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PLAY WITH ASYMMETRY
Once you’ve gathered together the objects you’ll be styling your shelf with (although it’s always good to be flexible about this and add or take things away while you’re arranging), it’s time to start actually placing them on the shelves.
While a symmetrical arrangement might be pleasing on the eye, it’s quite traditional – possibly even a little dull. If it’s not quite perfect too, you’ll really notice that something’s off. Better, we think, to go for an asymmetrical but visually balanced look.
If you’re styling a set of shelves, one above the other, an easy way to achieve this is to think in diagonals. Picking out the objects that feel visually strongest (perhaps that’s the white crockery, because the wall behind the shelves is dark, or it could be your cookery books) and place these (or groups of them, more on that to come) diagonally to each other as you progress down the shelves. Then, fill in the spaces left with your other pieces.
On one single shelf, use a similar way of thinking – balancing out the visually ‘stronger’ objects – but laterally instead of diagonally. Perhaps you have quite a large vase at one end. Rather than repeating the same vase at the opposite end in a symmetrical way, balance its size with a group of several smaller objects instead.
AND SPEAKING OF WHICH… GROUP LIKE-ITEMS – THEN MIX THEM UP
We always like to create little clusters of objects. So that might be a set of four tumblers, a stack of plates, or a trio of decorative bottles. They don’t have to be the exact same designs, but some
similarity works best (those three bottles, for instance, might be different heights and shapes, but be united by the same material). Arranging them in this way means that you won’t have lone – and rather lost-looking – objects floating around, or a disparate display of many individual but unconnected pieces.
That said, we’d also suggest not grouping all your like-items together in one spot. So, say you have six wine glasses and six champagne flutes, break these two sets up and place six on one shelf and six on another (or in different spots of the same shelf ). Then do the same with stacks of stoneware bowls and plates in between.
Don’t forget to think about the way you vary heights, as well as types, of things across your display too. Place a horizontal stack of plates beside a vertical group of glasses, or give them more height by adding a bowl or two on top.
Finally, consider how you mix things up along the depth of the shelf as well by slipping in paintings and stood-up plates behind smaller objects.
Spreading materials, shapes and orientations around your shelves will, again, make things more interesting and visually balanced.
For more shelf and surface-styling inspiration, there’s nothing quite like a trip to one of Neptune’s beautiful stores. You’ll also find their crockery, glassware and other table top designs to populate your shelves with in their dining collection.
Neptune Edgbaston, 16-18 Harborne Road, Birmingham, B15 3AA
www.neptune.com/Edgbaston
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