20 Home Office Shelf Styling Ideas With Books, Plants and Pretty Details
Looking for home office shelf styling ideas that leave room for your books and everyday supplies? Think trailing plants, little framed photos and baskets tucked beside your files.
These shelves give you plenty to try, whether you have a whole wall of storage or just a shelf above your desk.
You can keep things simple or go all out with color. I especially love the little decorative pieces mixed in with practical storage.
Start with what you need to keep nearby, then pick a few details you’d love looking at while you work.
Home Office Shelves Worth Saving
books and little plants
We’re starting off strong with this gorgeous white bookcase filled with plants. I love the little cacti between the pale books, plus that long vine running down the left side.
Try placing a small planter on a horizontal book stack to follow this look. Leave your trailing plants near the edges so the leaves can hang beside the shelves.
blue books and colorful art
How pretty is that row of blue and green books? The shelves below have a little of everything, from black photo frames to colorful artwork and a trailing plant.
If you want to try the same arrangement above your desk, keep your largest print on a longer shelf. Add a smaller frame in front like the one here.
white built-ins with room to spare
Don’t want to fill every little space? No problem!
This white shelving has small groups of books, framed pictures and rounded vases with plenty of room around them.
I especially love the pale green vase near the top. Choose a few muted colors for your own accessories if you like this quieter look.
a different color in every cubby
I am obsessed with these colorful book stacks. The green, orange, pink and blue groups are so cute against the gray backing.
Sort your books by color to try this idea, then add a little ornament above a stack. Those pale bird figures are such a pretty finishing touch.
baskets boxes and white files
If you are looking for shelves that include office storage, this one is for you. White file holders sit beside tan baskets, dark boxes and a small gold-colored paper basket.
The little black vase with pale flowers is my favorite detail. Try leaving one spot for something decorative between your storage pieces.
black frames and sculptural details
This is one of my favorite displays for anyone who loves unusual little objects. There’s a reclining white figure on the book stack, layered artwork behind it and a face-shaped vessel on the shelf below.
Gather a few smaller pieces in a tray if you want to follow the lower arrangement. You can leave the candles unlit and still enjoy the display.
rounded vases in neutral colors
Don’t want to add books or framed pictures to every shelf? Simply try a group of vases like these.
I love the little round cream shapes beside the taller tan and rust-colored ones.
Keep most of them empty, then add a few tall stems to one vase if you want the same look.
family photos and pink flowers
How sweet is this photo display? The frames sit at different heights, with some resting on books and others directly on the shelves.
That white ridged vase with pink flowers is so pretty. Try mixing your photos with one or two floral arrangements rather than lining up frames across every shelf.
cubby storage behind the desk
If you’re looking for a way to combine books and paperwork, go with a cubby arrangement like this. The white files have their own sections while books fill much of the right side.
I love the plants along the top beneath the window. Keep a few cubbies for pictures or little objects if you don’t want the whole wall to be storage.
Read also: 20 Home Office Corner Desk Ideas With Pretty Shelves and Clever Storage
white shelves and cascading greenery
I am obsessed with that long trailing plant. It stretches down across several white shelves, with pale books, bowls and little planters tucked on either side.
If you want to recreate this arrangement, start with small groups rather than a continuous row. The tan basket is a lovely detail to include too.
green vines above the monitor
This desk setup may just be one of my favorites here. I love the long vine on the left and the gray vases with pale bases on the lower shelf.
Keep your pens in a cup near the front of a reachable shelf, like the one above this monitor. Practical things can be part of the display too.
dark shelves and layered frames
If you love a shelf with lots to look at, this one is for you. There are colorful books, botanical pictures, little portraits and even a small white bust.
The gold-colored frames are gorgeous against the dark brown backing. Try overlapping two different frame sizes instead of giving every picture its own separate spot.
round gold-colored bookends
Don’t want to go all out and want something super simple? These rounded gold-colored bookends are such a pretty way to finish a small row of books.
I love them beside the mostly black and white spines.
overhead cubbies and matching files
This is another cute way to give your office supplies their own spots. White file holders fill the upper-left section while tan files sit below, with baskets and books in the neighboring cubbies.
Try grouping matching holders together like this. You can still tuck a little picture or plant into the remaining spaces.
a plant-filled desk corner
Calling all plant lovers, this little corner has so much to save. I love the trailing greenery on the top shelf and the fern-like leaves spilling over the basket below.
The clear jars are a pretty detail beside the books. For your own version, choose plants that suit the light near your desk rather than copying every plant here.
Read also: 20 Fashion Inspired Office Decor Ideas With Pretty Details
matching boxes and a round tray
Those pale storage boxes make this shelf arrangement look so tidy. Matching file holders sit at the top, with framed photos and small baskets between the larger boxes below.
My favorite part is the oversized round tray propped at the back. Try a decorative tray you already own if you want something different from another framed print.
dark built-ins and pale vases
I love this dark bookcase with its cream vases and light picture frames. The pair of brown baskets on the lowest open shelf is just as pretty.
Keep your display to a few pieces per shelf if you want to follow this arrangement. The small book group in its wire holder is worth saving too.
shelves around a large print
Have a large picture you want above your desk? This setup leaves the middle open for a framed coastal scene, with shorter shelves on either side and one long shelf across the top.
I especially love the trailing plant on the left. Keep some shelf space empty if you want your picture to stay easy to see.
blue backing and coral shapes
This blue-and-white shelf display is so pretty. The pale blue paneled backing sits behind white coral-shaped decorations, a fan-shaped ornament and groups of muted books.
If you want a coastal touch in your office, try one or two similar sculptural pieces beside your books. You don’t have to fill every shelf with them.
glass-front shelves with a little glow
Last but definitely not least, we have this gorgeous glass-front cabinet. I love the dark brown frame against the muted green wall!
Books sit upright and in little stacks behind the doors, with a glowing round lamp on the right.
For an office version, borrow the mix of books and a few decorative objects rather than packing every shelf full.
