How to Achieve the Perfect Shelfie
For a long time, I’ve been looking for the perfect shelves to incorporate into our home. In our last home, I was stuck with the Billy bookcases that we’ve had for the longest time. When it came to planning our living room makeover, I was dead set on getting some build in alcoves. Ah thinking about it and many a trip to the DIY store- I realised that in the space we wanted it in, it wasn’t going to happen. So I resulted to searching online, finally landing on the perfect shelving unit for the alcove. This little number is from Ikea. So now that I’ve finally built it, it’s time to get it organised. Unsure how to style a shelving unit? Let’s get started on creating your perfect shelfie…
How to style a shelving unit…
First things first, is to gather the supplies you think you want to use in the space. Luckily, all these bits have been living in my spare bedroom for the moment so I took the chance to basically shop my home. I have a loose colour scheme in my head, which I recommend everyone have before starting this task. When you put your chosen shelving unit up in its new home, step back and look at the whole room. When you style a shelving unit, it’s important to make sure the way it’s finished completes the room. You want a lovely unit that makes a statement but doesn’t take away from the room’s atmosphere.
The items you should be heading for is anything you want to display and anything that shows off your personality. I’m thinking books, trays, candles, cameras (for Lee) and Vogues that I’ve been collecting for the past four years. Gather and put them into piles. Think about height and making sure that the eye can dart around the different areas of the shelfie.
When starting the styling process, start with one object type at a time. So for me, that was books firsts. Adding a few stacks here and there. Remember, nothing is set in stone, just play around and see how it feels. Next was a tray, just because I love this gold tray and I wanted to find it a home. To decorate it, I had to put my initial glass and gorgeous cocktail shaker for everyone to see. I also wanted to make sure I got these gorgeous vases on show, the light pink is going to be perfect once the room is painted. Finally, I had to add one of my favourite White Company candles, because it’s so pretty and smells amazing!
SHELFIE TIME!
So this is my finished product. Of course, the most annoy thing about the space is that the sofa is restricting us getting to the bottom part of the shelving unit. So whilst we can’t use it for everyday purposes, it’s still useful for storing some books and our record player. The best thing about the unit is that I’ve got clear sections that I can give a unique twist to. That’s the key when you style a shelving unit, tackle it space at the time. Every time you add something, step back and assess it as a whole. Some things will be taken off or rearrange- but that’s fine. It’s all part of the process. I also think the beauty with a shelving unit is that it’s an ongoing process. You’ll be constantly adding things, changing it up. That’s the beauty of it.
For me, our shelving unit is not complete. I need to do my DIY to it so I can make it look perfect. I also need to add some fake greenery to give the space some life. Also, I want to change up the pics that I’ve got on display, but I’m not quite sure which ones I want to show off yet. I’m sure I’ll have it all figured out when we complete the living room makeover, which will be finished very, very soon! I promise!
Check out my other interior posts here on the blog.