How to make a shelf look good: decorating floating shelves

Your guide to making a shelf look good

Open shelving can be a great addition to a room; it adds personality, flair and it’s a handy place to pop plants.

Well…in theory anyway; shelving is great, as long as it’s well styled and you don’t mind dusting regularly.

I have open shelving in my kitchen and I DREAD to think of how dusty it is up there; maybe its time for a bit of a spring clean…but let’s not get off topic.

The best way to make your shelf look good is to stop thinking of your shelf as a place to put stuff – it’s not storage, it’s a display. You don’t want it to end up as a dumping ground; think of it as a curation of your best bits only.

It’s all about getting the visual weight right when it comes to open shelves. To do this, you want to add different layers and different heights with things like candle sticks, vases, hardback books, bowls and picture frames.

Stacking books on their side and using them to balance trinkets and vases is a great trick. Pick books with pretty covers and colour coordinate them with your room scheme.

If your stuck for inspiration then Pinterest and Instagram have some great ideas to help you get started.

Decorating floating shelves tips:

Keep to a colour scheme
Choose strong brackets to hold it up
Paint the shelf in a contrasting colour to make it ‘pop’
Add lighting
If you’re in the kitchen planning/building phase, add a plug socket where your shelf is going to be so you plug in your lamp or your Alexa

How do I make my shelf look pretty?

Fresh or dried flowers in a vase definitely add a lot of prettiness to a shelf, but other little touches like a mirror or a disco ball are also cute; they can bounce light and sunshine around your room – resulting in a really gorgeous effect.

How do I make my shelves look expensive?

To make your shelf look good and expensive it has to be fitted right. Make sure it’s screwed in tightly to the wall and the wall itself is in good nick; fill in any holes and paint over any marks etc.

When it comes to the shelf, again, make sure it’s in good condition: freshly painted with no chips or cracks.

Lighting is a great way to make a shelf look more expensive: fairy lights for something pretty and strip lighting for something more sleek. However, I’d avoid any coloured lighting as it tends to look tacky and will date very quickly.

What are cute things to put on shelves?

There are so many cute things you can put on a shelf and most people with opt for plants, books, vases and picture frames. Layering art work is a really great way of making a shelf look good too.

The key here is to make sure the shelf is a reflection of you and your personality, find the balance between too much and too little, but here are some ideas to get help you feel inspired:

Plants
glassware
vases
crockery
books
pictures
awards
magazines
musical
instruments
bags
accessories
prints
mirrors
disco balls
crystals
shells
fruit bowls
fresh flowers
stationary pots
lamps
candles
neon signs
trinkets
memorabilia
antiques

How do you dress up a bookshelf?

There are so many different ways to dress up a book shelf, it just depends on your own personal taste and aesthetic. Organising your books in height order is a good way to keep them looking tidy, but you could also organise them by colour (my personal favourite) or back to front so you only see the beige and the brown colour of the pages.

As well as the above, you should leave space in between books for plants or sculptures. This will make it look curated and like you know what you’re doing – which you do, of course!