We're still waiting for bookshelves to be installed in our living room, but when they're finally up, I'll be going all sorts of shelfie-crazy ... I'm all about that rainbow book organizing trend! In the meantime, I've been preoccupied with decorating the ladder shelves we bought from The Futon Company when we moved in. I love them! And if you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of changing what I display on them once in a while, depending on my mood.
Here are five tips for recreating some of my favorite "shelfie" looks:
Add depth.
Use a framed print, photograph, or book cover as a "backdrop" for your shelf before placing other items in front. It adds interest to the shelf and prevents it from looking too neat and tidy. I've amassed quite a lot of books during my 8-year career in book publishing, so I've got a rotation of beautiful books to use as decorative pieces (after I've read them!). I love this one featuring photographs shot by Joanna Neurath at Columbia Road Flower Market, published by Hoxton Mini Press - one of my favorite indie publishers.
Add greenery.
Mini cacti and succulents are perfect for displaying on shelves. I move our plants around a lot, so sometimes I'll take the terrarium that's downstairs in the dining room and display it on the ladder shelf in the guest bedroom when someone's staying over. Or, I'll trim the stems of a few lingering roses from an old bouquet and put them in a small glass or candle jar until their leaves start dropping. I love the look of fresh flowers in my house so much that I've considered investing in some of these high-end artificial blooms from Abigail Ahern. I visited her shop in Heal's and the flowers look so incredibly real!
Switch it up.
I like to think of my shelves as window displays: they reflect my mood and might have a theme, according to the season. Sometimes I'll style a shelf using particular objects before putting them away and featuring different items a few weeks later! Around Christmas-time, I used this wreath that I made at a Geo-Fleur workshop on the top shelf. It made the room feel festive and cozy.
I like to think of my shelves as window displays: they reflect my mood and might have a theme, according to the season. Sometimes I'll style a shelf using particular objects before putting them away and featuring different items a few weeks later! Around Christmas-time, I used this wreath that I made at a Geo-Fleur workshop on the top shelf. It made the room feel festive and cozy.
Make it personal.
One of my favorite items on our ladder shelf which never moves is my original wedding bouquet. I somehow kept it intact and it survived the move with us to Walthamstow. I'm looking for a new mini-vase at the moment as this vintage Portmeirion pitcher is just a tad too small, but I love the fact that I've kept it this whole time. It reminds me of the wonderful day we eloped!
Make it practical.
Shelves are for storage, after all. I like to fold our guest towels into thirds so that they fit perfectly on our ladder shelf. That way, they're always ready for guests, I don't have to hunt them down, and they're on the lower shelf, near the floor, so they add a soft touch that's appropriate for the bedroom.
How do you style your shelves or windowsills at home? I'd love to know!
One of my favorite items on our ladder shelf which never moves is my original wedding bouquet. I somehow kept it intact and it survived the move with us to Walthamstow. I'm looking for a new mini-vase at the moment as this vintage Portmeirion pitcher is just a tad too small, but I love the fact that I've kept it this whole time. It reminds me of the wonderful day we eloped!
Make it practical.
Shelves are for storage, after all. I like to fold our guest towels into thirds so that they fit perfectly on our ladder shelf. That way, they're always ready for guests, I don't have to hunt them down, and they're on the lower shelf, near the floor, so they add a soft touch that's appropriate for the bedroom.
How do you style your shelves or windowsills at home? I'd love to know!
I love the idea of regularly changing what's on display on your shelves. I don't have space for proper shelving in my tiny apartment but am going to look into the ladder-style shelf! x
ReplyDeleteHi Lily, I'd totally recommend getting one of these ladder shelves! They're everywhere at the moment, but the ones at the Futon Company are 40% off, I think. They're always having sales. Ours is mounted to the wall for security, but even if you're in an apartment, you can just leave it freestanding as it's secure enough for that (as long as you're not putting anything too heavy or fragile on it!). If it's freestanding, then you can move it around to different rooms as well, which would be a great way to switch things up! x
DeleteI love fresh flowers too and getting them all the time can be such a faff! Those artificial ones look amazingly real though! Might order some x
ReplyDeletewrapyourlipsaroundthis.com
Me too, Mehreen! I'm an addict - I usually buy them after work on Fridays so that I can admire them in my house over the weekend, haha! The ones at Abigail Ahern are amazing. I saw them in real life and they look and feel totally real, especially the roses. I just have a hard time picking the colors ...! x
DeletePerfect! My shelves should be arriving tomorrow. I can't wait to get started:)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! Let me know what you end up putting on them!
DeleteI'm looking into those leaning bookcases for when I revamp my office space and redo The Boy Child's bedroom ~ they do look great! And every time I see that jug/vase of yours, I think to myself that I could do with something similar. Out of curiosity, do you have any traditional bookshelves and if so, are they overflowing with books?
ReplyDeleteHi Ruth - I'd definitely recommend these from the Futon Company. But if you're putting them in your office or The Boy Child's room, then definitely make sure you secure them to the wall (as I'm sure you would). We are working on getting built-in alcove bookshelves at the moment. As a result, all my books are still in the shed in the boxes from the big move last year, which makes me sad, because I love being surrounded by books!
DeleteYou always give me such interiors envy, Jaime! Love literally everything you have in these photos - where did you get the map from? And love that your wedding bouquet is in the Portmeirion pitcher (even if it is too small) - how fitting! Did you buy that when you eloped?
ReplyDeleteSophie :-)
Aww, thank you, Sophie! I am so glad that you like what I've done! I actually bought the Portmeirion pitcher from an Etsy seller after our wedding - I should probably keep it though, huh? Especially with the Welsh connection! The funny thing is, there was an antiques fair the morning of our wedding IN the town hall where our ceremony was taking place. The registrar was late (he said he fell asleep in the bath?!) and so we had to do two nervous circuits of this antiques fair! I bought a brooch there. The little elderly ladies were so sweet though because they knew what we were there for and they were chatting with us and wishing us well. Such great memories, clearly! xx
DeleteHave been wanting one of those ladder shelves for a while! Also it seems crazy to see you mention succulents and not tell you about my friend Sarah and her fabulous up and away succulents shop! Check it out at upandaway.today and on Facebook. Hope you're well! Wessen xxx
ReplyDeleteOH wow, thanks for letting me know, Wes! I've just followed her on Instagram. Thank you for the introduction/recommendation! xxx
DeleteSo so beautiful! I've seen lots of talk of shelfies lately and I love the idea of mixing it up and changing as your mood takes. Unfortunately at home at the moment we have no display space or nicknacks really as I can't be bothered whilst most rooms still need redecorating. One day though, shelfies I'm coming for you xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lins! I know what you mean about waiting to redecorate ... my poor books are languishing in the shed because we still haven't gotten around to installing alcove bookshelves. It's been driving me crazy! There is always so much to do to a new house, even one year on ... xx
DeleteBeautiful shelves! There is nothing better than having colourful and varied shelves to add some details to a room :) I love browsing shelves on Instagram! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marcella! I totally agree. I can always go down a rabbithole of browsing Instagram accounts with beautiful interiors or shelves!
DeleteI know this post isn't about shoes... but I LOVE those shoes in the greenery photo. LOVE.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Frankie! I wore them out for the first time this week and they KILLED my right heel. They were also £5 from Banana Republic so it's to be expected. Still, at least they look good, right?
DeleteAt the moment I'm trying to fill the shelves (mid-study move!), but love these tips!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Claire! I'm looking forward to finally having some bookshelves soon - I miss seeing them in our house!
DeleteI love love love that shelf and those bookends are stunning! Also, I like the idea of keeping your wedding bouquet. =)
ReplyDeleteWhere's the North America map from?
Honey x The Girl Next Shore
Thank you, Honey! The map is a vintage one we picked up from Bordeaux - the other guest room has another map of the British Isles :) xx
DeleteJaime, I can't get over how gorgeous your pictures always are! Love all the shelf-spiration in this post :) xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ayushi! That means a lot to me. xx
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