My goal in each and ever post is to inspire you to be creative in your life.

I have created a board on Pinterest called STYLING https://www.pinterest.com/sheilab58po/s-t-y-l-i-n-g/

In my opinion, everyone should have open shelving. Whether you use them for function, display or both. This is a great way to express yourself in your home.

My friend Barbara recently remodeled her kitchen, and in the process decided she wanted to add open shelving. What I love about her shelves is that they are handmade from their family’s barn wood, and unlike the thin wood you often see, these shelves are wider, which allows the character of the wood to really show.

Barbara’s mom, Nancy, owns a fabulous Antique Shop in Greenville SC called Kramers Korner Shop. https://www.facebook.com/KramersKornerShops/ Most of the Antiques shown below are from her shop.

Below I attached some images of her living room shelving. These shelves are built out of metal piping, and wood from local hardware store.

So simple but yet beautiful!

Another one of my favorites is my cousin Vicki’s open shelving. These shelves are strictly for function, and she had them custom build. I admire how she can fill them up with all the things she uses, and they truly look amazing!

Funny enough, when I look at her shelves, I see her in so many ways… From the christmas lights dangling to the Young Living Products on her counter.

I will admit, not everyone’s open shelving can look good if you just put everything you use in them. It can easily go from functional to disaster, when you add too many textures and colors. It’s important that if you want open shelving for function, to be careful when purchasing the things you will use the most. The more of 1 item that will be displayed, the similar those items should be. For example, clear glasses, same color dishes and add misc. items in small doses. This approach allows there to be a lot more items, but at the same time still be organized.

**On a side note the Young Living Products are great! If you haven’t tried the Thieves Dish soap or Thieves cleaner you need to! Not only do they smell amazing but the bottles are adorable too!https://www.facebook.com/victoria.garbitt https://www.instagram.com/vgarbitt/

Now onto my open kitchen shelving, used for function and display

My living room shelving is for display

My sunroom is used for function

My Sunroom leads me to my favorite type of shelving, which is open shelving in front of a window. If you want to hang shelving in front of a window, make sure to hang them along a window seam, so it won’t affect the view. When spring time comes the amount of greenery that grows in this room is amazing! This room is my happy place, and I will make sure to post some more pictures this spring.

I know the easy thing to do is to go buy shelving, but there are many other ways to create them, as well as using things you may already have…

TIPS:

1. Find the style shelving that is best for you. Ask your self are you modern, rustic, traditional, etc…
2. Then gather all the things you would like to use in the space. Keep in mind the area you are decorating. If in living room, make sure to incorporate books, framed photos or art, baskets, trays and sculpture objects, plants and vases.
3. Use the large items to anchor the space (this is what catches the eye).
4. Create groupings of glasses, vases and objects. Make sure to play around with the groupings keep in mind the height will need to vary.
5. FIND BALANCE. Don’t put too much of 1 color or patterning in 1 area, make sure to spread those kinds of things around.
6. Make sure to use plants to bring life to your shelves. There are some plants listed below that are good options.
7. The best place to buy open shelving brackets is Hobby Lobby. They have a variety. If they are not on sale you can use a 40% off coupon, the price is unbeatable! https://www.hobbylobby.com/Home-Decor-Frames/Knobs-Hardware/Brackets/Black-Flat-Metal-Bracket—Large/p/80831816