Creating Beautiful Shelf Displays

Creating Beautiful Shelf Displays

By Brigitte Oberlander

I’m happy to admit it – I do good shelf. Everyone loves shelves and bookcases but getting the display right is the difference between having storage and having a showpiece. Here are some tips to get you started. Take everything off (yes, everything) and clean all surfaces. This will also encourage you to get rid of things you’re tired of or that really belong somewhere else. Combining books and interesting pieces is always a winner but grouping is the key. Grouping books by colour is a clever trick and stack some horizontally for variation. Items of similar size, shape or colour will have better impact when placed together. Don’t overcrowd every shelf and rather than bookends try using a beautiful object or framed picture. Small plants look great, as do cuttings popped into interesting jars or bottles of water (see below). Lastly, don’t be afraid to keep changing it around – at least until you can stand back and say “gosh I do good shelf”!

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