Overly curated shelves are the bane of my existence. I hate it when a shelf only has one or two items. These extremely edited shelves feel like a product of the last 10 years or so, where curated minimalism is everything, and all clutter is to be eliminated, rather than embracing personality or authenticity.
Looking back at Elizabeth Taylor's living room storage from the 1950s, we see that it doesn't have to be this way. An archival image of the actress and her second husband, Michael Wilding, in their London home in 1952 features a set of casually stuffed shelves. The top shelves feature rows of books, carelessly lined up, some even falling. Her bottom shelves feature three ceramic vases.
What is so alluring about this look is that it was thrown together without care, as storage for the couple's books collected over time. The casual, thoughtless nature of their book storage is instantly charming and stylish.
Shop Elizabeth's Look
If you don't have built-in shelves, these freestanding ones are a great alternative. They are well-priced, stylish, and highly functional with a design that works in any home.
Elevate your living room with this handcrafted terracotta vase, designed to add warmth and sophistication to any window or shelf. Its artisanal craftsmanship and textured surface give it a unique, timeless charm, making it a timeless, perfect accent.
Though the best book collections are cobbled together over years of searching, you don't always have time for that. These prettily arranged tomes are ideal for quickly updating your bookshelves.
However, though Elizabeth Taylor's living room shelving idea is mostly laissez-faire, the lower shelves are reserved for a more intentional design. The actress and her husband positioned a large vase with a taped base, accompanied by two miniature vases on either side, in each alcove of the bottom shelves. This moment of open space keeps the design from feeling too cluttered, while preserving the casual feel.
Thus, I'm rejecting modern minimalism to embrace an equilibrium of casual crowding and space in my own living room. In decorating my shelves, I am filling the space with classware and pottery that I've collected over time, as well as books that I've read and loved. These touches of personality will instantly make the shelves feel inviting and lived in, as we see in Elizabeth Taylor's space.
Furthermore, I am refusing the impulse to layer books in 'innovatively' stylized ways, and instead just placing them in the traditional way that makes the most sense. Though these details are small, they add up to make a home feel cozy and sincere rather than contrived.
Elizabeth Taylor is a style icon, so obviously so is her home. As opposed to modern ideas of what shelves should look like, her home shows that a laid-back approach can be even more impactful. I, for one, am following her example.
