Sketchbook
An architect's sketchbook is a place for writing down ideas & observations, resolving problems, and thinking about space visually. Here you can find helpful tips and tricks, as well as architectural musings.
Style Your Shelves | Cozy Tip #5
The last way to make your space super homey and comfy is to style your shelves! No, shelves are not just there to hold your books and photos, movies and games. They are part of the room’s aesthetic. I’d even say they are one of the biggest things that show your personality in a space. Let’s celebrate that personality by really giving your shelves some charm. This tip requires using all the other tips combined! If you missed the first four tips, head over to my interior design section and check them out!
Mix Up the Style of Your Shelves
In order to style your shelves, you want to mix up the contents of each shelf. Have a combination of books, photos, and dishes on one shelf. Use a candle or a small potted plant as a book end. Line up some old milk jars with dried or fresh flowers on one end and place your antique box of keepsakes and letters on the other end. Stack books or DVDs horizontally as well as vertically. Don’t be afraid to put a sea shell, a cool rock, an old horse shoe or unique piece of wood on top of your horizontally stacked books. Go ahead and place that framed photo from your favorite vacation next to your favorite book series.
String lights behind your shelf to create a glow around it. Place a small lamp on the middle shelf and enjoy the way the light hits the objects and walls differently than if it were sitting alone. Candles are excellent book ends! Although, I do not recommend lighting candles next to books. Nothing will ruin your cozy home faster than a house fire (yikes!).
You’re in Charge
You can honestly put anything on your shelf! Anything from books to dishes to plants to keepsakes. Just remember that levels and textures play on the shelves just as much as they play around the room. Try to balance out objects of similar sizes and textures by spreading them out on different shelves and different locations on those shelves.
I have a shelf in my house that I have moved and rearranged many times! Each time I rearrange, I find something new to add and take something old away. I let the shelves and the objects on them grow and change as I do. I gotta say, I love each and every arrangement.
