Dollhouse Decorating - Accessorizing Shelves

Make a shelf display feel like an art object, rather than storage space, by staggering heights and shapes and putting a little breathing room between individual items. Alternating horizontal and vertical stacks of books add interest to this mantel.  

Group favorite objects in odd numbers and styles. This setup is naturally more appealing to the eye than even-number groupings. Books can be a colorful pedestal to give framed photos and other treasured objects a lift, as in the Astolat Castle's grand library. Click on picture for a cool video.

Use a ledge in a breakfast room to display plates, or in a child’s 
room to keep porcelain figurines or stuffed animals out in the open, yet out of the way. Or in a kitchen around the refrigerator. Utilitarian items can show a sense of style.

Make an impact with multiples of a single item; the collection of sand pails, for instance. Sprinkle in a handful of smaller objects for added interest without

overpowering the primary display.

In cabinets, display collections against a contrasting background to make them really stand out. The cream ware and statuary look radiant against a black armoire. Small touches of green -- a fern in a lattice-weave planter and pears in a footed compote -- warm the grouping with color and life.