How to Style a Modern Shelf

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen my post about how while we were in Haiti not only did my mom watch the boys, but she also staged a bunch of decor for me! She did such a great job with it all that today I want to share our newly decorated built ins with you! I also know that not everyone is as lucky as me to have a designer mom, so today I’ll share with you “how to style a modern shelf”.

In the process of our move, a few boxes of our things ended up getting stored at my grandma’s house, which included most of our books. This meant that we had bookshelves to fill without any books to fill them. Once our books arrive I will probably display some of them up here, but I actually prefer the look of shelves with more decor than books.

Over on the left side of the fireplace we installed the tv on an extendable swivel mount. This way when it’s not in use we can push it back and center it. Typically though it sits angled on the left side like in this picture. Just excuse my Pandora in the background. I love how rather than filling the long mantel with decor, she simply placed these four candlesticks over on the right side. When it comes to decorating built ins, shelving, or bookcases, here are my favorite types of items to use:

• Antlers
• Succulents
• Baskets
• Brass & Ceramic Animals
• Framed Art & Pictures
• Wood Bowls
• Vintage Fans
• Vases

Tips for Staging Modern Shelving:

• Display books standing upright, and stacked. This adds dimension and keeps your shelves from looking like a library’s bookshelves.
• Use your vertical space. By stacking baskets upright, antlers upright, and using a few tall vases it keeps the whole arrangement from being too flat.
• Add texture. This is pretty self-explanatory, but add in a variety of materials.
• Let your things breathe. Don’t add in so much all together that there’s no margin.
• Stick to a coordinated color palate. In my case I like to use wood tones mixed with black and white, and pops of greenery and coral. Sometimes this means I’ll spray paint something, or use it in a different space if it doesn’t fit the scheme. I also consider this when shopping, and typically only buy things that will fit in with what I already have.
  

I’ve collected most of this stuff over the course of the last 10 years, but I’m constantly adding and purging. If you’re looking to start building your own shelfie collection, here are a few of my favorite spots to keep my eyes peeled:

• Auctions (I bought a HUGE box of antlers at one for $17!)
• Craft & Junk Shows (That’s where those mattress springs for a dollar came from)
• Target *Contains Affiliate Links* (specifically the Threshold & Nate Berkus items on clearance)
• Garage Sales (That’s where I got that paint by number for a quarter and those shoe stretchers for a dollar!)
  

I also like to try and make every space in my home personal, with one of a kind things that can’t be replicated. In this case I’ve got a framed doily that was a wedding gift, a log slice that a friend made me, and multiple family pictures. As much as I want my home to look pretty, I also want it to be a reflection of our family.

If you’ve been following along with our Marquette house you might remember what this space looked like just 6 weeks ago!

Between painting the paneling, painting the fireplace insert, and now my mom’s decorating it’s come a long ways! Now I’m just waiting for my rug to arrive, as well decide on the best plan for the fireplace.