‘Shelfies’ have become a bit of a phenomenon in interior design thanks to social media. I guess they have always been around, but thanks to Instagram and Pinterest there is literally no escaping from them. When it comes to adding decorative items to your home, you really can’t beat a well curated shelf. I definitely think less is more. Don’t be tempted to display all your items at once (it’s much more fun to rotate them seasonally anyway). Keep it simple, but do pick different type of pieces to create some interest.This month Wayfair challenged me to update a shelf with some stunning planters from Ivyline. In case you’re not familiar with Wayfair, they are one of the world’s largest online retailers of home furnishing and decor and I’m honoured to be part of their Home Experts community. Wayfair offer budget friendly finds to high-end products; they literally offer something for everyone! Now you may know that I haven’t had the best luck keeping my previous plants alive (I only have one or two at the moment), so I was desperate to give it another go. Luckily Wayfair have a huge selection of planters to choose from which is why I was excited to team up with them in this campaign.
When it comes to shelf styling I like to start with the larger items first and then work my way down to the smaller accessories. I knew that this hammered plant pot from Ivyline would be a real statement piece. I decided to pair it with the ‘it’ plant of 2018 which is of course a rubber plant. It’s super popular and apparently easy to maintain which was good news to me. I placed a few books underneath it to give it a bit more height. I didn’t want to introduce too many different colours to this shelfie. You don’t want anything too colourful to distract from this stylish planter and the plant. I also like to place the taller items on the sides avoiding the center. I wouldn’t worry about symmetry too much, but you’ll definitely want to keep everything nicely spaced and balanced.
Now I do like to follow the ‘rule of three’ whenever possible as it seems to create more impact. Grouping your objects in odd numbers works particularly well if you have a long shelf. I love these stylish little concrete planters that totally soften the look. Although I picked three (almost) identical planters, I made sure that the middle one would be a different colour so it would stand out. I’m obsessed with succulents (they are easy to keep alive!) which is why they were the perfect choice for these planters. Mini cactuses would work nicely too. I placed the concrete planters on top of a marble tray. As you can probably tell, I really like using layers in my shelfies. The base layer in my shelfie is often a tray or a coffee table book.
I always make sure to include some scented candles and at least one personal item (ie. family photo) too to make the shelfie a bit more personal. Try to mix different decorative items together (candles, tea light holders, plants) but make sure that they have something in common; a colour or a style for example. Shelfies can be functional too but it’s important to remember not to overcrowd them.
I really wish that I had looked into house plants years ago. I find them soothing to look at and it has been proven they improve air quality as well (which is particularly important if you live in a big city like me). I find myself less stressed and calmer around plants too. Plus when you have so many pretty planters available, decorating with plants has never been more fun.
It feels like our home is one step closer to being a plant friendly zone and I promise I’m not done yet. In fact, I’m just starting. I just need to figure out where they are all going to go as the bigger plants may require some reshuffling of furniture. I’m also determined to keep our new rubber plant alive. I just feel happy looking at it. The pretty planter helps too of course.
Do you decorate with plants?
*Thank you Wayfair for sponsoring this post.
