The Cheat Sheet to Stylish Shelf Display (6 Easy Tips!)

We all have our little collections of the things we love. Some collect Hello Kitty collectibles, and others collect books, plants, toy figurines, candles, snow globes, crystals, and so much more.

Instead of randomly placing these items in bookshelves, or cluttering up empty surfaces in a miserable attempt to show them off, how about using them to properly style your shelves?

With our 6 easy tips, you’ll finally be able to create that professional-looking display showing off your favourite things in the world!

1. Be Yourself

Make sure that your shelves tell people exactly who you are by filling them with things you love. As long as you do that, a theme will gradually take shape, giving your display a subtle narrative with a strong message. Consider items and colours within the same category. For example, if you loved your Santorini honeymoon and want to share it, put together a mish mash of items that remind you of it. For example, the signature blue and white colours, etc.

2. Different Heights

Make your display look effortless simply by putting objects of different heights together.  One thing you can do is imagine a triangle when arranging your items, with smaller things forming the base, while your tallest item forms the peak.

3. Different Textures

Textures go a looong way in making your space look different, and professionally put together. Use different textures to create and interesting depth within your display. This rule applies for every room in the house too!

4. Empty Space

If you don’t have enough things to fill up your shelves, don’t go rushing out to buy things to fill them up! Leaving some shelves empty and untouched helps to make your room feel more spacious, by making it look less cluttered.

5. Rule of Thirds

When grouping items in a display together, 3 is a good number to go by. Apart from being a photography trick, this rule of using odd numbers in design also helps to create aesthetically amazing visuals.

6. Vertical Space

As always, make sure to use your vertical space. Given the space restrictions in our lovely little Singaporean homes, you definitely want to make use of all the available space you can. Use mirrors, art, or even vertical shelves on the wall to put together a display you’ll adore.