Interior designer Amal Kapen, who owns an eponymous decorating boutique in Huntington, was tasked with helping a Locust Valley client fill ginormous bookcases in her living room.  Credit: Amal Kapen Interiors

Thanks to social media, decorators and interior designers have embraced a new hashtag and trend in décor. Hail the “#shelfie,” which refers to the public flaunting of artfully done-up shelves, cubbies and cabinets. 

These may grace any room in a home, and are sometimes the backbone of a design.  But the impact of shelf displays goes beyond just being decorative — they can conjure memories, evoke delight and even help inspire.

Alas, for some regular folks who lack the discerning eye of the professionals, well, shelves can turn into jumbled catchalls. “It can look like you’re a hoarder if there’s too much going on,” says interior designer, Keith Baltimore of the Baltimore Design Group in Port Washington. 

“Shelves should be a reflection of you and not a holder for junk” adds designer Jackie Higgins, of Beach Glass Designs in Huntington. “Neglected shelves are like leaving your closet doors wide-open.”

There's nothing better than to use those shelves to house a collection.  Credit: Ric Marder Imagery

So perhaps now, with that spring-cleaning motivation swirling about, it may be the time to take a hard look at your own shelves and make some changes. 

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“A redo of your shelves can have a big impact and is so much easier than painting or applying wallpaper,” explains Hadley Keller, digital director of House Beautiful. “We often think of shelves for utility and not for style as well.” But, she adds, “There are infinite ways to turn a shelf into a design moment, but I think the most important is to make it personal.”

Likewise, shelfie joy is the guiding light for interior designer Amal Kapen, who owns an eponymous decorating boutique in Huntington. She suggests clients display things, “that have a place in their hearts. It doesn’t have to look like a magazine, but your shelves can reflect your taste and fondest memories.” 

She recounts a job in Locust Valley where the living room boasted “’Ginormous’ book cases.  The client had piles of stuff from her grandmother that was meaningful to her.”

Jacquelyn Conte, a jewelry designer, collects curios that she artfully arranges on shelves in her Huntington home. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Then, there are some, like Jacquelyn Conte, 46, also of Huntington, who, despite not being a decorator, has innate “shelfie” genes. Admittedly, as a jewelry designer (her brand is Sacred Lab Co) and co-owner of gift shop Wit & Whim in Port Washington, she has a skilled eye. The cubby-like shelves in her home office are undeniably attention-grabbing. She describes her arrangement, which includes everything from a 1920s doll head, to a bronze hand to a jar containing her dog’s baby teeth, as a combination of “oddities and kitsch … Everything in it is meaningful to me. Sometimes, when I’m designing jewelry, I look at it and it gives me inspiration.”

House Beautiful’s Keller gives this notion the nod. Shelves, “should be about what you love.”

How to redo your own shelves?  We asked the experts:

First the physical work. “Take down every single thing on your shelves, and dust it,” says Baltimore, calling the process “cathartic.”  And pretty much everyone else agrees. “My biggest tip for rearranging shelves and surfaces is to remove every object, touch each thing and clean it,” says Glen Cove’s Billy Ceglia of Billy Ceglia Designs.

Get rid of the unnecessary objects. “We’re always trying to eliminate clutter, and beauty and order are the magic combination,” says Higgins. Adds Baltimore, “The editing process is the most critical part … If you don’t need it there, then move it.”

Give your shelf vignettes some air.  According to designers, negative space is as important as what you fill it with. “Leave a little room for the eye to rest instead of jamming everything in,” says Higgins. And Keller recommends, “Break up rows of books with the occasional decorative object or houseplant; mix stacks horizontally and vertically; add in small elements throughout.”

It’s nice to have pristine shelves but most of us need storage. When it comes to that, “Decorative containers are your friend,” says Keller. “If you want a put-together look but need to stash your cables, put them in a pretty decorative box, a cache pot, basket or ceramic bowl." Likewise, says Ceglia, “I’m a huge proponent of baskets, boxes and trays, so if you’re storage challenged, you can group practical items there. It helps you organize and looks good.” 

“Find a thread, whether it’s a color, size or object,” says Higgins. “Move the eye around with things like consistent frames or dispersed objects in similar shapes or shades,” suggests Kapen. Ceglia lays out shelves in a Z formation and likes using 80% books, 20% objects. “It’s a good formula to start with, but rules are meant to be broken.” 

Shelves are an ideal place to individualize a room with objects and books that are true to you and your family. “There’s nothing worse than shelves filled with an 'instant' collection,” says Ceglia. “I like them filled with authentic tschokes. That helps add personality and it’s sort of a window into your soul.” And Higgins is adamant that, “Shelves should definitely tell a story and it should be yours whether you’re using a small, special piece of art, a travel treasure you bought on vacation or a wedding gift you love.”

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