Styling Tips for a Dark Wood Shelf

I love this recently sourced bookshelf handmade from old, reclaimed wood and put together with nails (indicating it is old). Whoever previously owned it did drill a few cord holes in the back, but those are easy to cover.

Dark wood shelves can be a challenging to style, so here are a few tips.

Prop a mirror in the back to reflect light. Here, I used a large, antique, gold framed, oval mirror. These shelves are fixed so I just used one mirror in this vignette. but a smaller mirror on the bottom shelves would look great too. I used a mirrored tray on the third shelf down.

Display light colored objects--light wood, rattan, books, etc. If you have something darker you want to display, place it on a light colored cloth napkin or doily. Remember to prop art along the back of the shelves.

Repeat colors and textures and layer objects. Be sure to include interesting, unique, weird pieces. The funky art on top the shelf is fun and shows personality. 

Use some plant life, even if it is faux (Good fakes only!! Fake ivy is never good.) Display some books, after all it is a BOOKshelf.

Do not center decor items in the middle and remember odd numbers, create visual triangles, vary heights, have fun, and take pictures to examine to determine what works and what doesn't.