No. 1 BEGIN WITH A BLANK SLATE

Minimal interiors are focused on quality over quantity and so begin by visualising the shelf and brackets as part of the finished look. We love the combination of solid marble paired with matt black to create a cool and contemporary mood.

No. 2 GROUND THE STYLING

Once you have settled upon your blank shelf slate, start by adding your largest and heaviest decorative item to the lowest shelf. This will anchor the rest of the arrangement and so if your shelves sit above a worktop or cabinet, you may choose to use this as the lower shelf. For kitchen shelf styling, items like cake stands or vases work well.

No. 3 CREATE FOCAL POINTS

Next, place pieces with significant height and space these evenly to create focal points across your minimal styled shelves. These decorative pieces will naturally draw the eye and so more understated tones in the same gradient are an excellent choice. For living rooms display framed artwork or objects of interest like coral formations and in the bathroom experiment with jars filled with shells.

No. 4 LAYER UP

Once your larger items are set, it’s time to start forming layers. Books are an excellent choice as these can be stacked horizontally and layered with smaller decorative items like candles or trays.

No. 5 APPLY THE RULE OF THREE

For a balanced look, keep to the golden rule and group items together in threes (or any other odd number). Explore a mix of textures for items like pots and frames and try introducing a subtle hint of greenery too.