How to Arrange Items on Shelves

[Julie-Ann]

I have spent hours this week rearranging bits and pieces on my glass kitchen shelves. I have moved everything around probably a million times. I thought this article had some great tips that we all might find useful.

Shelves not only provide storage space, they serve as decorative elements in your home, as they can be part of a room's decor in themselves, and they provide a location to place other items you want to display. When choosing items to store on your shelves, put some thought into what you select. A haphazard grouping of random items will create a chaotic and messy display. Instead, choose items that are visually appealing and perhaps hold some sentimental value to you and your family. Put thought into the way you arrange the items to create an eye-catching display.

Instructions

1. Choose items that suit the scale of your shelves. If you are using small shelves, don't plan to display large items on them, and vice versa; instead, place small items on small shelves and larger items on large shelves.

2. Pick items that complement the room the shelves are in. If you are arranging shelves in a child's room, display stuffed animals and toys on them; in a living room, opt for family photos and souvenirs from vacations.

3. Create a succession of height. Place taller items in the back or on the ends of shelves. Place shorter items in the front or toward the middle of the shelves. This will allow the eye to see everything displayed on the shelf and avoid items from getting becoming blocked. If some of the items you want to display are very short or small and you're afraid that they won't be seen, set them on top of decorative boxes or a stack of books.

4. Avoid creating a display that is too bland or too busy. Grouping too many different colored objects together may create a display that is too busy, while a display that has too much of one color may be bland. Instead, place a mixture of items in the same color family but in different hues; or choose colors that complement one another. A display that features different shades of blue, or one that is made up of red, pink and purple items, is visually interesting.


Do you have display shelving in any rooms in your house? Maybe a bookcase or some open shelves in a room. What have you placed on your shelves?

[rosierose]

I am not great at grouping items and so your article helps but it really trial and error. On one side of my kitchen I am having open shelving...and have been collecting some pics of kitchens with open shelving and their arrangements have given me some ideas which I will attach,........

[Julie-Ann]

Very much trial & error Rosie. I have played around with these shelves to the point I can't go past them without moving something. But I think I have finally worked out what I want. Of course that doesn't include the 3 glass cabinets above the fridge that still need to be worked out. More fiddling to be done.

[LDH]

Thanks for those images rosie rose!

The top shelves in the kitchen we will be moving into is open shelving, like large rectangular cubes with one shelf running hotizontally. I have been thinking about how to make these interesting so your pics have given me a few ideas! We have some nice antique glassware. Lots of amber glass and various turquoise colours. I was going to use those in sections and some san pelligrino bottles in another section and just keep adding interesting bits until it looks complete. If anything the risk is being too bland as everything at the moment is mostly white in terms of crockery etc.

[rosierose]

Pellegrino bottles are great on display........and I love white jugs and crockery.......... it really is a bit of have a play and see....but I like to have something to look at to go from........ I love the idea of antique glassware and I also love jars with various goodies.....

The worry is it could look like a shelve at St Vinnies (that's how bad my styling skills are LOL)


J-A can we get an update on your cupboard arrangement yet?

[Julie-Ann]

Gorgeous pictures Rosie..
Well I have been fiddling with the kitchen shelves all weekend. I now know exactly what I want to put there. So later today I hope I can find everything. So give me a day or 2 and hopefully it will be finished. Pictures will follow- I promise.