How to style a shelfie.

What even is a ‘Shelfie’?

A “Shelfie’ is relatively new term, that has taken social media by storm and basically translates as ‘Putting a few random items on a shelf and making them look pretty!’

Of course, people have been displaying their ‘knick-knacks’ on shelves for years, but these days it has become more of an artform! It's not only a good way of giving the impression that you’re ‘down with the kids’ on Instagram, but it can also be a really fun and relatively inexpensive way of creating interest in your home.

Beautifully curated shelfie in the stunning home of @gemcwade

Just follow these few simple steps and you too could be the proud owner of an ‘Instaworthy Shelfie’ or two.

First things first.

Find yourself a shelf! Pretty much any shelf will do the job.

You may have a bookshelf jam packed with books, gathering dust and seldom read. Or perhaps you have a solitary shelf, over a radiator in the hallway, which serves as a dumping ground for junk mail and unopened bank statements. You may be lucky enough to have some shelves that are purpose built for displaying your collectables but you’ve just got a bit bored with them always looking the same.

Maybe you're actually a shelf-less home and you wish to invest in some. You needn’t spend a fortune as small wall hung display shelves can be picked up at a relatively low cost online or from various high street stores (click on images below for links.)

Of course a shelfie doesn't have to be on an actual shelf! Any surface will do, a windowsill, the top of a cupboard or chest of drawers, a mantlepiece or even the seat of an unused chair

A vintage nursery school chair makes a pretty surface to display some of my coveted books.

Dream up your theme.

I personally am a huge fan of colour themed shelfies, as I have a penchant for displaying all my worldly goods in a colour coded fashion!

A few colour themed items gathered together from around the house gives these vintage shelves a springtime makeover.

If colour isn't really your thing, try grouping like items together, such as glass, animal themed or how about anything gin related (that's another one of my favourites!) You may just fancy displaying a few items that have special memories, that’s fine, on a shelfie anything goes!

A lovely tropical themed Shelfie from @hall_farm_cottage

Search and Rescue

Next it’s time to curate the items that are going to go on your Shelfie. Start by scouring the house for any thing you may already own that will go with your chosen theme. Always bear in mind that ‘size matters’, take any height, width and depth restrictions into consideration when gathering your goodies to make sure they fit!

Still not enough to fill your shelf….how about rescuing one or two items from a car boot sale or charity shop. Worth remembering that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

Think outside the box

Try to use all the space available. Not just ON the shelf but around it and also behind it, on the wall at the back of your unit.This gives another dimension to your display.

Do the Shelfie shuffle.

After gathering all your treasures, you can start arranging your Shelfie. Try propping, piling and pinning. Stack similar coloured books and use real or faux plants to add interest. Shuffling it around until you’re happy with how it looks.

A beautifully styled Shelfie from the Queen of the Pocket String Shelf @nnekabolaji

Now it’s time to step back and admire your Shelfie styling skills! Whether you plan to share it on social media, or just have it for your own enjoyment. The beauty of a Shelfie is you can change it about so easily just by swapping around your display as often as you choose.

Happy Shelfie styling!