Tips On How To Style Wall Shelves!

You know what they say about the best-laid plans? July 2020 was the day we broke ground to start our addition/renovation. My mother-in-law was going to move in with us, and the addition part was for her. Due to health issues, my mother-in-law moved in before all the work was done. Of course, her health was utmost on our minds, and a lot of things were put on hold.

Now that she is doing better, my husband was able to complete the wall unit she had been eagerly waiting for. It will hold all her antique collectibles.

With the unit finished we were able to start unpacking her antiques. She asked for help with styling the shelves since she liked what I did with my front room shelves.

While I was helping my mother-in-law, I thought I would share some of the tips and tricks I had learned over the years on styling shelves.

The wall unit has a space for her television, a desk area for her computer, multiple shelves for her antiques and the bottom is for storage which will have doors soon.

Audrey (AKA my mother-in-law) was like a kid in a candy store finally being able to bring out her treasures! These are just a few of the many boxes she has.

My husband built custom shelves for three of her favorite pieces. The pieces looked wonderful but needed more height. I used an acrylic base for the woman playing the lute and wooden ones for the bronze statues.

A trick I use to break up negative space is hanging something on the back of the shelf. In this case, I hung a decorative fan, but you can also use framed pictures.

Because the fan is the focal point it allows you to place items on either side.

Audrey wanted all her Asian pieces together. I used an acrylic riser to balance the larger pieces.

To finish the shelf, three ivory pieces were added. The height of each item and the fan on the back of the shelf keep your eye moving so you appreciate each piece separately and as a whole vignette.

The last shelf we worked on holds Audrey’s "Moss Rose" collection.

Because the pieces were so small and were very much alike, I had to find a way break it up.

Audrey had a small glass curio box I thought would be good for vertical interest. I also used two acrylic shelves at varying heights to bring your eye around.

I am so glad I was able to help my mother-in-law to style her shelves. We worked hard to get three shelves done and there are still boxes to be opened.

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