SHELF CARE

Gather your most beautiful books, prettiest plants and treasured trinkets! We have eight inspiring shelving ideas to help you showcase your stylish finds...

Shelves are one of the great unsung heroes of home décor. Not just a practical storage solution, they're also a way to showcase who we are and what we love through the unique, curated selection of items we choose to display. But, of course, it's not always easy to keep them looking neat and clutter-free. The secret is to choose the right type of shelf for the space - for example, while slimline shelves look sleek and streamlined, they may not be the best choice for a kitchen, where a deeper, sturdier design is ideal for jars and recipe books. So, read on for eight ways to add more shelving to your home and then let the styling commence!

Open up

If you have a compact area to work with, overstuffed, large shelving units can look too bulky, so try more open designs instead. An open-back bookcase will help to make a room feel more spacious, and allow you to show off the paint, wallpaper or panelling behind. Try a half-panelled and half-painted wall to add a contemporary visual centre point, and leave space between accessories and books to retain that open feel.

Maximise an alcove

Nooks and alcoves are prime for both built-in and free-standing shelving so, if you have one, don't miss your chance to add a shelf or several here! For a bespoke fit, go for built-in cupboard-and-shelving combo units, or made-to-measure shelves. This can be pricey, but DIYing your own is a fairly simple job - see our DIY tips on the next page. A free-standing bookcase is a more flexible option if you like to switch things around regularly, and you can even cheat the look of built-in shelving by painting it to match your wall colour.

Float an idea