How to Decorate Series {day 3}: Leaning, Layering & Stacking by The Inspired Room

Most (all?) of you probably don’t need me to introduce today’s blogger, but it’s my privilege to do so anyhow!  Melissa from The Inspired Room is amazing and has more than enough decorating tips, tricks, and secrets on her blog right now to write a book.  I highly recommend you check out her Best Of page as well as her How to Decorate page for an additional 50+ links covering this topic.  And if you want 153+ more ideas on how to create a gallery wall, she’s got you covered there too in her Gallery Wall Party post!  Melissa is brilliant at “making plain” the creative process involved in decorating and is generous in sharing it all with us.  Today Melissa will teach us how to lean, layer, and stack.  Take it away Melissa!

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Hi! I’m Melissa from The Inspired Room. I’m thrilled to be here today talking about one of my most favorite subjects, DECORATING.

I love keeping things simple and doable, so the topic of “Decorating 101″ is right up my alley. If Beth had done a series on Mastering Circular Saws 101 (which I’m sure she would be quite capable of) I would have probably cut my fingers off trying to do a post. So for this series, I am thrilled to be able to contribute. Thanks Beth.

If you are like me, you need to decorate with what you have. But honestly, decorating with what you have can be one of the most challenging ways to decorate! It isn’t rocket science, obviously, but you know what I mean. It is tricky.

So how do I pull together a room of accessories and decor gathered over time?

Today I want to share three simple styling techniques you can use TODAY. These are my tried and true decorating tips anyone can use in a matter of minutes — and there is NO math, no construction, no spray painting or sewing skills necessary! NOPE! These ideas are FREE, SIMPLE and NOT time consuming at all! THIS is my kind of decorating!

I like to call these techniques by their complicated scientific names: leaning, layering and stacking. Easy peasy. Let’s take a look at what I’m talking about.

You do not need any special talent to learn how to lean something against a wall, right? But leaning objects is all it took to put this wall display together! None of these items have anything to do with each other, but yet, when leaned against a wall on a charming old wood ladder, suddenly these random objects I’ve gathered over time become a work of art.

You might not have a cute ladder like this, but don’t worry: you could put together a display shelf out of an old wooden crate, a shallow basket, a funky old tray with a rim, or on just about any charming object with a small ledge. Then just find a few treasures around your house to lean in your new display and you are DONE! You can use sticky tack if your items need a little extra security to staying leaning against the wall.

Books can be used for more than just filling bookshelves. I love having books around my house because they are not only inspiring to read, but they are one of my most used decorating items. You can stack them just about anywhere to create art, including random chairs you’ve collected, tables or on mantels.

Stacks of books add color (whatever color combination you like, or make white or brown covers out of paper!), show off your book loving personality, bring texture and dimension to a space.

By stacking books or baskets or leaning a decorative mirror against a wall, you can also creatively hide unsightly things like cords and outlets! LOVE that!

Leaning items can solve a multitude of decorating dilemmas.

I have had these antique stained glass windows for years and years. They are quite heavy but by leaning them on the window sill, secured in the back by Command Hooks (safety first, people!), I was able to use them in my dining room to hide a less than desirable view. Since they are just leaning on the window sill, I didn’t have to put holes in the window trim and I can easily remove them for cleaning the windows.

You can also lean charming old shutters or even framed artwork on a window sill if you need a little more privacy from lower windows but don’t want to block all the light with shades or curtains.

I lean old cupboard doors (shhhh….I pretend they are shutters) on my mantel to cover up that horrific big black hole where a TV is supposed to go. Problem solved by leaning, no circular saws or construction necessary!

Layering art displays brings dimension and interest to table tops, shelves or mantels. You know how when you get dressed and you add a scarf to your outfit of a sweater, tee shirt, and jeans and suddenly the outfit feels put together and finished? It is the same with layering your decor, you often need a little more dimension and layers to take something from good to fabulous.

And, once you see how fun this is, you can use combination of all of these techniques at once, leaning, stacking and layering! By leaning your artwork against a wall, then layering it front to back (one taller frame slightly overlapping the other slightly shorter frame), and stacking books in front of the art to elevate a decorative item, you connect all of your pieces in an artistic way, creating an interesting tablescape with unrelated items!

You can also lean random tiny items on wall frames, like this sweet starfish. It adds an extra creative touch to a wall display and can fill in any places that look a little bare or lacking in personality. You don’t want to overdo this technique or things will get cluttered real fast, but it is a great way to show off one of those little random things you love but can never figure out how to display prominently.

Plus, who wouldn’t like to see a starfish leaning against a wall on a frame? You can’t go wrong with leaning a starfish.

So now you know a few of my tips for styling a room using accessories and items I already have. I use lots of simple tips to decorate and inspire ideas in my home, and I share them regularly over at The Inspired Room! Thanks for reading!

So how many of you are looking around your home right now for new ways to lean, layer, and stack?  I know that I am!  I’m a huge fan of using these tips and love that Melissa has so eloquently demystified the process for us!  Thanks girl .  Remember that any good vignette you create will include some elements of leaning, layering, and stacking.  Now go shop your house and decorate in a new way with what you already have!