Looking for a way to refresh your bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen? Glass shelves are an unobtrusive and transparent way to add a touch of sophistication and luxury to any room – and I love them! This is why I’ve carried out some research to bring you my favourite ideas and inspirations on how to decorate glass shelves so you can make the most of their functionality and aesthetic to create a space you love.
How to decorate glass shelves in every room in your house
The benefits of glass shelves
Often people underestimate the power of glass shelves and never know their full potential because they don’t know how to decorate glass shelves the correct way. First things first, the correct way is figuring out your own aesthetic! Glass shelves can come in a variety of styles, colours, shapes, and sizes so there is plenty of option; you can even choose different structures, floating glass wall shelves, cabinets with glass shelves – metallic cabinets with glass shelves are very trendy in recent times – and glass shelf stands, each with their own aesthetic benefits.
If you’re choosing this type of décor in your home, it’s important you figure out how to decorate glass shelves in your own way because they really can be a great addition to any room. Indeed, you can buy coloured glass shelves, and these can look sleek, stylish, and even luxurious, but if we stick with clear glass shelves here, they can make your spaces look bigger and brighter, with every angle open to the eye. Glass shelves are almost there, but not there – they blend seamlessly into the room letting your displayed items take centre stage.
For safety reasons, we do recommend you look for tempered glass shelves so you are guaranteed an incredibly high level of strength and durability – you can check out our tempered glass shelves here.
How to decorate glass shelves in the living room
Starting with the living room, the room where memories are made, learning how to decorate glass shelves in here can radiate sophistication. Whether you love a real or fake plant, a good read, a sumptuously scented candle, a cherished photo or a treasured ornament, glass shelves will help them reach their full potential.
If you’re working with multiple shelves, perhaps a stand, you can get creative and create a dynamic display whether you choose neutral, subtle colours, or bold and vibrant tones for a more extensive pattern, placing them at angles on different levels can be really eye catching. An increasingly popular trend in recent times has been displaying designer books, ones that are there for the aesthetic not for use; these are often laid flat and then stacked at slightly different angles to the one below, usually with a candle or vase on top. However, if you are an avid reader, then vertically displaying them is best, but a candle or plant can still add extra detail holding them up.
In the living room is most likely where you relax and unwind from the day, so where better to place cherished photos of your loved ones or ornaments from your favourite trips and places – the benefit of glass shelves seamlessly blending into any décor, is that these special trinkets will be centre stage, getting the showcase they deserve.
How to decorate glass shelves in the bathroom
Glass shelves in the bathroom, in whatever form, are the perfect way to create a light and airy feel, as well as a clean and fresh aesthetic. Place them above the sink, to the side of the shower, in the shower, across from the window, anywhere really, and your bathroom will beam a sleek and contemporary style.
Leaning how to decorate glass shelves is about realising you can use them for functionality too, at the end of the day they are still a form of storage, and you can never have too much storage. Use your glass shelves for everything from toiletries to linens; neatly fold towels and place a scented candle or reed diffuser adjacent to it, display the essentials like your toothbrush and tooth paste in a glossy tumbler, cotton buds in a delicate holder, and add a splash of colour with an artificial plant for that authentic fresh feeling. Some perfumes and colognes can come in extravagant, indulgent bottles which make for great display pieces so a glass shelf in the bathroom seems like the perfect place for it.
How to decorate glass shelves in the kitchen
On to the heart of the home, the kitchen. Learning how to decorate glass shelves in the kitchen can be beneficial in many ways for you and your home. For starters, they provide great storage for everything from mugs and tea cups to wine glasses, serving bowls, and plates, even placemats, coasters, and table cloths. Open, wall fixed glass shelves work great in the kitchen for ease of accessibility, but glass cabinets can be great to keep them contained from things like dust, or accidental knocking.
An avid crockery collector or not, crockery looks great displayed on glass shelves and in glass cabinets. You have limitless ways to be creative, whether you choose to stack plates and bowls or display them in a rack, spread wine glasses across a few shelves like a bar or all on one layer, stack your glamorous serving bowls or use them as a focal point, fill your jug with your rolled up placemats or leave them empty. Even grab your favourite recipe books to decorate glass shelves, displayed vertically or horizontally, they’ll add a certain air of culinary expertise and creativity!
How to decorate glass shelves in the bedroom
Now, we might be living a bit of a fantasy here so if you’re lucky enough to have yourself a walk-in wardrobe, just know, you’re living the life! But really though, glass shelves in the bedroom, or closet, can be just as practically and aesthetically beneficial as in the kitchen.
Decorate glass shelves with your shoes and handbags of course! You could create a calculated, sleek display with heels on one level, boots on another, and trainers on another, or you may create a vertical display instead, or it might be easier to display just those you wear most – it all depends on what you prefer! It could look great to display shoes among your handbags or keep them completely separate; order them by colour even! Or decorate glass shelves with a selection of watches, cuff links, and ties, display your high-quality loafers or collectors’ shoes, even fold your shirts on display for a really sophisticated look.
I hope this has given you a few ideas and some inspiration for how to decorate glass shelves in your home – or talked you into switching things up and getting yourself some!
They are a great use of storage whether in the living room, bathroom, bedroom, or kitchen, and they help you to create a show stopping display you’re proud to show off. The important thing to remember when learning how to decorate glass shelves is that glass shelves blend seamlessly into any décor, so you must be true to you and create a home you’ll thrive in!
As always, thanks for reading,
Love, Poppy, and the Rinkit Team.