How To Quickly And Easily Keep Shelves Decorated As The Seasons Change

I am sharing my best tips for quickly decorating open shelves and changing up seasonal decor.How To Quickly Decorate Shelves graphic.Pin

The open shelves in my kitchen breakfast area are one of the main areas in my home that get changed on a regular basis.  The only other place in my home that sees the same amount of action is my fireplace mantel.

If you count all of the different seasons and then add all the different holidays throughout the year, that adds up to quite a bit of effort!  Even though I do my best to keep things simple, it still takes time to drag things out of my stash, play around and arrange everything and then put away what I don’t use.  And just so you know, my shelves are downstairs, but all of my stash is upstairs.  ugh

Open rustic industrial shelves with winter decor.Pin

In spite of all the stair climbing, I don’t want to leave things looking the exact same year round, so I’ve come up with a way to easily and quickly keep my shelves “current”and organized.  My trick was to create a base of neutral colored items that I could add to or slightly edit as needed.

Open shelves with a rustic wooden box, plates, a green wreath and cups and saucers.Pin

First up are my rustic shelves decorated for winter.  I was more than ready for some simplicity after their Christmas decor, so I created a “base” of black and white with a little gray and faux greenery thrown in.

I started with a base of my black and white striped dishes and stacks of my solid white everyday dinnerware.  I added two tool boxes that can easily have the contents changed out as the seasons go by.

A large and small black and white striped pitcher on the shelf.Pin

White pitchers fill the end of one shelf on the other side and down below, my mug tree is filled with monogram mugs and is sitting on a wooden cutting board.  I added an egg holder filled with pinecones and a stoneware container with snips of fragrant evergreens tucked into it.

Mug tree fill with monogram mugs.Pin

Bowls act as holders for chunky white candles surrounded with artificial evergreens and pinecones to create a visual splash.

A white candle with pine cones sitting in a bowl that is on plates.Pin

 

Chunky white candle surrounded with artificial greenery for winter.Pin

Come back next Monday to see how I decorated these same shelves for Valentine’s Day by making just a few simple changes.

There is a pigs head on the wall ceramic, with a wreath around it.Pin

I’m not sure, but I honestly think I can keep this up until it’s time to start decorating for fall again.  I’ll keep you posted!

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51 Comments

  1. Lauren Ballatin says:

    Lovely! Thanks for the tips. I am trying to decorate (to a small degree) based on the season or certain holidays. I found I was getting bored with my decor, but knew it was dangerous to the pocketbook to let it get too far. This can be fun!

    1. Marie Hilliard says:

      Love your ideas, trying to decorate a small farmhouse in Georgia and you have inspired me so.

    2. Absolutely LOVE your blog, as one Susan to a Suzy!! =-)
      My husband has no idea how much time I spend perusing your wonderful posts, gathering ideas, oohing and aahing, and making lists of ways I can incorporate arrangements and refurbish old things into new, and being encouraged to keep on with my decor addiction dedicated to making our nest cozy & inviting & comforting to us and to those who are part of our lives! Thank you for all your efforts!

  2. Joanne Vest says:

    I am just in love with your shelves! I also have a black and white kitchen. Where did you find the stripe pitchers and containers? I have them in yellow and white and red and white. I Got them at Home Goods but have not seen the black and white. I have tried to look at the mfg. web site, but nothing. I have the small strip pitcher but would like other items as well. Any help you could send my way would be much appreciated! Love your site! So inspiring! I also have a large wreath over a cow, like your pig!

    1. Hi Joanne. So glad you like my shelves! I found the striped canister at HomeGoods. I’ve looked and looked for them online, but haven’t had any luck finding them in black and white. The black and white pitchers came from Target’s dollar spot last year.

  3. Absolutely Love Love Love this blog.

  4. Your shelves look great. I am going to put some in my kitchen this spring and need the ideas of how to fill them.

  5. Thx for sharing such great ideas. I have a large bookshelf that has been quite a challenge to get just right. It does need freshening up though from time to time, so continue sharing your wonderful and creative ideas! My shelves are in the living room so dishes don’t work as well. I have to rely somewhat on books and things to store all my my decorating magazines in to decorate with. Any help is greatly appreciated!

  6. I love the open shelves & the touch of greenery you have added. I have been rearranging things on the walls. I have found myself using more greenery here & there. Thanks!

  7. Thanks for the great tips!! love your style!!!!

  8. Love your tips. We are going to make a set of shelves like yours (thanks for the how to post) for over our small bar cabinet. I wondered if you would share how high above your buffet you hung your first shelf and the distance between it and the shelf above it. I love the spacing of yours, and that you have room to change items of varying height around.

    1. Nancy Carroll says:

      Wish I had a place for open shelving in my kitchen but I have no wall space with so many windows!!

  9. Anne Marie says:

    Love all your ideas.

  10. Liking the tool box!

  11. How do you get the wreath and ribbon to stay on the lampshade?

    1. Hi Chris. I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the wreath and then attached it to the back of the lampshade, just under the rim.

  12. Candy Walsh says:

    Your shelves look amazing with every change! You must have a really huge shelf stock! Lol You always do a wonderful job!

  13. Absolutely beautiful shelves. I’m inspired to use my old tool box like you’ve done here. It’s just been sitting in the attic. Thank you for the inspiration!!

  14. I wish I had open shelves. I keep my mantle with the same decor except for Christmas. Maybe I need to rethink this. I love your ironstone, especially the pitchers.

  15. Carol Elkins says:

    I absolutely love your shelves!!! And I love the way you’ve decorated them!

  16. Everything looks so pretty. Can hardly wait to see the Valentine’s decor.

  17. Great ideas! Am definitely going to borrow some of these easy tips. Will probably just change out pinecones for eggs for spring, and leave things until at least summer. Like you, I have to drag my stash up and down stairs! Big incentive to simplify.

  18. I love the way you’ve decorated your shelves! Gives me some inspiration – thank you!

  19. Tina Sipe says:

    I love the black and white! I recently purchased 2 tall skinny black lanterns that I have on my hearth. I want to put something inside them besides a candle! Looking for a skinny topiary tree to fit inside. I think that would look great! Just need to get online to find what I need!