Check out 3 of my favorite things to use for fall shelf styling! Unique and budget-friendly decor options to turn your fall shelves into statement pieces!

I get it.  Shelf styling can feel tricky and if you’re like me, I can get stuck in a rut.  To be honest, I haven’t really changed the shelves in our music room in…maybe a year or more?

Whether you’re looking to clear the shelves, like I do in the dining room each season, or just create a seasonal refresh, like I usually do on my music room bookshelves, here are some ideas you can use.  I’m sharing my top three “go-to” items for shelf styling and why I love them so much for the fall season!

Let’s get started!

Shelf Styling Favorite #1

Mirrors.

Why use mirrors in shelf styling?

Aren’t mirrors for hanging on the wall?  Yep!  In fact, they are one of my favorite items to use in gallery walls. But I also love to use them on shelves.

Mirrors are an excellent way to bounce around the light and this is a huge benefit for using them on shelves.  Instead of having your shelf feel like it just “stops”, a mirror can reflect the beauty of the room and light back into the shelf decor.

If you have a dark shelf or a shelf that is in a space with low natural light, mirrors can transform your shelf styling.

Where can I find mirrors to use on my shelves?

That is a great question!  And a favorite to answer because you can find wonderful mirrors for shelf styling at thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets, antique malls, and vintage shops.

I love to look for smaller vintage mirrors and if I find a ghost mirror or one that is really aged, even better!  Remember, you don’t need to actually see into this mirror.  You are looking for the soft reflection and antique or vintage mirrors can often provide that best of all!

I shared some of my favorite vintage hunting tips HERE and favorite thrifting tips HERE.

I love to use this antique oval mirror on my dining room shelves and no matter the season, I work it into the decor.  I love the contrast of the oval shape against the rectangular shape of the shelf opening.  I feel like it softens that a little while adding an unexpected touch.

I also love to look for mirrors that have an interesting patina or shape for the frame.  If you find a mirror you love, but don’t like the color of the frame, make it a quick DIY and paint it!

Mirrors are great for layering with other mirrors and empty frames.  In my winter decor, I loved all the layered, antique mirrors and how they reflected the light of my battery operated taper candles.

Shelf Styling Favorite #2

Architectural Salvage.

Why use architectural salvage in shelf styling?

Well, the short answer is that I love architectural salvage.  It is, hands down, my favorite thing to use year-round in my home decor.  Architectural salvage is more typically thought of for brackets to hang the shelf with, rather than used on the actual shelf.  (Which is a great idea too, by the way!)

Architectural salvage is also often thought of for use on a table or hanging on a wall and those work great for the big pieces like this favorite.  But great architectural salvage can be expensive, especially for those large pieces.  Incorporating it into your shelf styling can be a budget-friendly way to add a lot of character!

I love to look for small architectural salvage pieces.  For starters, they are easy to switch around and don’t take a lot of space to store.  Big win for people like me who have a lot of decor that gets moved around and needs stored away!

Secondly, these small pieces add a touch of the unexpected to a shelf, whether it is open kitchen shelving, a dining room hutch, or an office bookshelf.  Wood or chippy paint patina can add some character and they also add a unique shape to what can often be a really “boxy” space!

What kinds of architectural salvage do I buy for shelves?

I love to find small corbels, chippy trim pieces, cut down porch railings, finials, and even pieces of column capitols.  I love this capitol fragment that I found at an antique shop.  It was a bit of a splurge, but totally worth it.  I love the shape and color and the size allows me to use it in lots of different places!

At a local antique mall, I ran across a column capitol that had been split in half.  I love that I can push them together to use as a base for a cloche or I can use them separately.  They are the perfect fit for my dining room apothecary shelves!  These capitol fragments are perfect to layer ironstone or vintage bottles and create a variety of height for displaying favorite pieces.

Shelf Styling Favorite #3

Collections.

“You and your collections,” you may say to me.  I know, I know!  What can I say?  They are things I love!

Collections are a wonderful thing to use in your shelf styling.  Since collections are all so unique and so personal to YOU, it is a great way to add your personality to your shelves.

I love that using collections in shelf styling can really help break up the shelves and also frames a collection in a way that makes it a statement.

What kind of collections can I use on my shelves?

I like to think about the space where the shelf is located.  In a kitchen, collections of special dishes, ironstone, or crocks can be great additions to your decor while still being usable.  By displaying them on your shelves, you are more likely to actually use and enjoy those dishes too!

In my dining room, I often have vintage bottles, ironstone pitchers, or pieces of my mortar and pestle collection displayed.  These items feel like they have a natural place or “reason for being there” and fit best into the decor.

Tips for Styling Collections and Avoid the Clutter:

• Don’t feel like an entire collection necessarily has to be on display at all times.  DO move your collections around and style them in different places.  It will help all of your decor feel fresh!  This is especially fun for the seasons!
• Don’t put everything at one height.  DO use vintage books, small risers, and architectural salvage to give you varied heights.  When styling my ironstone, I love to use different stacks of little ironstone saucers to vary the heights.

• Don’t forget to use your collections!  DO take favorite pieces out of rotation and use for functional decor: an ironstone pitcher for flowers, a milk glass vase for a fall stem, a rust crock for utensils and fall color in your kitchen, a dough bowl for seasonal fruit…use your decor!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,