After my office reveal went live, the questions came flooding in on how to get the perfect effortless look for styling shelves and built-ins. I’ve put together a full tutorial for you for how to source the perfect items and some things to consider when placing them. Shelves should have both functional and design elements.

Step 1: Gather Your Items

The most fun part of shelf styling is sourcing all your items! I always recommend shopping your house first! See what you have to start and if you need more items, my favorite places to find them is Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Thrift or Antique Stores!

You want to try and find items that fit within these 4 categories:

Plants: aim for variety in the color and texture of the foliage, as well as the planter itself. I love using similar color pots with texture variation.
Baskets & Storage: these are useful items on your shelf! Fabric boxes can be used to store documents or extra desk supplies, and baskets can be a catch all, cord storage, or anything else you need!
Frames: I love having a mix between framed art and family photos
Decorative Objects: These can be things like a clock, figurines, books, or wood accents

Step 2: Sort the Items

Once you have sourced all your items, group them by type so you can easily grab the items you need and see all your options at the same time.

Step 3: Style!

When placing your items on the shelf you want to give adequate spacing between similar types of objects, as well as similarly shaped objects. Give space vertically between plants and don’t place two similarly shaped objects side by side. For example, I wouldn’t place two circular objects beside each other like a planter and a round basket, instead I would break it up with a rectangular shaped item such as a frame or a fabric box.