A continuing compendium of tips and tricks from Home & Garden Television:
Those with a surplus of shelves in your home, take heart.
Whether they’re built-ins, bookcases or decorative wall ledges, there are as many ways to accessorize
shelves as there are things to accessorize them with.
Unlike furniture arrangements and paint-color selection, decorating a shelf can and should be changed on
a whim.
Go ahead and try something new, and if it doesn’t appeal, try something else.
Here are expert tips that will have you accessorizing shelves like a pro.
1. Put your passions on display. First, consider what you love. Your interests and hobbies should come
through in your accessories.
2. Group like with like. Unite shelf displays by grouping items by theme, color, shape, texture or
material.
3. Show off your collections.
Whether you collect birdcages or buttons, sculpture or shells, transferware or teacups, any collection
you love deserves pride of place in your home.
4. Go big and bold. Several tiny tchotchkes on a shelf will only collect dust and look like jumbled
clutter. Instead, choose bigger, bolder accessories that will stand out. Collect whatever strikes your
fancy, as long as you can see it from across the room.
5. Forget symmetry. Rather than a matching set of mirroring objects, go for asymmetrical arrangements of
three, five or seven objects, setting them off-center to add a subtle element of surprise.
6. Vary the height of accessories. A big shelf-decorating don’t is lining up items of the same height.
Their uniform size can appear flat and boring.
7. Add sparkle and shine. Glass, crystal and silver objects make shelf arrangements literally shine.
8. Create layers on shelves. In addition to height, consider depth when decorating shelves.
9. Keep it spare and simple. While layering accessories works well in traditional or eclectic settings, a
streamlined approach is fitting for contemporary and modern spaces.
10. Arrange your books like art. If you have a large collection of books, consider arranging them by
color for instant bookshelf pizzazz.
11. Display art in creative ways. Don’t relegate photos and art to walls only. Shelves are great display
spots, too, and they make it a snap to regularly rotate new pieces into your home gallery.
12. Look up and lock down.
Don’t forget the tops of bookshelves or kitchen cabinets when scouting spots to accessorize.
Placing objects there can highlight tall ceilings or simply provide space to display big, dramatic pieces
that won’t fit on the shelves below.
13. Shed light on your arrangements.
As a finishing touch, illuminate shelves to spotlight the arrangements.
(Courtesy Leah Hennen For thousands of other ideas visit www.hgtv.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News
Service.)
