Karen McCartney shares her advice on styling your way to shelving glory. Above, the Muuto stacked shelf system.

If you think shelves are for a few random books, CDs, unruly stacks of magazines and a ceramic mug filled with old pens (no ink left but the casing is just that bit too good to put in the bin) then you have another think coming. The shelf is the new sideboard when it comes to showcasing your styling abilities and it certainly moves things up a notch in terms of complexity.

I live in a Sixties house with rather elegant original timber shelves running the length of the living space, and true to the Sixties aesthetic, they have an in-built linen covered light as an integral part of the design. These shelves define the space and so there is a degree of pressure for them to look the part. Before writing this, I deconstructed what it is about them that works, and what could work better. Here is my advice.

1. Keep a tonal theme running through all of the objects, be they artworks, ceramics or books. My choice is neutral - black and white softened by timber pieces and frames.


2. Arrange things such as ceramics in groups – odd numbers work better than even ones.


3.  If coloured book spines are too bright turn them to the back of the shelf. Impractical yes, but art requires a bit of manipulation.


4. Ensure that it is personal and meaningful to you. I have a strange white figurine made by my daughter in year 4 alongside an intricate glass piece.


5. Leave space for things to breathe – don't feel you have to fill every inch of space.


6. Space items over the shelves to balance the visual appeal. Put heavy books near the base, ceramics on higher shelves and artworks and photographs in the middle.

One of the most successful styling tricks for shelving is to display a collection en masse. Check out Pinterest to see just how good a grouping of cream jugs in different shapes and sizes, bowls stacked in pastel shades, or a sea of book spines arranged tonally, can look.