I love a blank canvas! George and I moved into our new home in August of 2020 and we went through the whole house and repainted it (from sandy tan to Agreeable Grey – IYKYK) so that we could have a fresh clean blank canvas to make the place our home.

One area that I have particularly struggled with though are the beautiful wood bookshelves in our living room. Having a dedicated office I already had a space for books so then – what goes here? Do I put all the things on them? Nothing on them? Pictures? IT WAS TO MUCH! So I simply left them empty for the past few months until I finally got the bug to get these babies filled.

A lot of the items that found there home in the bookshelves we have collected over the years (I bought the “J & A“ at a thrift store in Amarillo the first year we were married) and some are new finds that I will share below. Once all the pieces were put in place, I decided to put together a few tips that will hopefully help you find the perfect arrangement for your space!

1. Have a variety of items – I love knickknacks and the more quirky or unique the better. There is something so fun about having a variety of pieces that express your personality or bring you joy that can all come together to make something beautiful. Think about different sizes, shapes and texture of pieces (I.e. glass or wood), this allows the eye to jump around and gives a unique and unified look.
2. Work one shelf at a time – work to get one shelf filled and then work your way up or down. I started in the middle (where my eyesight naturally goes) and then worked my way up. Of course things were then moved around once I took a step back but it helped me not get overwhelmed with trying to fill 5 shelves and just focus on one at a time.

3. Careful not to overcrowd – there is a fine balance between being intentionally crowded and cluttered crowded. Make sure that everything has room to breathe, you want to give the impression that everything was placed there by perfect chance with a tad of intentionality.

Home styling is definitely something that is new to me but having a new home that is virtually a blank canvas has given me so many opportunities to play with what my “home style” is and what I like/dislike. I hope these tips help you create your ideal space in your home!

I want to hear from you! What is your home style? Do you have any additional bookshelf styling tips?

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-XO, Ashton