I am not an interior designer by any stretch of the imagination and I don’t claim to be one! I actually have a hard time with interior decorating and design things – I can never make up my mind. This little space used to be an open square hole in the wall that dated back to the 70’s – I’m not even sure what it would have been called or what it was used for? I had my dad close it in and put shelving inside so that I could put some little items in it to help create a spot to show off some of our own unique style (aka another place for little plants)! I wanted to share how I went about styling this shelf for under $20!
1) Thrift Stores
I love thrift shopping. It’s a fun way to find unique items that have character and the price point typically doesn’t break the bank. On this particular shelving space, I have two faux greenery items that I found at a thrift store – the little sprigs in the round jars. I think they might have been 50 cents each! I have a little tub in the basement that contains little thrifted things I like to put on shelves throughout my home.
2) Use What You Have
The two photo frames are things I had up in our old home and didn’t have a specific place for here in our new home – until I needed something on these shelves! I dug them out and was elated to find that they fit perfectly. So go digging in your boxes, tubs, etc…and check out what else you might have around the house and change it up – take something that was in the bedroom on your dresser or nightstand and give it a new location in your home…simple little things like this make things feel brand new without spending the money!
3) Shop at the Dollar Store or Target Dollar Spot
We’ve all done it. We’ve all walked into Target and spent more time perusing the Dollar Spot than we anticipated – and we likely took home a few things. Thankfully…the items are at a good price and usually pretty darn cute! They always have pretty seasonal vases, candles, and other items that fit great on open shelves. Just don’t go overboard! Another great place to visit is your local Dollar Tree or General Dollar…they usually have some fun things to play around with and make your own. On this shelf the little round vases, home sign, and two little mini succulent plants were Target finds most of which were in the Dollar Spot section. Each item costs roughly $5 or under and in total was roughly $20! (the only money I spent)
4) Personalize it
Rowan and I did some watercolor paintings recently (he created the top one) and mine is of the palm branch. We played music, did some painting, and ate snacks together…then I got to show him how once our paintings dried – we could put them in frames on the shelf. Now he likes to point them out to Dusty and when people visit and say “look, mom and me painted those!” 🙂 They are cute and add a special and personal touch to for the space. I’ll have fun switching them out with new paintings we make. Homemade items or artwork is a very inexpensive and personal way to make a shelf unique and special!
5) Neutral color palette
I’m pretty predictable when it comes to color palettes. I like neutral tones and warm hues. Whites, creams, beige, and wood textures make it easy to switch things out with each season without having to completely swap everything out. Keeping the items in that color family will help you keep costs down when it comes to decorating your shelf!