Decor For Living Room Shelves

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So now that Christmas is cleared out (hopefully!)

and everything is thoroughly cleaned and organized —

how about those living room shelves?

Are they feeling a little bare?

Do they need a little something??

Oh good!

‘Cause today I’ve got some ideas for you to

shop your home for

decor for living room shelves!

Maybe you’re like me

and have decor stashed away

that you can bring out every once in a while

to give things a fresh look.

And if you don’t —

don’t worry!

Just go hunting from room to room in your house

and try things you find that might work

for decor for living room shelves.

Here’s a list of things to look for:

BOOKS

Of course! (That’s why they’re called bookshelves!) Books are good for reading but books are also really great for decor. You can stack them to elevate other items…

or you can lean them to give a more interesting angle to your decor.

I think they look best with the paper jackets removed. And you know the spines don’t have to face out, right? If you want a more uniform color scheme with your books and the spines aren’t all the right color — just turn them around so the pages face out! (Just be aware that people are going to ask you why they’re facing backward and when you tell them it’s so they’re all the right color, they’re going to look at you funny…)

And If you have old books that you don’t really care about, you can paint them! See how to do that HERE

TRAYS AND BASKETS

Items placed on a tray or in a shallow basket just seem so much more ‘put together’ than just sitting on a shelf.

POTS, URNS, VASES

You can put plants in them or just use them empty for decor.

FRAMED PICTURES

Family photos and artwork bring a personal element to your room. I think family photos look best on living room shelves when they’re all framed identical and are matted like artwork.

PLANTS

Now the space is coming to life! Add real or faux (or a mix of both) plants to your bookshelves to bring in color and a fresh feel.

ITEMS WITH INTERESTING SHAPES

The deer antlers, bead garland, white stand with ivy topiary and dark candle pillar all add visual interest because of their shape.

And on the other side, the metal urn, vintage fan, and broken white granite baluster all have interesting shapes.

QUICK TIPS FOR STYLING DECOR FOR LIVING ROOM SHELVES:

Texture:

Be sure to add items with texture to your shelves. Plants, sea grass, wood, stone, metal, concrete all add visual interest because of their various textures.

Scale:

Fewer items that are larger scale look better than more items that are too small.

Balance:

Make sure to distribute colors, shapes and textures evenly across your display. If you have a wooden tray on the middle left shelf, put a wooden bead garland on the top right shelf. If you have a black vintage fan on the bottom left shelf, put a black picture frame on the top right shelf and a dark candle pillar on the lower right shelf, etc. Remember that odd numbers work best and don’t forget the ‘magic triangle’ (you can read more about balance HERE)