My Ideas on Shelf Styling

With our walls now repainted, I had fun styling the shelves in the family room and changing things around. It really got me thinking about the way I like my shelves filled... am I more of an airy, open spaced person, or do I like them stock full of things? I guess, depending on the function and purpose, maybe a little bit of both! Here is the way our shelves are styled (for now):

Sticking with a fairly neutral palette of whites, gray/blues and black, the purpose of these shelves is to mainly show off my favorite accessories while also keeping the bottom shelf practical for pillow storage. Since this space isn't for library storage, I'm able to keep parts of the shelves open to breathe. In my opinion, every nook and cranny of the shelves doesn't have to be filled with things... it's also great to keep a light, airy feel in some of the spaces. Some of the shelves have the items centered, so then others will either be off to the right or left to help balance the space and give some interest. I like when things are in front of others, stacked on each other or leaned up against the back of the shelf- the different combinations make for an interesting aesthetic. That all being said, there are other times when it's necessary and beautiful to have the shelves filled to the brim- the results can be amazing!

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Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Simple on Pinterest

The shelves in these amazing spaces are very full, but work beautifully! They still have a very chic style about them, because of their thoughtful mix of the practical and pretty. Even though these shelves seem to be filled, they still have some airy, open spots to breathe. You can tell they have been well thought out!

So how about you... do you like your shelves to breathe or do you fill them up???