How to Style a Shelf for Autumn (No Pumpkins Required)

It's suddenly dark so early. One week you're sitting out in the evening light, and the next the lamps are on by teatime. My advice for this time of year is simple: don't fight the changing season, embrace it. Put the lamps on. Light the candles. Wrap yourself in a blanket. These darker afternoons are staying put for a while yet, so we might as well enjoy them.

A shelf is one of the easiest places to bring that feeling into a room. Here's how I approach it.

What I've just changed at home

I've just changed my own shelf for autumn. Off came the dried flowers that had been there through the summer. In their place went branches with the leaves still on, and a bowl of conkers. That's it. No pumpkins, no fake pine cones, nothing that needs a shopping trip. Autumn is right outside the door, so I bring a bit of it in.

Start by taking everything off

When I'm styling a shelf for a customer, people often ask what I take off first. The answer is everything.

It sounds drastic, but it's the only way to see what you've actually got. Once the shelf is empty, you can put things back one at a time and ask yourself whether each one has earned its place. You'll often find that the things you'd stopped noticing look completely different once they're moved somewhere new.

How to decide what goes together

People ask me whether I go by colour, material, height or gut feel. I use all of those things, and then I go with what looks right.

If you want somewhere to start, mix your heights so the eye moves along the shelf, mix your materials (glass next to wood next to ceramic), and give things a bit of space to breathe. But treat those as starting points, not rules.

The thing I most want to say is this. People are often scared to put things out in case others don't like them. If you like it, it's right. Take advice from others by all means, because a fresh pair of eyes can show off your things in a new light and a new way. But in the end, put in front of you the things that bring you joy. It's your shelf, in your home.

Bring the light to the shelf

Because autumn is really about bringing light in, I like a shelf to carry a little of it. A candle or two among your objects changes the whole feeling once the afternoon goes dark. The new Verna glass votives from Olsson & Jensen are a favourite of mine for this. They have a soft wavy rim on a clear foot, and they glow beautifully with a tealight inside.

I'd pair them with one of the Lagoon glass bowls. There's a large one in brown and peach and a small one in pink and brown. The two-tone glass picks up lamplight and candlelight in a way a solid bowl can't. Fill one with conkers, or leave it empty. Both work.

If you'd like to go further, our decorative bowls and candle holders have plenty more to play with. Don't forget the lamps either: a small table lamp on or near a shelf makes a big difference on these dark afternoons, and there's a full range in our Lamps collection.

Then wrap up and enjoy it

Once the shelf is done, the rest is easy. Lamps on, candles lit, and a good blanket or throw on the sofa. That's autumn sorted, as far as I'm concerned.

If you'd like help with a shelf, or a whole room, that's what our North Home Styling sessions are for. Or come and see us in the showroom: now that it's darker in the afternoons, you can see the lamps properly too.

Kamil