Essential Tips to Style Open Shelves
Open shelves styling is a simple and easy way to give your room a chic and eclectic look. An open shelf is a star piece of furniture, which can house books or vases in the living room, perfumes in the bathroom or stationery in the office. Its versatile character means that the design of this piece can be unique in terms of sizes and shapes.
In general, the decoration of open shelves can be complicated. For this reason, we have decided to share with you some ideas on how to decorate shelves and give them an uncluttered look.
Here are some open shelves styling tips that will help you create the perfect styled shelf.
Open Shelves Styling Tips
Open shelves make it easy to rotate your collections, so you can easily update your room or change your decor frequently. From African statues to Chinese plates, displaying your favourite pieces on open shelving can add style to any room in your home.
Let’s explore some of the shelf styling tips to make them look different.
Less is More

Contrary to what one might imagine, it is not always necessary to fill a shelf. Empty spaces, especially on small shelves, are essential to bringing dynamics to the display.
Balancing decorative pieces of various sizes is important to make your open shelf look neat. If too many smaller decor pieces are used, the shelf may appear disorganised. Combining them with larger or taller pieces fills the space without making things look excessively messy and boring.
Use of layers or level
It is also essential to give our space a casual touch, without being too meticulous. When designing your living room you can add layered open shelves. Layering or levels are about placing objects in a way that creates depth: by putting items in front of others. This rule works well with small mirrors and decorative plates, as these objects look great at the back and create the illusion of a bigger space without taking up much room. Here are some more designs you can create by using home decor mirrors.
Add Low Shelves in the Kitchen
Installing shelves at a lower height ensures its versatility. In this way, it can be used as a countertop, sideboard, rack or even a side table. In addition to being a great space for placing taller and more eye-catching decorative accessories, it also works as a support for cups and other everyday objects.
Natural Never Goes Out of Style

Between so many materials and objects, nothing adds a bit of life as indoor plants and flowers. They bring new textures and sculptural forms. Besides, indoor plants not only bring nature into your room but can also leave a positive impact on your mind and improve air quality. Look for plants with a visual appeal like fresh-cut flowers, pretty pots with your favourite easier-to-care-for plants, or a group of edgy cacti/succulents.
Here are some top plant nurseries in Dubai where you can find a range of indoor and outdoor plants for your home.
Don’t Miss the Books and Magazines

If you love reading, you know that books quickly accumulate in any corner and make your room look cluttered. To do this, you can design a book corner and place your favourite books and magazines on shelves as display pieces. In addition, it will be a plus for the decoration on your shelves.
You can also create a colour story with your books to enhance your room’s colour. If you are decorating a bookshelf, place the books in an orderly fashion, by sections and grouped.
You can even add some boxes or filing cabinets to make the task easier. Create a small personal library by using shelves to place books. However, it is always good to have a figure, plant or vase that collaborates in the decoration.
Add your Personal Touch
Never forget to give your personal touch with objects that bring back memories, since it is the most important thing in an intimate space. Paint the shelves with colours that you like best, and also display those treasures brought from recent trips. You can also add photo frames with the most beautiful memories for you.
Keep the Colour Palette Simple
Using so many colours on one shelf can ruin its style and overall look. It is always a good idea to stick with some natural colours such as white, grey, black or beige. You can also highlight the shelve with some metallic shades of copper, gold or silver.
Add Shallow Shelves
A shallow shelf is perfect for placing small treats hanging on deeper shelves. It also works great for displaying books with interesting covers, vinyl records, and even pictures. Using these types of shelves will help you in making your house look expensive.
This is all about open shelves styling tips. These open shelving ideas can give your room a chic and impressive look. It also creates visual interest and puts all your memories together in one place. If you are planning to rent an apartment in the UAE, make sure you follow these open shelves styling tips with your landlord’s permission.
For more home décor tips, stay updated on the UAE’s leading property blog .