People often wonder if open shelving is still in style, along with how to style the open shelves that they have. In this post you’ll learn all about the open shelving trend and a few tips on how to style your items.
Open shelving seems be everywhere these days. Personally I love the trend and am obsessed with open shelves in kitchens but you will see them in almost every room. From the bathroom, to the laundry room, from the front entry to the home office. They are a place to display a wide variety of items with elaborate decor to simple every day items.
Why open shelving?
This trend is actually not new at all. Having upper and lower cabinets is often thought of the norm but actually this wasn’t the case until the 1920’s. In this article from Apartment Therapy its said that “Before then, people built their kitchens piece by piece, adding worktables and cabinets as required.” Meaning they often had open shelving before they had cabinets and door fronts.
Just like clothing trends we see home design trends that get recycled and popular over again and again. As we see open shelving today, it is often combined with runs of closed cabinets.
How to Style Open Shelves
Open shelving can be tricky to style if you don’t have a whole lot of experience. There are a few key design elements to think about when styling your open shelves. We will start with what to include in your open shelves.
- Use varying heights and shapes – like candle sticks, vases, baskets, and books
- Group in odd numbers – 1, 3, or 5 are my favorite
- Use Multiples – multiple stacks of books, vases, frames
- Add Greenery – greenery whether real or faux helps bring life onto your shelves
- Include Layers- by bringing depth to your shelves
Gather all of the items you’d like to style your shelves with and we will look at the concept of balance.
Our eye loves similarity and symmetry. We will start styling your open shelving by adding your larger items first and spacing them evenly throughout. Then we’ll add in the second largest items keeping in mind varying your heights and groupings of odd numbers. Lastly, fill in empty spaces with your smaller items. Take a step back and take a picture to see if one side of the photograph feels heavier than the other. It is an easy way to know if your shelves feel balanced.
Or you can simply ignore all of these rules and display the things that are special to your family however you would like. It is ultimately up to you! Have fun with your design and make it a moment that is unique to your family.
Needing some home decor inspiration? Check out a few of my favorite home decor staples included here – Simple Home Decor Items That Look Good Anywhere.
Hope these tips helped you on your open shelving journey!
