If i’m learning anything about how I approach designing a space, it’s that I need to follow my inspiration when it strikes. However, this is often at inconvenient times and not part of the plan or renovation schedule.

My shelf styling re-design inspiration hit thanks to this rattan double shelf unit, that I picked up from Revival Vintage in Austin only after it went on sale, because I don’t exactly need another shelf.

The main issue with our dining room before was that with high ceilings even a gallery wall of 11x17 frames or our largest piece of art was dwarfed in the space. I’ve also been hoping to find a better home all the pretty glassware I shove into any cabinet I can find.

I always assumed we would solve this when I start tackling the bigger renovations of this room, but my biggest lesson so far is that I truly love iterative design in spaces.

So we’re going to take the long way home folks and I will take you along for the ride.

Tiki Bar Cart Styling

Dining Room Shelf Styling

Styling the shelves

Thrifting List

I usually style with what I have, focused on the utility of the space. But with that in mind, I have a list of rotating items that I keep an eye out for when i’m thrifting or at vintage shops. For the dining room area that list includes;

Pretty, unique and/or vintage glassware: right now I am feeling cobalt accents and have always bought green in the past.
Quality classic glassware: I am a big fan of the get what you need to get by (aka cheap thrift store wine glasses you don’t love) and play the long game for quality pieces you love. Pretty much all my current wine glasses are ready to be traded up as soon as I find the right thing.
Cool cookbooks and bar books: favorite thing to pick-up at a thrift because high-end cookbooks can be so expensive new and 9 times out of 10 I only use them for a handful of recipes. So I like to pick up unique or vintage cookbooks that I can style with but still might actually use.
Acrylic and crystal accessories: I like that these feel sort of era-less but have a retro vibe so you can find items new (like by bar cart from Facebook Marketplace that was originally CB2), my favorite Taschen book stand, vintage wine bottle holder from Room Service Vintage, and candlestick holders which I can almost always find at Goodwill.
Apothecary bottles
Bud vases
Small baskets
Vintage table linens, napkin rings, bar ware (stir sticks, etc.)

Tips to achieve a #shelfie you love

I take pretty much anything that could live in the space I am styling (even pulling from other rooms) and lay it all out, physically playing with different combinations until I get a general idea of direction, for me the most important elements are:

Anchor with something you love. I started with this mid-century kitsch nip slip print that makes any wall my favorite wall. She lived in corners before, but I brought her to the dining room to be the focal point, this made it easier to style everything minimally without trying too hard to create visual intrigue, it also took less pressure off of loving every item on the shelves. This could be a collection of pottery for you, vibrant glassware, or anything that you want to pop out of the composition.
Sticking to a few colors you naturally already have in your collection, but not so strict that you can’t try a bold accent outside your color scheme. Especially as seasons and/or tastes change you can play with your accent colors. When in doubt, you can always go monochrome especially if you have a lot of one really bold color.
Edit, edit, then edit some more. You don’t need to fit everything you could use on the shelves, so think of “sets” you might want to display. You can always rotate out sets you don’t use or fall out of love with but then you don’t have to destroy everything to swap items out.
Consider utility, but hold it lightly. I picked one shelf for all my “regular use” glassware like wine glasses, these are clear glasses that wouldn’t matter if it got a little messy or chaotic, the other sets are more for special occasion purposes and will stay styled most of the time.
Scrap greenery or air plants over short-lived flowers or fake plants - no muss no fuss.