Shelfie : Neutral & Sophisticated

Shelfie : Neutral & Sophisticated - roomfortuesday.comI have another new series for you… I know, two new introductions to the blog in one week- I must be insane, but I’m excited to share some fun new content! Allow me to introduce my new “Shelfie” series. I get sooooo many questions about shelf styling and it just happens to be one of my very favorite things to do (some people get stressed and go for a jog… I restyle my shelves), so I thought it might be helpful to create a variety of shoppable shelfies for you, as well as tips & tricks for making a built-in vignette look its best. I’m planning to explore LOTS of shelf styles of all different budgets, but first up in the series is a neutral and sophisticated shelfie. Click through to see & shop it!

Obviously this series is self indulgent for me. I can’t even tell you how much fun I had putting this post together! If I thought shelf styling was fun in real life… virtual or digital shelf styling is on a totally different level (and there is zero chaos or cleanup behind the scenes, WIN). Hopefully you’ll be into this series as much as I am!

You can click directly on the objects styled into the shelf to shop! I thought that would be easiest. If you’re wondering about scale- I tried to find objects under 12″ tall, to fit on standard size shelves (excluding the plant). I also tried to keep them as close to scale as possible.

If you’re wondering where the books are sourced, I prefer to run to the local thrift store for inexpensive books. Every once in awhile I’ll splurge on a “coffee table” book for a shelf, but most of the time, since it’s styled into a shelf, it’s not as accessible for people to pick it up and turn through the pages. Therefore, it’s typically books I’ve read and want to keep, or filler books with beautiful spines and covers from the thrift store. I usually spend between $1 – $5 per book at my local consignment shop, and trust me when I say, they have some GOOD content. All of that to say- if you’re in need of books for styling, check there first and save yourself some money.

Bonus points if your shelfie includes a couple vintage items! I feel like if you’ve been following me for awhile, that goes without saying. I’m a big fan of inserting objects from travels into my shelves… so be sure to add a bit of your personality and flavor in that way as well.

I have a TON of ideas for upcoming Shelfie posts and wanted to share my brainstorming session below. Let me know which ones sound appealing to you, or which ones you’d like me to tackle first.

Other upcoming Shelfie ideas for the series:

  • Shelfie Doubles // Styling Two Built-ins or Shelves for a Balanced Look
  • Shelfie Boho // A Curated and Collected Shelf with a Boho Vibe
  • Shelfie Budget // Style An Entire Shelf Under $100
  • Shelfie Artsy Modern // Styling a Modern Eclectic Built-in
  • Shelfie Blue (or any other color) // Monochromatic Objects for your Shelf in Hues of Blue
  • Shelfie Narrow // How to Style Really Skinny Shelves
  • Shelfie Classic // Styling a Traditional, Timeless, and Classy Shelf
  • Shelfie Splurge // The Coolest Designer Decor for Your Built-in
  • Shelfie Colorful // How to Insert A Lot of Color Into Your Shelf
  • Reader Shelfie // Virtually Style a Reader’s Shelf

I’d also love your ideas for future Shelfie posts- if you’d drop a comment below, I’d be forever grateful! Let me know what you’re into and if you’re excited to follow along with this new series. I’m hoping to take the guesswork out of shelf styling for you guys.

PS… pricing for all of the objects is shown in the slider below- just hover above each item.

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6 Comments

  1. Oh I love this idea and look forward to reading all about each one!

    What about tips for book heavy shelves?…We are a real book hoarding/reading family and have more books than stuff on our shelves. It’s tricky to make the shelves feel styled/curated with so many books – there are just not that many great examples out there. Turning the spines around just wouldn’t work for us either. I did the rainbow thing for a bit but it made finding a book harder so it’s only implemented on some shelves of like genre. I’ve considered recovering all the books with a the same paper but I’m just not sure about it. We’ve edited books again and again but have a hefty amount we aren’t willing to part with and I struggle with keeping it from looking cluttered because of all the different book spines.

    1. Oohhh I LOVE that idea, Melissa! I’m a big fan of mixing all the colors together. I’ll add that one to the list. Thanks so much for your feedback :)

    2. We recently purged books and reorganized our very book heavy shelves that we’re feeling cluttered. I took off all of the jackets from our hard copy books and it made it so much better. The spines all tend to be more muted and less in your face without the jacket. Our paperbacks are still a problem though.

  2. I love this series idea!! All awesome future post ideas, but I’m most looking forward to Doubles, Budget, Blue, Narrow, and Classic. :)

    1. Thank you, Julie!! I’ll add those to the top of the list :) xo

  3. Kathy Roberson says:

    I would love to see something about styling and balancing double shelves, if that means 2 on either side so a total of 4. You can even use mine as a reader’s example!