How to decorate empty shelves in your home with style

Decorative objects and accessories add to the aesthetic appeal of a home’s decor, no matter what style it is. The objects that homeowners acquire may be scattered items that appeal to them, or collections that they add pieces to every now and then, and with each trip they take. To thoughtfully distribute these items without stacking, check out these ideas for decorating empty shelves at home in a stylish way.

As the seasons change, homeowners typically replace their bedding, window curtains, and pillows on their sofas. It’s also worth thinking about what’s on the shelves, leaving the bright colors for summer and spring, and going for warm colors in fall and winter.

Items suitable for shelving

Items suitable for shelving

Includes items suitable for decorating shelves:

• Framed artwork and photos: Paintings, in general, take up a lot of space on shelves.
• Vases and bowls: Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, smaller vases and bowls can be arranged on top of books, while larger vases and jugs make a statement.
• Candle holders: Choose traditional candle holders, or those with fun or whimsical designs.
• Books: Decorating empty shelves at home in an elegant way doesn’t mean filling each shelf, but rather arranging books in stacks together, with some laid flat and others upright for variety. It’s a good idea to collect old, antique books, cloth-bound books,…

Side of a living room, with shelves decorated with accessories

• Houseplants and flowers: Decorating with plants or flowers is attractive, with a good choice of pots and containers to put them in, while also thinking about decorating with baskets and jugs.
• Small sculptures: They express the homeowner’s sense of artistry and add interest and “personality” to the shelves.
• Large, simple items: It’s important to note that too many accessories on the shelves can make the shelves look cramped and cluttered. Therefore, it’s important to balance small items with larger ones. The latter may include a basket or box, which also adds texture…

How to decorate shelves

How to decorate shelves

The steps for decorating empty shelves at home in a stylish way include the following, noting that the one shown below is suitable for any type of design style:

1. Start decorating the empty shelves in your home in a stylish way, with the top shelf. For balance, you can leave some empty space on both ends of each shelf.
2. It’s important to buy accessories that are colored in one or two colors, focusing on the latter two, and inlaid with fewer things in a third, different color. Make sure your shelves have plenty of simple, neutral options in white, cream, or light gray.
3. You should pay attention to the heights of the objects used to decorate empty shelves. Therefore, you can use similarly sized items on one shelf. Then, on the next shelf, place a taller item in the center of two shorter pieces to create a pyramid… Taller objects include plants, such as snake plants, large decorative objects, or candle holders.
4. It’s important to keep an empty space between each group of objects, the goal is to have a neat appearance. As a result, more emphasis and importance is placed on the items on display. Repeat the steps for the next shelves. Therefore, it is not appropriate to “stack” home accessories on shelves

Important for you when decorating shelves

Important for you when decorating shelves

• It’s a good idea to consider the context of the space, where the shelves are located, when choosing accessories and decorative pieces. For example, avoid putting cookbooks in your home office, or precious artwork in your bathroom.
• If your home’s style is rustic, it’s natural to choose more items for the shelves from that style, with fewer boho or mid-century pieces. If your style is more modern, you’ll use fewer, medium, and large items, with very few small items.
• Contrast creates drama, sparks interest, and adds appeal to home decor. So, when decorating empty shelves at home, prioritize contrasting colors, sizes, textures, glosses, shapes, and textures. For example, place glossy pieces next to matte ones, soft-textured objects next to rough ones, vintage accessories next to contemporary ones, large with small, beautiful with industrial, and abstract with anthropomorphic… to create visual interest.
• Instead, group three (or six, or nine) items together, which ultimately results in a more appealing shelf appearance. Groups of three items force the eye to move more, and hold the viewer’s attention for a longer period of time.
• When decorating shelves at home, the work can extend to the surrounding walls. In other words, utilize the wall space near each shelf where you can hang small paintings, photos, or install ceramic dishes, although extending the display beyond the shelf itself creates a more dynamic and versatile experience.