I wrote a post last year about shallow shelves that I love because they are so versatile. At the time, a few of you got in touch to ask where you could buy them from, and I drew a blank. The only thing I could suggest was to make your own.

Well, I’ve got good news. Ikea are now selling picture ledges  and they are super cheap at £4.90. Boom!

And what’s so special about these ledges compared to a normal shelf? They are only 9cm deep so they are not imposing in the same way as a normal shelf. It also has a lip so that pictures/books/ornaments won’t slip off, which makes it perfect for pictures. Also, if you paint the ledge the same colour as your walls, you will barely notice it is there. It is 55cm long and you can put two together, if you want a longer ledge or a 115cm ledge is also available.

I bought the 55cm ledge and I want to show you five different ways to use it…

1. Pictures

I love the flexibility of these ledges, especially if you are not confident about hanging prints or even plates. Simply pop them on the shelf and change them around as and when without having to deal with filling holes in your walls.

2. Kitchen storage

Put the ledge in your kitchen and use it for spices, tins or kitchenalia you want to have on show.

3. Toys

These shelves are perfect for children’s rooms so that they can easily access their toys, or hang them high enough for lovely displays.

4. Books

Also perfect for children’s books so that they can easily choose a book at bedtime.

5. Decorative

Use the ledge anywhere in your home just purely for decorative purposes to display your favourite things. Here I have used vintage bottles with single stems. It really does look pretty in ‘real life’.

I’m going to have to get a few more of these.

Katy x

First and foremost, thank you so much to those of you who took the time to leave a comment on my blog feedback post or emailed me your thoughts. I was blown away by how many of you got in touch and how much thought you put into your feedback. Just amazing! I’m going to spend this month making blog plans and then in September I will start afresh, bearing in mind all that you had to say.

Things here are taking shape and I very nearly have a fully functioning home office: the shelves are up, desk is made and painted, holes in the walls filled, new pendant light hanging. My big job this week is to paint the floor and then sort and style the String shelving. When I was going on and on and on about my new String shelving, quite a few of you got in touch and asked if I had any tips for styling shelves. Now, I have to admit that I have always avoided shelves in the past for two reasons – firstly, I like to hide my mess and secondly, they can become a dumping ground.

That being said, we have invested in some wondrous shelving for the home office and I could cram them with stuff as they are deep and sturdy and I have a lot of stuff but I really want to strike a balance between function and beauty. Mission impossible? Well, here are my tips before I begin the task in hand…

1. Groups of three

I always like to group things in threes, whether it be boxes, baskets, ornaments or plants. I don’t know why that looks better than say, two or four things, it just does.

My craft room

2. Triangle of colours

You don’t need to colour coordinate what’s on your shelves (I always get a bit of a shiver when I hear about colour coordinating because it makes me think of matching cushions, curtains and lampshades) but pulling together the look with a triangle of colours can look really good i.e. three similarly coloured items, placed at different points on the shelves.

Image from: Paris nights and New York lights

3. Vary height and size of objects

If you arrange all of the tall things together and all of the round things together your shelves will look unbalanced and too curated.

Image from: @whiteloftstudio Intsagram

4. Don’t overcrowd

If you have too much to fit on your shelves, don’t just cram it all on. You will need to find somewhere else to store it or get rid of it. Overstuffed shelves are not functional, most importantly, and you can’t fully appreciate the beautiful things on them. On the open kitchen shelves below, they have managed to fit a lot on but everything is accessible, which makes it functional too.

5. Add pictures, prints, mirror or a lamp

By doing this, it adds more interest to the shelves and makes them feel like part of the room, rather than just a storage solution.

Image from: Decordots

6. Nothing should touch

When I say nothing should touch, I mean that two items should not rub shoulders; they either need to over lap or not touch at all. Again, I’m not sure why items that just touch look odd, but they do. If you look at the shelves below, the top shelf has a row of items that are just touching. However, on the middle and bottom shelves the items are overlapping, which looks so much more interesting and organic.

Image from: Fine Little Day

7. Add plants

This lightens, brightens and lifts shelves. I love how plants have been attached to this pegboard – I might have to steal this idea!

Image: Home of Kim Victoria Wearne and Stuart Beer on The Design Files

8. Don’t make it top or bottom heavy

Don’t place all the large items at the bottom of the shelves and all the small items at the top as this will make the shelves look unbalanced.

9. Repurpose containers to store items

Add interest and beauty by using vintage tins, jars or jugs to store items.

Image from: Sania Pell

10. Put lots of little things into storage boxes or baskets

If you have a lot of small things that need storing put them into boxes or baskets that can be put in the shelves; this will make the shelves easier to clean and less fussy looking.

Image from: Husligheter

11. Add something unexpected

This will draw the eye and set your shelves apart from everybody else’s Billy bookcase.

Hope this helps some of you. I’m going to try my best to use some of these ideas on my own shelves, which I’ll show you all in September.

Katy x