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Establish a color theme throughout your room. Match the shelf and decoration style to the room. Paint the back wall a simple color if your shelves are busy. Use bold paint or patterned wallpaper if your shelves are bare. Move furniture at least 3 ft (0.91 m) away from the shelves. Decorate the area surrounding the shelves sparingly. Simplify the decor if you display other items nearby. Review your decor on occasion.
When preparing shelving, take a look at the rest of your room. Notice any common colors in your furniture, walls, and flooring. Chances are a few colors appear in your room more often than others. Alter the rest of the room along with your shelf decorations to include these colors.  A room theme works best when the colors you choose are interspersed throughout the room. For instance, if your room has a nautical theme, you could include white china and blue books on your shelves. The characteristics of the shelving and decorations you use should change depending on the room. Select each item carefully so it matches with the overall aesthetic of the room. Modern shelving or decorations may look out of place in a room designed to appear rustic. If you have a modern room with sleek, dark furniture, you might want to use metal shelves. Then, decorate the shelves with metal picture frames, electronics, and colorful displays. Open shelves are a focal point in a room, so you don't want the wall behind it to stand out. A neutral shade like white often works well. You can also use light colors such as a pale blue or wood paneling. Avoid dark, drab colors, since these contrast against most decorations. To highlight a few select items on open shelves, you can paint the wall behind it a bold color. Or, you can add patterned wallpaper. This adds a fun pop of color and directs the eye toward the shelves. Leave some walking space between the shelves and furniture. Also, after the work you probably went through in arranging the shelves, you won't want to obscure the decor behind a large couch. Move furniture away so the shelves are visible.  Placing a large chair near a shelf can be distracting. The size of the chair draws eyes to it, so your shelves will likely be underappreciated. If you want furniture near the shelves, restrict it to a single small chair if possible. Or, make sure the furniture is a solid or neutral color so the area doesn't look too busy. This includes the walls as well as the floor. Let the shelves stand alone. Try not to hang any large or gaudy wall art next to the shelves. Also, avoid placing large cabinets or additional shelving units nearby, since this can cause your space to look overcrowded.  Distracting wall decorations can include bright wall paint, wallpaper, posters, and framed art. Intersperse other storage and shelving units throughout your home to create consistency. If you wish to place other eye-catching decorations nearby, make your shelves less of a focal point. To do this, store less items on the shelves. Choose mostly items with neutral colors, such as white.  Keep your room balanced by not drawing attention from nearby decorations. For example, a fancy framed painting may be on the wall. If you don't move it, it will be the first item anyone sees when they step into the room. Periodically check your room to keep your decor up to date. Clean up any clutter and eliminate any items that no longer belong there. Refill your shelves with new items to keep your decor fresh. Adjust any wall decorations or nearby furniture as needed to keep the room fresh.  Even rearranging the items on your shelving can make your decor look new again. You may want to change up your decor based on the season as well. For instance, you could add Christmas decor around the holidays or include brighter items during the summer.