Homewear is one of the things I absolutely love shopping for and although I have all these treasures that I love, sometimes I struggle with how best to display them. When I decorate, I focus so much on getting the big things right in a room, that I forget about the smaller, more decorative items. A blank wall, even if it’s painted or papered, can stick out like a sore thumb and still seem bare.
Not only does adding a dresser or some shelving to display pieces of your favourite crockery, pottery and accessories on really helps create an interest, as well as a talking point in the room. It’s also the perfect way to add accents of colour.
Today, I’m giving you three simple ways to arrange your favourite things.
Choosing where to put your items is the easy bit, how to arrange them is where I struggle sometimes. It’s not as easy as just placing them down randomly! That’s why I’ve got three simple rules of thumb from the lovely ladies at Cream Cornwall to share with you to think about when deciding on placement to create the perfect ‘shelfie’.
Pyramid
Height plays a big part in the importance we place on objects. The pyramid formula, which is often used as a visual merchandising technique in retail spaces, uses differing levels of height to draw your eye around objects. Starting with the most important and tallest object in the middle of the triangle. Each object gets shorter and attracts less attention as your eyes reach the bottom left and right ends of the shape.
Allison has used the pyramid formula to create this look in her bathroom at home. Using a selection of corals as well as her own accessories, she has created height in the middle of the display by using fan coral stems to highlight the stunning shell mirror on the wall. By decreasing the height of the coastal accessories on either side of the stems, the viewer’s eye is slowly drawn down the sides of the display.
Layers
Another effective way to style is by using the method of layering. By placing objects in front of as well as on top of each other, you can create a sense of depth and captivate your guests. It also helps your shelfie to look less staged and more organic. It’s a useful way to create hierarchy and a sense of belonging too. Placing your most treasured objects at the front of a layer brings attention to them and shows them off.
Here, Rebecca has used the layering method to style this corner of her home in three different ways. She has placed flowers in jugs to add extra height and situated each object in front of one another, creating a really colourful display. She has a varied collection of art, corals and ceramics which when grouped together create a gorgeous eclectic look.
Odd Numbers
It’s a characteristic of humans to look for patterns in everything. When we spot an anomaly that breaks a pattern, we are forced to take notice of it. This theory also applies to objects. If you have a look at the drawing here, there are a variety of shapes coupled together and then a group of three shapes on the right. This is a really good styling technique if there are particular accessories that you want to draw attention to.
Vicki has taken a photo of her shelving unit at home to show us how she uses this method. She has grouped the octopus jug and coral as a pair and the candlestick and conch together. But the white shell, pampas grass and bottle on the right stand as a three. Although the groups that are paired both use colour, the group on the right still attracts the viewers attention due to the odd number of items.
Hopefully, you enjoyed these shelfie tips and tricks. If you follow some of these rough guidelines they should help you to create an insta-worthy space in your home that looks effortless! I’ll be giving them a go for sure. Wish me luck. If you do try them tag me (@lojovstheworld) and Cream Cornwall (@creamcornwall) in your Insta shelfies!
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