How to Style Any Surface in Your Apartment
Living Pretty Ep17 | How to Style a Shelf Without Clutter
There’s definitely a fine line between styling and cluttering, and since I’m such a lover of maximalist decor and the witch aesthetic, I’m always walking that line. What can I say, I love pretty things that express my personality.
So in this video, I walk you through how to decorate a console table, shelf, or any surface without clutter, while still conveying your style personality. I break it down into a 3-step equation that makes styling a console table or shelf super simple!
If you’re looking for interior decor inspiration, small apartment tips, and studio apartment decorating ideas, watch this video for my formula for styling any surface in your small apartment decor!
Watch the video now!
↓ Wanna read the episode? ↓
I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in the episode. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
Styling a shelf, or any surface that's like a shelf, is seriously one of the trickiest things you can do with interior decor because it can go wrong so easily. It sometimes can feel more like a math equation - like some real geometry shit - than a creative expression.
So if shelf styling is going to act like a math equation, let's treat it like one. I'm gonna break down shelf styling into an easy-to-follow equation so that you can apply these principles to your own shelf and surface decor.
There's a fine line between styling and cluttering. And when you're styling any surface like this console table right here, that line is very easy to cross. I'm clearly dangerously close to crossing over to the clutter side of the line with my console table, but I like to live dangerously.
Like, I'm fully aware that my console table decor looks like a cross between a shrine to 90s singer/songwriter Poe and an apothecary that belongs to a swamp witch.
But honestly, I'm into it. The key here is that even though there's a lot of stuff here - and the shrine vibe is slightly weird - the key is that it feels balanced and well styled, rather than cluttered.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a bit of a maximalist who loves pretty things, which you can see in this video:
And the downside of loving lots of pretty things is being plagued with the constant threat of clutter.
Clutter is the demon that's constantly breathing down the neck of a maximalist. It's an ever-present battle. And frankly I like to think that I'm winning.
…Usually winning.
So let's dive in and cast that clutter demon down to the fiery depths with the power of good styling.
(The way I'm talking about clutter right now is giving me some real Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes, and oh my god, I'm so here for it.)
So the Moda Misfit equation for shelf styling is as follows: triangles plus layering plus something unexpected equals a well styled surface.
1. Triangles
So the first part of this styling equation is to create triangles using your decor items.
If you take a look at my arrangement right here, you'll see that it's actually just a series of triangles that I've created with these objects.
We have a triangle right here:
We have another triangle right here:
And here:
I actually talked about using triangles in this video - it's my studio apartment layout tips video and I talked about the importance of using triangles when styling your studio. And the same principles apply here.
Basically, the rule of three is a fundamental design principle that you can use to almost guarantee that your styling will be aesthetically pleasing. The human eye loves triangles, so anytime you can create a triangle with your interior decor, it's a pretty safe bet.
2. Layering
The next piece of the equation is layering, or staggering.
Basically, you want to make your objects layer upon each other and stagger them instead of creating straight lines. This gives a sense of depth and dimension. Again, it's one of those things that is just pleasing to the eye.
Imagine if everything on my console table right here were in a straight line. It would feel really boring and kind of weird, and not as pleasing to the eye. There would be no sense of depth or dimension or visual interest. It would just basically be a line of objects.
But the second you stagger them and create layers with the objects, it becomes more interesting.
So really, just avoid straight lines at all costs. It may give you a momentary false sense of order, but we're not necessarily going for order here. We're going for visual interest. And that should be your focus when you're styling a shelf or any sort of surface.
3. Something unexpected
And the final piece of this styling equation is to add something unexpected.
What I mean by that is to include something that people wouldn't necessarily expect from interior styling. This is where you bring you into your decor.
How I do it is I have some Death Note manga right there, which if you've watched my studio apartment tour video you know that I have Death Note manga kind of littered throughout the space. And I love including it because it's cool-looking, it's actually stylish, and it also brings a little bit of an edge to the space. It brings something that I'm interested in to this console table.
And so that's what I'm talking about - including that something unexpected. That thing that you don't really see with other people's style. It's that thing that's uniquely you.
So really, it's about finding those things that are your passions, your interests, and including them in your decor. Which I've said time and time again in pretty much all my videos: the most important thing when it comes to your interior styling is you. And bringing what makes you unique to your decor.
So there you have it! That's the Moda Misfit equation for styling a shelf, or really any surface.
Remember that the most important thing here is to do what feels good for you. Whatever rules I laid out here or whatever rules you read in a design blog, at the end of the day, they don't mean anything if it doesn't work specifically for you and the surface you're styling.
So at the end of the day, rules be damned. Just take the rules that actually work for you. Be selective in the rules that you follow. That's why my blog and my YouTube channel is called Moda Misfit - it's about style, but it's also about not forcing yourself to fit into everyone else's rulebook.
Tell me in the comments, what is the trickiest part of styling a shelf or any surface to you? What's the biggest thing that gets in your way?
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit. And of course, subscribe to my channel if you're into this kind of stuff and hit that bell to be notified when a new episode goes up every week.