3 Need-to-Know Tips for Styling Swoonworthy Shelves and Tables
Whether you are selling a home or listing it with VRBO or another vacation rental agency, the most important factor in getting client interest is the photography. What curb-appeal used to be in marketing a property, has been taken over by how well the interior is staged and photographed. Resort hotels have known this for years!
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Finishing touches to an interior design are what make a space (and its photos!) feel comfortable and inviting. So shelves and table surfaces are important real estate in the landscape of property staging! They offer another dimension of style, personality, and sense of place to every room.
Here’s how to arrange those horizontal planes to stage a winning welcome to your buyer or guest.
Tip #1: You Can't Go Wrong with Groupings
Less is more when selecting decorative pieces for a surface. Group items in numbers of 3, 5, or 7. It may seem counter-intuitive, but even-numbered groupings have a way of dividing or polarizing the eye, where odd numbers give a sense of visual unity.
I always advise clients to use items at least the size of a grapefruit. Pieces smaller than that usually give the look and feel of clutter - not so good :)
Another way to bring a unifying feel to a tablescape is to gather decorative elements inside a tray or bowl, or arrange them on a platter.
Tip #2: Inspire Visual Interest by Varying Your Item Heights
Bring depth to the arrangement by using different heights of things. For instance a tall pillar could be effective next to a medium-sized round vase and then a shorter stack of books. Causing the eye to roam in an ascending or descending movement allows it to really explore and enjoy the space.
Varying color and textures in the grouping is another way to add dimensional interest. Combining items of glass, wood, and metal in an arrangement, for instance, is more satisfying to the eye than something that is all of one material.
Tip #3: Style Your Sections Asymmetrically
Bookcases are an opportunity to create balance and movement by combining principles of both symmetry and asymmetry! I don’t use more than ⅓ of the shelves in a bookcase for books (sacrilege to some, I know!) I also like to stack them instead of the conventional way they are kept on a shelf. If I do stand them up like you’re supposed to (I guess!), I will use half of them stacked as a bookend.
When there are two units of shelving adjacent to one another, I will sometimes treat them as mirror images. On one shelf I’ll line books up against the left side and shore it up on the right with a stack. Then on the adjacent shelf, I will do the opposite as a counterpoint.
You can also use asymmetry to your advantage. In one unit, put the stack of books on the top shelf. In the next unit stack them on the shelf one level lower. Go back to the first unit and stack books on one level below the second grouping, etc. This will cause the eye to move in a zig-zag pattern to really take in the whole of the arrangement.
A fantastic recipe I have often used in staging a table top or shelf is this: select one piece that is tall, one piece that is literary (coffee table book or stack of magazines, say), and one piece that is organic (an interesting stone or a geode, a ball of moss, a seashell, etc). Add candles or layered artwork for a larger surface if desired.
The purpose of styling your table and shelf surfaces is to add that often intangible layer of homeyness and welcome to your photos. Make your listing irresistible to prospects with these tips, and enjoy the benefits of owning a popular rental or selling a very desirable home!
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Warmly,
