You may have seen the hashtag #shelfie plastered all over your social media feed — usually next to an artfully arranged shelving unit or rainbow color-coded bookshelf.
A search for the hashtag yields nearly a million posts on Instagram alone. Not to be mistaken for a selfie, a “shelfie” is often used to show off a clutter-free, well-staged shelf, mantel or bookcase that is functional and visually appealing.
We enlisted Victoria Smith of the lifestyle blog SF Girl by Bay for her shelfie advice.
“I’ve added built-in bookshelves in my home, and probably one of my favorite ways to decorate is displaying objets d’art and mementos that mean something special to me,” Smith wrote in an email. Vintage books, flowers and treasures from past travels can help transform a bland bookcase into a conversation piece.
“Choose items that you connect with, but also share a complementary color palette, and I think you’ll find it pretty pleasing to the eye. Lately, I’m very interested in classic natural elements — crystals, leather, ceramics — with a modern twist,” Smith says. “The goal is to achieve a cohesive collection, instead of clutter, and I think with these pieces you’d be achieving just that.”
SPLURGE: Burled free-form wood vase (theline.com ), left. SAVE: Round teak wood vase (target.com ).
SPLURGE: Small Water Drop jugin aubergine (dwr.com ), left. SAVE: Sannolik vase in pink (ikea.com ).
SPLURGE:Marble-and-wood geometric object, large octahedron (westelm.com ), left. SAVE: Wood-and-marble geometric paperweight (worldmarket.com ).
SPLURGE: Helsinki basket (barneys.com ), left. SAVE: Wood leather magazine holder in reddish brown (allmodern.com ).
SPLURGE: Serge Mouille tripod desk lamp (gueridon.com ), left. SAVE: Curvilinear mid-century table lamp(westelm.com ).
SPLURGE: Walden candle in black(shopterrain.com ), left. SAVE: Sedona candle in smoke (urbanoutfitters.com ).
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