Shelving

Shelving

Shelving

COLLECTING items that you love is a great way to make your décor a space that is unique to you. Displaying those items in unique and interesting ways will heighten their impact and add more appeal your décor. We'll focus on shelving for today and look at other display ideas next week. Here are some ideas to get you started. Use your imagination to see what kind of interesting displays you can create out of the items you have on hand.

Installed wall shelves are very useful when it comes to displaying treasured items. Shelves allow you to display many more items than you would normally have space for on table tops and countertops. You can create focal walls using unique shelving and accessories, create interest at the head of the bed or even a faux fireplace using a shelf as a mantle and painting a fake fireplace beneath. Shelves are great because they are fairly easy to install in most cases and they can be purchased in many sizes and designs. They can go with you when you move so they are a good investment for renters and homeowners alike.

The trick is to find or make unique shelves rather than using standard flat, boring shelving. Use floating shelving sets (or floating cubes) to create a more linear, modern look. The hardware is hidden with this type of shelving so the overall look is sleek and minimal which allows for your displayed items to take centrestage. Choose strong colours for the shelving, like black, to draw the eye to your display and use varying sizes and odd numbers of shelves to create a truly eye catching wall presentation. Hint: Don't hang any shelf much higher than eyeball height. You won't see the displayed items if the shelf is near the ceiling. Also, stagger the shelves to create an asymmetrical presentation for added punch.

Aside from wood shelving, consider other interesting products like glass, metal or stone (as one might incorporate when installing a brick fireplace).

What to display and how to do it right

Creating an interesting vignette with your treasured items can be a bit of a guessing game. To ensure that your items don't just look like a bunch of stuff on a shelf, try to follow these guidelines for placement. (These guidelines also work in other areas like on bookshelves, mantles or table tops.)

Display items that matter to you. That's first and foremost. These items may range from photographs to statues, from seashells to live plants. It doesn't matter what they are as long as they have some meaning; either sentimental, emotional or aesthetic.

Vary the sizes and shapes of the objects on display. A tall vase with a small picture frame beside it can create drama merely by the differences in scale. Play with the scale of your items until the setting looks good in your eyes.

Vary the finishes and textures of the objects. Mix shiny with textured (like metal with wicker) and smooth with rough (like smooth glass and porous stone).

Colour is important. Play with colour by adding a splash here and there where it might be unexpected. For instance, a red pillar candle beside a green plant on a bookshelf will draw the eye. Red is a great colour to use for impact as are orange, yellow and apple green. Don't overdo it unless that's the look you're going for. You want the eye to be drawn around the display and using punches of colour will help achieve that.

Vary the shapes of the objects on display. Round, square, wavy and straight all come together to create a positive visual experience. Mix it up.

Encompass the above guidelines on your grouping as a whole. If you have a display of three shelves over the sofa, vary the sizes, shapes, colours and textures throughout the grouping, not just on a shelf by shelf basis. This same idea goes for a bookshelf or other display cabinet. Stand back and look at the display as a whole. Less is more. A cluttered shelf detracts from what you're trying to achieve. Each item on the shelf will compete with the other so place items of importance sparingly. Don't feel that you have to fill up the shelf or cover every inch of it.

A few hints about bookshelves

With respect to bookshelves, ensure that the spines of the books you display are at the very front of the shelf. Don't push them back into the back of the bookcase. You will achieve a more uniform and orderly look by using this technique and by grouping books with similar spines and of similar size together. Mix up the display by laying some books flat beside standing books and leave some open spaces here and there if possible. Mix in items like plants, candles (not lit of course) and small photographs frames here and there for added interest.

Other things to consider

Lighting: Ensure that your display is properly lit. Use spot lights where possible to highlight your wall displays and/or to keep bookshelves from looking gloomy.

Get weird: Always try something different. Ask yourself what other ways you can make the display more interesting. Perhaps you could hang items from the bottom of the shelves or maybe even hang the shelf on a slant (securing the items on top of course). Maybe the shelf could be mirrored or made of clear acrylic. Not every idea will work but you may surprise yourself at what you come up with. Change your display regularly: Small changes every so often will keep your décor fresh and up-to-date. (You'll have to dust from time to time anyway so you might as well mix things up at that time.) Switch an item here and there with a new piece or rearrange the display to create a whole new look. Mix in seasonal items like fresh flowers in summer or gourds in the fall.

Enjoy the items you've collected along the way by ensuring that they are displayed in a pleasing and eye-catching manner

NOTE: The comments contained on this web site are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.