Perhaps the simplest invention of mankind is shelves. They help to organize some things and arrange accessories for living room decor. Nowadays, for modern room interiors, shelves play a big role, but at the same time their main purpose - storing things - fades into the background.
Let's take a closer look:
- what interiors are the shelves intended for?
- their meaning;
- their locations;
- features and advantages of shelves.
Open wall shelf for books and accessories
Advantages of shelves in the living room interior
Shelves as a storage item are not the best option, unless of course it is a bathroom. As for the living room, the following are mainly placed on the shelves:
- TV and various household appliances;
- books;
- vases and dishes;
- live plants;
- accessories.
They become indispensable assistants who bring order, benefit and comfort to the living room.
Open shelves in the interior of a modern living room
Simple tips for decorating bookshelves
Let’s immediately separate two concepts: a carefully selected library and a certain number of books. This article will discuss storing such a volume of books (no more than 200 volumes) that does not require special library cabinets or shelving.
Regular store shelves serve as storage for books. Often combined with other pieces of furniture. It is these shelving units that can give your space an elegant look when designed professionally.
There are three principles that professional decorators use.
- Maintain a balance between aesthetics and the need to store books.
- Leave free space on shelves.
- Select books carefully.
Features of living room shelves in different styles
Each style has its own types of shelves. If the living room is designed in a high-tech or minimalist style, then shelves made of glass, plastic and metal are ideal. They must be open, but all fastenings must be hidden from prying eyes.
Weightless glass shelves in the living room
Wooden shelves are suitable for a classic-style living room. Typically these models are made of solid wood. They are most often left in their natural color.
Shelves for flowers and accessories
Shelves in Provence style living rooms are extremely rare. Multifunctional models for storing things are not provided at all in Provence. In such a living room it is permissible to use a decorative shelf made of tempered colored glass. You can place vases and figurines on them. Very rarely, the owners of such living rooms install open wooden shelves, but they must be painted snow-white. This will give them lightness and weightlessness.
Many open shelves in the living room interior
At first glance, the shelves for the Art Nouveau style living room look massive. Although together with other elements of furniture they are harmonious. In most cases, these shelves act as parts of modular walls, and in the most original interiors they are hung on the secondary side. But you should not overload the shelves, since the Art Nouveau style does not like clutter and a large number of things on them. One exquisite figurine, a couple of books and a small vase are enough.
Open shelves around the TV
For living rooms in pop art or art deco style, shelves with hanging elements are suitable. Usually this is a long and massive shelf, which is located almost under the ceiling itself. Such shelves should be light colors that will look light without overloading the interior.
Large shelving unit in a modern living room
When installing them, remember that the shelves will carry a certain meaning and greatly influence the overall interior of the living room. So, for example, if your models are made in an original shape and bright color, which attracts attention, then all other elements in the room should be more restrained. And accordingly, on the contrary, for a stylish and bright interior, the shelves are selected in calm tones and shapes.
Original open shelves
The choice of interior shelves should be approached consciously, because in this case you show your individuality. Thus, you make the interior unique.
Floor-to-ceiling shelving for storing books
Decorating techniques
Select content
On the shelves of a modern apartment you need to place books, three-dimensional objects (book holders, vases, sculptures, boxes, etc.), framed paintings, natural materials and green plants.
Choose a color scheme
It should match the style of the room and contain no more than three shades. This way the entire composition of the bookshelf will look assembled.
Layout diagram
Decide on the arrangement of large objects - symmetry, balance of volumes, triangle, multi-layered scheme. Achieve good placement of large items. Only then move on to smaller details.
How to arrange books
Use decorative bookends to keep them upright. Place books in a stack with a decorative piece on top. This will make the shelf look casual.
Place larger books on lower shelves. And provide free access to all books.
Use grouping
Decorators know that a group of 3 pieces always looks more attractive. Take advantage of this if your decor is not too large. But all three objects must have something in common (subject, color, material, shape, sequence) that will prevent the composition from falling apart.
Multi-layering
Remember that by arranging the decor of bookshelves, you create a three-dimensional composition. It has a background (a wall or wall), a foreground (the decorative element itself) and a background, which is often forgotten. Experienced designers immediately take into account the influence of the background of bookshelves on the color palette of the interior. Often they plan to make it more saturated or contrasting. In the background, which provides depth to the composition, paintings, photographs, books with interesting covers, mirrors and other flat objects are placed.
Repeat accents
A visually interesting bookshelf can be made by placing several similar decorative items in different places. Use three of these items, such as vases. Position them so that they are the vertices of an equilateral triangle. Repeat this technique, but with stacks of books, moving the tops. Then put the books down. Leave free space on the shelves and add small decorations.
Remember the style
Of course, the design of the shelves should match the style of the room itself. Symmetry is characteristic of classic styles; minimalism requires more free space on the shelves. For shelves in country or Provence style, an abundance of cute trinkets and photographs in metal and wooden frames is desirable. Bookshelves in a loft-style apartment should not be filled to capacity with books. The free space offers views of the unique wall decoration.
Where to place shelves in the living room interior?
We decided to hang open shelves in the room - this is a great and interesting design. But it’s worth knowing the ideal places for their location:
- install shelves on any free wall, and use paintings, photographs, candlesticks with candles and other decorative items as decoration;
- the free space near the TV can be decorated with small wall shelves; this design looks interesting and original;
- If there is a free corner in the living room, fill it with wooden shelves and place your favorite books on them;
- lovers of fresh indoor flowers should definitely place hanging shelves on ropes and chains in the living room;
- If you decide to use glass shelves as decoration, then their best location would be free space near a window or balcony; they will not weigh down the space.
How to decorate open shelving shelves
Place books in boxes and baskets
One way to decorate a book shelf is to arrange them in low baskets and boxes. For example, sort them by author name or subject. This will make it easier to remove the book from the shelf, including in order to wipe off the dust.
Using this technique, experiment with the arrangement of volumes: covers up, or spines forward.
Design: LiLu Interiors
Tip: cardboard folders can be used to store two- and three-volume books; this will help in the visual organization of books and make the appearance of the shelving more impressive.
Leave some shelves empty
Sometimes you need to be inspired by emptiness to make the interior more interesting. This technique also works with open shelving decor. Leave some free space, this will add air and dynamics to the interior. In addition, empty shelves will help separate already arranged accessories from each other.
If you don't have a lot of storage space and leaving empty space seems like a luxury, combine open and closed shelves with doors and drawers. For example, for IKEA shelving, you can purchase removable doors and drawer inserts.
Photo: IKEA
Place objects symmetrically to each other
One of the effective and simple ways to make a shelving unit stylish is to use the “mirror principle”, when the right side of the cabinet is symmetrical to the left. To do this, arrange items that are identical or as similar as possible to each other in color and shape on two single-level shelves. Paired vases, baskets, boxes or candles will help with this.
Design: Sabal Homes
Hide the spines of the books
The “not for everyone” option is to hide the spines of the books back against the wall of the shelf. It looks impressive and will certainly add zest to the room, and will also help create a monochrome interior.
Why is the option “not for everyone”? Firstly, this solution is not suitable for people with dust allergies. It is much easier to wipe the spines of books. Secondly, if you are an avid book reader, it will be inconvenient to choose the next book, taking one by one from the shelf to see the title.
Design: Creation
Who might like it? Owners of large libraries who do not want to throw away ancient volumes, but also will definitely not read all the collections in the near future. We also recommend trying this technique for those who like experiments.
Create a design in several rows
One of the simple and working design techniques is to arrange objects in several rows. For example, on stacks of books there are small figurines or candles in candlesticks. This method makes small accessories more significant and noticeable.
Photo: IKEA
Use the front of the rack to decorate
We're used to framed photographs and small paintings being placed on shelves, but we rarely see anyone hanging them on the front of a shelving unit. In this case, the shelves behind the painting or poster can be left empty or you can put not very aesthetic, but useful things. If you choose the second option, make sure that the objects covered by the picture can be easily reached.
Design: Paces Construction Co
Arrange books by color
Arranging books by spine color rather than alphabetically is a way to make your home library stand out. The technique is suitable not only for owners of a large number of books: you can simply fill one shelf with colored collected works, and the second with black and white.
Tip: you can not only put books, but also stack them on top of each other.
Design: Kropat Interior Design
Avoid items that are too small
Very small items will most likely not add beauty to your shelving, but rather create visual clutter. Large objects will help hide mismatched book spines and chaos on the shelves, attracting the eye.
Design: Jonathan Raith
Make beautiful installations with your own hands
If you're a fan of small accessories, like bringing back seashells from vacation or growing succulents, create beautiful arrangements with them. Place shells in glass vases or aquariums, and small plants in candlesticks or decorative lanterns.
Photo: urbanoutfitters.com
Window shelves in the living room interior
Don't be afraid to bring to life the most daring design solutions. One of these is installing shelves in the living room between the window slopes. Basically, such models are suitable for gardeners. But to install them you will have to sacrifice the view from the window.
Small shelf with glass doors
You can use only half the window span so that the living room is equipped with natural light. Shelves for window slopes are light and weightless. Made as a shelf or ladder. They can comfortably accommodate small flower pots or accessories.
Large shelves on two walls in the living room
Shelves in a free niche for the living room interior
If you have a niche in the living room, be sure to use its free space. Install shelves in them that will transform it. The size and material of the products depends only on the dimensions of the niche and the style of the living room. To successfully decorate this area in the room, use some recommendations:
- If the niche is small in size, then place shelves on it from floor to ceiling.
- To get a more elegant look for the niche, use LED lighting in combination with the shelves.
- Not only illuminated shelves, but also its decoration will add special charm to the niche. The textures and colors should be much more contrasting than in the rest of the living room.
Extravagant shelves in the living room interior
The appearance of modern shelves is sometimes on the verge of a foul. Designers, realizing that shelves are a tricky item that will decorate any room, began to change their appearance beyond recognition.
Flower stand in the living room
Shelves that are mounted at an angle of 45 degrees look interesting and beautiful. They have minimal functionality, but the fact that they are considered interior decoration is a fact. Now such shelves are being created that depict:
- trees;
- geographic Maps;
- avant-garde figures and much more.
They will become the undoubted highlights of a modern interior.
Modular shelves in the living room
Shelves and cabinets in the interior of a modern living room
With modern innovative technologies, it is possible to replace paper books with electronic gadgets. But still, many people cannot resist collecting real books. To store them, special racks and cabinets will come to the rescue.
Modular wall with shelves and rack in the living room interior
Colored book spines will become a real decorative decoration for the interior of a living room of any stylistic direction. A traditional shelving unit is made of an open type with many shelves. This structure can play the role of an independent piece of furniture or be built into a free niche.
Types of racks and shelves for the living room
This rack can be additionally equipped with closed drawers with hinged doors. You can store things in them that you don’t want to put on public display.
It happens that the owners’ book collection may contain valuable publications that need to be protected from dust and direct sunlight; in this case, instead of open shelving, install bookshelves with glass doors. Install lighting on the shelves.
Snow-white built-in shelving in a niche
If you choose a floor-to-ceiling bookcase for your living room interior, then access to the upper shelves will be limited. In this case, equip the structure with a stepladder that moves on rollers. This element matches the overall style of the living room.
Modular floor shelves in the living room interior
Often in films you will see that behind a section of shelving there is a secret door to a secret room. This technique can be used for one-room city apartments. Your bed will be hidden inside from prying eyes.
Hanging and floor shelves for the living room
Around the shelving you can create a cozy relaxation area for reading your favorite books. Lay down a fluffy carpet, install a comfortable chair and a small coffee table.
Large built-in book shelf
If desired, the bookcase can be ordered according to an individual sketch. Your furniture will have the desired dimensions, finish and color. This will help you use every square meter in the living room more efficiently.
As you can see, shelves are present in almost every room. They are necessary to complement and decorate the modern living room interior. Remember, shelves can be either an independent item in a room or part of a furniture composition.
How to arrange decorative elements on shelves and racks?
In addition to the main design elements in the form of furniture, much attention is paid to decorative items. Gradually, the interior is supplemented with various memorabilia: figurines, books, paintings, vases and other little things. In this article we will tell you how to make these memorabilia a harmonious continuation of the interior of your home.
Advice. There can never be too many memorabilia, but it is not necessary to display them all in a prominent place; they should not clutter up the space, but be a pleasant addition to the decor. Therefore, it is recommended to use beautiful containers or wicker baskets to store them. To store the accessories of your home, you can choose containers that match the style and color of the shelves, which will not only organize all the little things, but will also look more neat.
Ideas for decorating shelves and racks
Maintaining balance
The lack of harmony or its presence affects the overall impression of the interior. When there are a lot of decorative items and they are quite varied in terms of size, shape and color, this can easily create an imbalance and the effect of the interior being overloaded with details.
To avoid disturbing the harmony in the appearance of the house, decorative items must be placed on the shelves in such a way that they match or alternate in size, height and shape. For example, you can place an elegant figurine next to a massive book, and carefully stack several books near a narrow and tall vase. It is important to remember that items should be combined and look like a single composition.
Symmetry
The essence of symmetry, as a technique for creating a composition, lies in the principle of placing objects, according to which: on the shelf there should be decorative elements of similar sizes, shapes and matching colors. In this case, the composition will make a pleasant impression and succinctly complete the look of the room.
Items on the shelf should be distributed in such a way that one side is in harmony with the other. For example, if there is a large vase on the upper right side, then the lower left corner should be filled with several small items.
Knowing of limits
The rack should not be overloaded with a large number of things throughout its entire area, this will create the impression of chaos. And beautiful things can get lost among simpler trinkets. It is necessary to leave about 30 percent of the space on the shelf free, and fill the remaining space with decorative items.
Combination with colors
The overall color scheme of your interior determines the shades of colors for decorative items. Things of the primary color should be placed in the foreground, and objects of neutral colors, matched to match, will serve as the background. To avoid imbalance, you should use no more than three colors when selecting the decorative components of the interior. The shades of decorative items should be derived from the colors used in the furnishings of the room. It is also worth paying attention to textiles; for example, the color of curtains can also serve as the basis for the selection of decorative elements.
It is recommended to use a shelving unit in neutral colors (white, black, gray, beige) if the decorative items are varied. At the same time, do not forget about the compatibility of the shelves with the surrounding environment and the decorative item; they should fit laconically into the interior. For example, a shelving unit made of dark wood will fit perfectly where there is furniture made of wood of the same shade and texture, and the decorative elements will be red, red and gold.
Upper shelves
Placing massive bulky things on the top shelves creates a feeling of heaviness that presses from above. It is short-sighted to place bulky objects above the horizon line. Decorative items should be distributed so that all these heavy objects are left on the lower shelves, and from eye level and above it is worth distributing more elegant items, fragile objects in light colors.
Selection of accents
If, after all the efforts to properly organize the decorative elements, the rack looks boring and faceless, then you can complement the composition with accents that can revive and create a more favorable impression of the decor.
Accents involve the use of things that differ from the main composition in color, shape or purpose. They can be placed so that the result is a geometric figure. Such accents can be a bright vase, a textured figurine, books with golden covers; accents can be placed both in the center and along the edges of the shelves at any height.
