Transform Your Kitchen Shelves - Or Any Wood Shelves - For the Holidays
It’s very likely that you understand and even practice shelfscaping without necessarily knowing the term itself. Shelfscaping refers to the careful curation, selection, and display of items on your wooden shelves.
J Thomas Home is particularly interested in shelfscaping because we design the elegant, handcrafted bases upon which this design element can occur. As Kansas City-area artisans of bespoke custom floating shelves, floating wall shelves, and more, we know how quickly a space can be transformed in tone and style with a few key alterations.
That’s why we’re not only committed to crafting the most elegant living room, office, bathroom and kitchen shelves you can find today. We’re also here to help you consider how shelfscaping can add personal flair to your gorgeous selection of shelves from J Thomas Home.
A General ‘How to’ for Shelfscaping Floating Shelves and Any Other Wood Shelves You Own
Shelfscaping is the artful display of items on your shelves - whether they’re J Thomas Home’s floating wall shelves, our iconic kitchen shelves, or any wood shelves in your home. The process of shelfscaping can be as meticulous as you’d like it to be, so feel free to take a deep dive into each of the steps in our guide to shelfscaping:
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Begin with Careful Curation
Shelfscaping begins with carefully curating items. This means that you should consider where you get your items. We recommend searching antique stores, thrift stores, estate sales, and even items that your mother may have stored in the basement because she thought they might be tacky; however, unbeknownst to her, what she stored a way has perhaps come back around. The same can be said for your grandpa’s tool shed or garage. Perhaps there’s an item there - such as an old glass milk bottle - that could be cleaned up to look like it came from an expensive home goods store in Brooklyn. At this point in the process, gather items you like - the ones that simply look good to you. -
Move on to Selection
Now that you’ve gathered items, you may want to consider a theme. You will base this theme on the room you’re designing for. If you’re designing for your kitchen, food-related items (glass bottles, vases, antique cookware, kiln-fired bowls, kitchen accessories from another era, and items that can be found in nature) will all fit perfectly. In the case of an office space, you may want to select antique books and picture frames, and items that communicate reading, relaxation, thinking, family, and leisure. Group the items together. Then, you can consider displaying them on kitchen shelves, custom wall shelves, or any wood shelves in your home, depending on the location you’re designing for. -
Now It’s Time to Display Items on Your Floating Shelves
The more intricate reason for the name shelfscaping comes from the fact that, much like landscaping, you have to consider the space you are designing for. Your wood shelves, whether they are custom floating shelves from J Thomas home or not, have a height, width, and depth, much like a garden bed. When you’re gardening, you have to consider space, as well as the size of your items. You also want to ensure that colors and textures complement each other, and don’t clash in ways that make your shelving look too busy.
Of course, there’s always something beautiful about an untamed, wild garden; equally, there’s something fascinating about the perfectly-cluttered shelf - but we think you’re after a more minimal “less is more approach.” Space out the items in a way that gives them room to breathe and stand on their own as separate pieces.
Shelfscaping for the Holidays: What J Thomas Homes Recommends for Your Floating Shelves
The holidays are the perfect season for putting your shelfscaping to the test. If you’ve already partnered with J Thomas Homes for custom floating shelves in any part of your home, these pieces are perfect for holiday shelfscaping. However, you can shelfscape any of your wood shelves.
For holiday shelfscaping, follow the same principles we mentioned above: curate, select, then display. Remember to search in unexpected places for curation - like old Christmas boxes that your family has set aside for some time. Also remember: less is always more, and nothing detracts from your design like clutter.
Here are some items you should consider hunting for and purchasing to make your holiday shelfscape contemporary and fresh, ensuring that your house becomes a home for the holidays:
- Real holly and fresh pine garlands
- Antique holiday cards and postcards
- Antique holiday toys
- Antique holiday books for children
- Holiday-colored items
- Old items from your childhood holidays
- A well-preserved childhood craft
- Pinecones and other natural items
- Tasteful village scenes
- Clean, white porcelain and clay items (think snow and winter)
Missing Out on J Thomas Home’s Floating Shelves? Get In Touch Today!
If you’re reading our shelfscaping recommendations for the holidays and beyond, and you realize that custom wall shelves, including our signature custom floating shelves, would be the perfect wood shelves for your kitchen and elsewhere, get in touch with us at J Thomas Home. We can begin the process of designing our handcrafted, bespoke shelves today. We can’t wait to see how shelving transforms your living space, and we’ll be especially curious to hear about how you shelfscape year-round!
Looking for other personalized gift items? You can begin your holiday shopping experience on our website today, or you can find our products on Etsy and Amazon. Questions? Send us a message, and one of our team members will get back to you quickly. Happy holidays!