options to consider may be painting your shelves in a color that matches the wall behind it, deciding on complementary colors or opting to create a drastic visual contrast.
- If paint isn’t enough to add a dash of color to your shelves, you can opt to add wallpaper or cloth onto the shelves. Even if you’re on a budget, you can find affordable wallpaper or a print to use. If you’ve got some cloth that would display nicely, then use it to spice up the look. If decorating the entire shelf is too much, you can just choose to decorate the edges with similar material.
- Hanging shelves don’t need to simply look like lines that underline your stuff. Shelf brackets are a great way to draw attention to your shelves, and you’ve got tons of options to choose from. Whether they’re wrought metal, dark metal or carved wood, they can really make your shelves come alive.
- Place hooks on edges or bottoms of the shelves to use as extra storage that can also work as décor. You can hang up mugs for kitchen shelves or hang up umbrellas, keys, coats and purses on doorway shelves. In the bathroom, hang bathrobes and towels.
- You can also put lights beneath the shelf. This works best for shelves located near busy areas such as the work station or a kitchen counter.
Decorating with the Contents
Of course, shelves are primarily used for storing or showcasing things without being in a pile or scattered display. By strategically placing your items onto the shelves, the items themselves can already serve as décor. But how can you make the contents more appealing?
- Don’t overcrowd the shelf with stuff because this will just end up making it look messy. For smaller shelves, items should be few in number in order to not give a compressed look. If you have a long shelf, it’s easier to spread out the items.
- Vary the sizes and shapes of the décor on the shelf to make them interesting to look at by creating visual contrast.
- Make the contents of your shelf interact with each other. Stack flat items atop each other, put items with a similar color scheme together and place small objects in front of the larger ones. These techniques ensure that your décor won’t look like they’re too separate from each other.
- For those who want to use their shelves as storage but don’t want to make the shelf look messy, try using baskets that fit right into the shelf to hold in the clutter. They can be considered a part of the décor, especially if they’re pleasing to look at. A hot trend these days is using wicker boxes to give the shelf an earthy and rustic look.
- Table runners don’t necessarily need to be on a table. Not only do they prevent the items on the shelf from leaving marks, but they also make for great décor for long hanging shelves. The tassels at both ends also make a great accent.
Decorating and arranging the shelves in your house should be a fun experience, which showcases your individuality and style that flows through the whole house.
Be creative and think outside the box the next time you decorate!
Fiona Wilson helps people all over Australia to better organise their homes and lives. Working closely with Wardrobe World and GarageSmart, she is incredibly passionate about finding practical lifestyle solutions for her clients.