Idea to Steal: Slow Playing the Shelfie

Decor

A few days ago I Instagrammed the bookshelves in my house and IG (in spite of the algorithm) went wild. And while I love that moment, looking at those shelves got me thinking about the art of the shelfie. We’ve definitely talked about it here ad nauseam. But as I work on my home’s finishing touches, I feel an immense pressure to have everything picture perfect immediately. I suspect I’m not the only one.

Walls filled with art. Shelves stacked with layer upon layer of treasures (or crap depending on your personal taste), side tables and consoles perfectly accessorized. But what if we stopped chasing “the collection.” What if the goal of decorating your home wasn’t about filling it with objects, but instead filling it with meaning? Even as I push myself to finally “finish” my house, I’ve begun to reconsider my perspective. Rather than look at blank spaces as unfinished, I wonder if I can instead find wholeness in the holes.

Sure, things will creep in over time. But that’s the operative phrase – over time. I’ve only lived in my house for just over a year. We only completed some major construction just before this past holiday season. And while I love my blogger and stylist friends who shop and pull until the cows come home, whipping up a “completed” home in time for the afternoon’s photo shoot, I’m wondering if I can just step out of the race entirely.

Instead, I want to create beauty from the one thing, maybe the two things that truly give me joy. I want to reveal in that negative space. I want to be filled up by the openness because our lives are already crammed full of so much stuff (and in my case legos). I want to have room to breathe. I think each shelfie in this post exemplifies this idea.

Yet you often hear disparaging terms applied to this idea. Sterile. Impersonal. Cold. But I just call it real life. There’s no need to swing by Target or CB2 every two days for some new thing. Instead, find an art fair. Take time to walk through your local gallery. Hit the flea market when the mood strikes, but take home only the “I can’t live without it” piece.

I’m pleased to report that I can name the source of everything currently on my bookshelf and there’s not a big box store to be found, but I actually want to edit out even more. I want to try to open up as much blank space as possible and see how the years will fill it. And I want that to feel more than good enough. I want it to feel like home.

For more of our best ideas to steal, CLICK HERE.

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Everything You Need for a Picture Perfect Shelfie

Decor

Now that the season has turned, have you started looking for ways to update your house for fall?! I thought so (don’t worry, me too). Starting with a bookshelf is a no brainer. They’re the perfect place to express your personality – and you can continually switch them up depending on your mood – all in really affordable ways. But perfecting them does take a little time. Maybe you’re working to build a library or perhaps you’re compiling a collection of curated objects. A couple of weeks ago I partnered with Overstock to share how you can amp up your bookcase (and many other parts of your house) with plants, but what about everything else you need to really make your shelves stand out? Keep scrolling for a few styling tips and you’ll have the perfect #shelfie in no time.

Find Your Vibe. Do you love tons of color? Do you gravitate toward an eclectic look? Are you a minimalist? To keep you shelfie in check, figure out your style and then commit to it 100%. I went for a light, bright and paired back look above. I was in an open and airy mood all summer, but check out my inspiration for a more layered look in a black color palette below. I’m totally feeling this approach for fall.

Layer It Up. To give your shelves depth and texture, it’s time to layer. Trays, stacks of books or a piece of leaning art serve as a good base. From there, you can add in a candle holder, a decorative bowl, a sculpture, a little lamp – and of course a houseplant or two. You want your eye to travel both back and forth and up and down as you move from shelf to shelf.

Leave Room to Breathe. To keep a shelfie from feeling overstuffed, group objects together in threes. Also vary the heights of the items in your grouping. You want each piece to speak to one another in some way, but if they’re all the same height they won’t stand out. And remember to leave a little white space. That way, people will admire your handiwork rather than wonder if you’re a hoarder.

While the above are good shelfie guidelines, I’m the first to admit there are no hard and fast rules. Simply keep your eye out for things you truly love and you’re already halfway there. Below are a dozen pieces from Overstock I’d certainly love to add to my shelves this season!

shop the post: art // black leather tray // metal wire ball set // concrete light // marble bookends // stone vases // bowl // plant // statue // candlesticks // plant // sheepskin throw rug

For more fall styling ideas, CLICK HERE.

photography for apartment 34 by delbarr moradi

This post is in partnership with Overstock.com. Thank you for supporting collaborations we’re excited about and that have kept apartment 34’s doors open.

I Got it From My Mama

Decor

How does one develop their sense of style? Are you born with it? Do you try a new style on like a spring coat, shrugging it off again when it no longer suits? Do you cultivate your style over years? There are, in fact, thousands of influences that impact how our style evolves and crystallizes, but you cannot discount your childhood’s impact on how you approach the world today.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, and now a mom myself (is it normal that it still feels weird to say that), it’s fun to reflect on my childhood home, and how my mom’s style influences are showing up in our house. I’ve partnered with some of my favorite power mamas, Taylor Sterling of Glitter Guide and Jen Pinkston of the Effortless Chic to share how our moms influence us today. Oh and you’ll want to keep scrolling because there’s details about a $1000 GIVEAWAY below!

At first pass, the connection to my mom’s style influence didn’t seem obvious. Our aesthetics are vastly different – I prefer a monochromatic, modern look while my mom has a more eclectic mix and match style. I love mid century classic pieces while my mom’s home is made up of a mix of antiques, family heirlooms and a few holdovers from the 80’s (sorry mom). I’m rather color phobic, while my mom embraces it. But as I looked around the Victorian and examined the direction the design is taking, it dawned on me.

No matter how hard I try to maintain a minimalist hand in my designs, I cannot help but accumulate little collections (or big ones as the case may be). When it comes to beautiful objects, I’m like like a moth to a flame – just like my mom. Now her’s tend toward the natural, like houseplants and beach stones, while I have a weakness for home goods; glassware, vintage bottles, bowls of all shapes and sizes. Every time I purge, it seems a new collection springs up in the newly emptied spot. In particular, my mom instilled in me an endless love of both wooden bowls and ceramics. I am a child of the 70’s after all. When I see a piece that calls to me, I just cannot help myself. Occasionally vintage Tibetan bells in a little beachside tourist shop also catch my eye, but you’re always allowed outliers.

But there’s a reason! Just look at how pretty they are. Natural pieces are the easiest way to add gorgeous texture and warmth to any room.

shop the story woodland nesting bowl in mango wood / woodland nesting bowl in gray / marble stacking pinch pots / farmhouse potter silo bowl / ceres serving bowl / garden route platter / emerson vase | rachel comey jeans / jenni kayne slides / similar top

And while some might find a collection superfluous, if an object brings you joy, that’s all the reason you need to have it in your life. When I close my eyes and picture my mom’s house, I can see all her little collections – on a bookself there, on the kitchen counter there, in my mind’s eye. I like the idea that my kid might be able to do the same one day.

Have you thought about how your mom has influenced you? Have you ever thanked her for it? Well, we have a fun a little surprise to go along with this story. To help you both treat your mom and perhaps yourself, Anthropologie is giving away $1,000 gift card to one very lucky winner!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Follow Apartment 34, Glitter Guide, the Effortless Chic and Anthropologie on Instagram

2. Check out THIS Insta for all the entry details!

The contest will end Thursday, May 11th at 6pm PST and the winner will be announced on our Instagram accounts on Friday, May 12. Open to US Residents only.

And be sure to check out Taylor’s story on Glitter Guide and Jen’s on The Effortless Chic!

GET YOUR SHOP ON

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original photography for apartment 34 by andrea posadas

An Easy Way to Refresh Your Decor

Decor

Now that all the holiday trimmings are packed away, it’s like a breath of fresh air. This is the perfect time to around at your home and get a little picky. Every January I love to walk around my spaces and ask myself: what am I loving? What am I just sick of? What could I do to give this room a facelift? Thankfully, you don’t have to completely ditch everything you already have or bring in all new furniture to make a room feel fresh. Simply focusing on a few small details can make a really big difference.

Case in point: a bookshelf. A bookshelf is the perfect place to express your current design personality in a snap. Think of it like your hairstyle – you can continually switch it up depending on your mood. After the holiday hustle, I really wanted to create a calming zen-like feel with the built-ins in my living room. To ease visual clutter, I decided to stick with a singular color palette; black, white and warm wood tones. But now that we’re getting settled into our house, I also wanted to get some family photos out and about. I am a mom after all. But of course, I also refused to compromise my design. To keep my look consistent I turned to Mpix for help.

Mpix is an online photography printing service that lets you create your own cards, gifts, photobooks and framed wall art. I simply went onto the Mpix website and uploaded a collection of professional photos of my kiddo that we’ve had taken since he was born. There, I was able to turn all the images black and white to make them consistent with my bookcase color scheme. I choose different sizes for the images ranging from 4″x 4″ to as big as 16″x 20″, but for consistency I framed them all in a timeless silver metal. As I discussed in the reveal of my dining room, I’m obsessed with the informal look of leaning art, and layering an abstract piece with a large scale photo softens the look even more. It also helps keep a toddler out of my unfinished fireplace. Bonus.

I was so impressed with how the frame pictures turned out. First of all, they arrived in what was nearly fortress-like packaging. I think this is the first time I’ve received mail-order framed prints with zero scratching, cracking or any gaps in the frame. The quality is truly exceptional. The photos also printed extremely crisp, printed on high quality black & white photo paper. I also selected a non-glare glass which really elevates the look.

With the fabulous framed photos in hand, I could then get down to it. When it came to styling these shelves, I wanted to take as minimalist of an approach as I can muster. I do like my collections – ask my husband. But everything in life feels so crowded these days, I really like my house to feel open. I’ve been working very hard to purge and pare down and I think this endeavor was successful. I limited the amount of things on each shelf, allowing for a lot of spacing between groupings. I finally had a spot to put my Kinfolk Magazine collection on display, which also helped me stick with my monochromatic look. A few special pieces, my trio of Gerhard Ceramics bud vases, a few vintage treasures and gifts from friends (or gifts to myself!) add texture. A brass jack paperweight adds a warm metallic touch – always nice.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for perfecting your bookshelf look, compiling a collection of curated items requires a little patience and perhaps a little practice. But no matter where you are in your shelfie game, remember these three rules and you’ll have a perfectly styled bookshelf every time.

#1: Horizontal x Vertical Books. Shelves should start with books, but mix up the way you display them. Try piling them horizontally or flipping the spines to face inward as well as keeping some standing vertical.

#2: Remember the 1:1 Ratio. For every stack of books, add an object. It could be anything: a candle, brass box, pretty collection of rocks, that awesome “thing” you couldn’t not buy at last month’s flea market. This is the best way to break up the ‘boxy library look’

#3: Vary Your Heights. You want to keep the eye traveling all the up your shelving, so vary the heights of your groupings, be it of your book-stacks or your objects.

SHOP THE POST Mpix wall art / bookend / marbleized vases / vintage wood bowls / brass jack paperweight / candle sticks / bud vases / wood beads / white books

original photography for apartment 34 by michelle drewes

This is post is in partnership with Mpix. all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. thanks for supporting collaborations we’re excited about and that have kept apartment34’s doors open.

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