THE RULE OF THREE - DECORATING OPEN SHELVING 101

Happy Thursday!

The holidays are quickly approaching (lol, where did the year go?). I don’t know about you, but I was feeling the need for a major decor update. Feeling the same? Then today’s post is for YOU. This past weekend I did a whole office revamp for free. Yup, I redecorated my whole office with things I already had. On today’s post, I’ll be sharing my decor tips, my rule of three guideline, and of course, links to shop everything you see. So, if you’re looking for “styling 101”, or how to decorate your home for FREE make sure to stick around…

First things first

The first thing to do when looking to redecorate? Just purge. Y'all, I’m not kidding. Don’t buy a single thing until you assess what you already have. Take everything down, see what you’re working with, and throw out or donate what you don’t like. This is the time to be strict. If you haven’t touched the knick-knack in a year, its probably time for it to see another home. 

 
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Divide and Conquer

I usually divide everything into piles, or categories - you know, because I’m just a smidge OCD. This helps me visualize what I’m working with from a scale perspective. The categories for my office looked like this:

  • interior design textbooks (these I love, but aren’t the most chic looking)

  • Interior design coffee table books (these I ADORE, and wanted to display for sure) I will be releasing my favorite design coffee table books as part of this years holiday gift guide!

  • Storage pieces (magazine holders, and these awesome Ikea storage boxes)

  • Practical small decor - need to be in close reach (business card holder, tape, paint deck, etc.)

  • Sculptural decor pieces (basically everything else)

 
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Balance and Scale

Next, time to start placing things. This should come pretty easy if your categories are broken down well. A lot of my clients are afraid of styling, and are worried that they don’t have “an eye” for it. The truth is, anyone can learn to “have and eye” for styling and decor placement. It’s not challenging if you follow the 3 series steps below. When I was styling Jessica with My Style Vita’s home, I was telling her that my rule of thumb is to always style things in a series of 3 - hello #ruleofthree

1. larger piece or groupings to ground it

2. Something for height and or change of scale

3. Small layered pieces to finish

You’ll notice that every shelve has a larger piece as a ground (i.e. books), something adjacent for height and scale (i.e. books, lamp, florals), and then smaller groupings of decor in front (usually tend to be in groupings of three).

I promise if you follow the rule of three, you’ll have your home decor down to a science. 

 
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Less is More

My final tip? Less is always more. If I find myself wanting to shove more pieces into a display, I start over. Every display, or in this case, every shelve should feel balanced and complete. This being said, if you have decor leftover try to store it for the next time you want to redecorate, or try to donate it instead. 

 
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All the Rest

The rest of my office refresh came very easy once I was clear from the clutter of these open shelves. I added a series of 3 floating frames over my desk with my favorite pieces from Wilde House Paper, updated the rug under my desk, and made sure to have my desk surface clear of any distractions. 

 
 

Feeling inspired and want to take these steps on yourself? You’ve got this! Make sure to take photos for me to see and tag #snowstudiohome when you tackle your next decor update with my #ruleofthree 

Interiors + StylingRachael SnowBlog, weekend, High End, Luxury, Affordable, Decor, Free, Budget Friendly, Styling, Office, QuarantineComment