CHRISTMAS DECOR | HOW TO STYLE A SHELF 3 WAYS

Today on the blog, I’m sharing 3 ways to style a shelf for Christmas using decor from around the house.

Brass candlestick mixed with greenery pinecones and blush pink Christmas bulb

Close up of bottle brush tree with ornaments and pinecones atop fresh greenery

Christmas decor | How to style a shelf 3 ways

This year, I’ve been challenging myself to use what I have around our home when decorating for the holidays and only purchasing something when I need it or fall in love.

Many times this year, I’ve been able to repurpose decor items across multiple holidays. Allowing me to get my money’s worth, while also limiting the amount of work I have to do when moving on to the next holiday.

Today, I’m sharing 3 different ways to style a shelf for Christmas with decor I pulled from around my home.

Styling a shelf 3 ways for Christmas

For all 3 looks today, I started by creating a base using leftover greenery from my DIY Christmas wreath project and branches trimmed from our tree. Once I had the greenery laid out on the shelf I was able to add the decor to create each look for Christmas.

The traditional Christmas shelf

For the first look, I wanted to create something that felt totally me and fit my style. I wanted something that was traditional and Christmasy but wasn’t over the top. To do this, I gathered things from around the house and added a few seasonal touches to bring in the holiday vibes.

I started by gathering together some of my favorite items I love to use to decorate our home with. This included my brass candlesticks and old vintage books in the traditional Christmas color pallet of red and green.

I also grabbed a few other decor pieces that felt classic and traditional to work into the display. This included a hunting print with pops of red and green and a small vintage cut crystal dish.

Next, I layered in some pinecones I had stored with my Christmas decor for texture and interest and added some dried oranges I DIYed last week. Wooden Christmas houses from World Market a few years ago cap the ends of the display, adding to the traditional holiday feel.

The flameless LED taper candles I used in my Halloween floating candle tutorial and simple Thanksgiving table setup make an encore appearance in my Christmas decor. Fitting perfectly in my brass candlestick holders they bring height to the display.

I love this look and think it turned out beautifully! It’s a great starting point and the Christmas vibes could be amped up even more by adding red and green vintage ornaments for those that want a little extra.

Christmas house on shelf with greenery and a candlestick

Dried oranges in glass dish atop stack of books with greenery and pinecones on shelf

The girlie christmas shelf

For my next look, I took inspiration from my DIY Christmas wreath and created a feminine and romantic design with the leftover dried hydrangeas I had on hand. I had some larger blooms that didn’t work in the wreath and were perfect for incorporating into my Christmas shelf decor.

To achieve this, I swapped the hunting print for a beautiful wooden gold carved mirror and layered in a few other small floral prints I had in the house.

To my greenery base, I tucked in the larger hydrangea blooms throughout and nestled in even more pinecones.

Because this design doesn’t screen holiday, I wanted to layer in some Christmas bulbs to bring in the seasonal vibes. Pulling my color pallet from the hydrangeas, I used some cream white and dusty pink bulbs I got from Target a few years ago. The matte blush pink bulbs soften the look while the glittery ones add some sparkle. The creamy white bulbs are my favorite though. I love the texture and interest they add with their diamond pattern.

I kept the wooden Christmas houses and two of my brass candlesticks to keep the design symmetric. A forest green taffeta french wired ribbon tied into a simple bow and layered over the mirror was the perfect final touch. Adding to those romantic feminine vibes while also giving a nod to Christmas. I purchased this ribbon from a shop on Etsy last year and knew it would get put to good use!

I love this look and hope you do too! It’s a little out of the box for me and a little more feminine than what I normally gravitate towards, but it’s a fun change from my usual.

Gold mirror with green bow on shelf displayed with dried hydrangeas fresh greenery pinecones and a small floral print

The winter wonderland shelf

For my final Christmas decor look for my shelf, I busted out my bottle brush trees for what I’m calling my winter wonderland look.

First, I swapped out the mirror for a landscape print I had in our dining room. I thought it would be the perfect backdrop for all the bottle brush trees and work well with the theme.

Next, I ditched the candlesticks and pulled out all my bottle brush trees. I started laying them all out, trying to get a feel for what looked good where. Rather than a center focal point, I decided to flank the print with my two tallest trees. Then, I filled in the empty spots around the houses with some smaller ones.

I didn’t have 2 sets of exact matching trees for around the houses and was fighting a strong pull to have everything be symmetrical. Some of the bottle brush trees I own are from thrift stores and didn’t have a matching set. I think the final look works though and the differences add some interest and keep it from being too predictable.

The area in front of the print stumped me for a bit. I ended up spending some time playing around with this area trying to see what would work. Adding and arranging pinecones and juniper berries. The display seemed to be missing something though.

I have a handful of small matte red Christmas bulbs that I tried working in. The red seemed a bit too jarring though. Taking inspiration from the art print, I decided to stick with the blues and soft greens instead.

I have these beautiful vintage ornaments from my sister in law that I thought would work well in the display. The pale blue ornaments with a lace pattern were the perfect addition. I also added these glittery pale blue ornaments that look like crushed glass for added interest and more texture. The soft green glass bulbs brought in another layer of green tying it all together. All three look beautiful in the display and add subtle pops of color that was very much needed.

Adding the creamy white diamond pattern ornaments with some mirrored silver bulbs next to the houses rounded out the display.

This look took the longest for me to pull together. It took me a bit to figure out the middle. I also spent more time fluffing and adjusting the greenery base with this display than with the others. I love the way it looks though and I think something like this could work in the future once this room gets its planned makeover.

Wooden house bottle brush trees fresh greenery and ornaments displayed on a shelf

Close up of fresh greenery mixed with ornaments and pinecones

Christmas Shelf Display 3 ways

There you have it. How to style a shelf 3 different ways for Christmas using decor from around your home.

I had a ton of fun putting these 3 looks together. I hope they inspire you to take a look around your own home to see what you could use to style your shelfs this holiday season.

So, what do you think? Tell me in the comments below which one is your favorite?

CHRISTMAS DECOR | HOW TO STYLE A SHELF 3 WAYS

Christmas decor | How to style a shelf 3 ways