It's no longer enough for our homes to just be stylish; they must also be a reflection of our personalities. Open shelves filled with personal effects are one of the easiest ways to turn your home into a museum of character - and Jimmy Kimmel is here to provide all the inspiration you'll ever need for tapping into the style.
The talk show host gave fans a glimpse into his living room in a 2020 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and we couldn't help but notice that his shelves perfectly embody the concept of curated clutter. They are filled with books, glass vases, picture frames, and decorative statues, creating a look that is at once relaxed and intentional. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the bottom of the shelves has closed cabinet doors, allowing for concealed storage of less decorative items, while creating room to show off the items that should be seen.
Luckily for admirers of his living room shelving, Jimmy's look is exceedingly easy to recreate at home. Starting with a bookshelf that offers both open and closed storage (like this one from Wayfair) there are seemingly endless styling options. To make it easy, we've curated an edit of our favorite pieces for showcasing on open shelves, and gathered expert advice on making the look work. Let's get started with a peek into Jimmy's home.
Recreate Jimmy's Shelves at Home
Bring all of your storage woes to an end while emulating Jimmy Kimmel's look with this beautiful shelf. It has gorgeous cabinets for tucking away items you don't want to put on display.
From Assouline's Classics Collection, Mexico City blends indigenous pre-Hispanic roots with colonial architecture and Spanish Baroque influences. It allows readers to discover a city of wonders, where history and creativity come to life (all without leaving your living room).
Much like its black-hued counterpart, this white frame is part of a premium line (designed by Bobby Berk) that elevates your memories to new levels. Its white exterior is similar to the ones we see in Jimmy Kimmel's living room.
A collection of photography is the ideal coffee table book for demonstrating your interest in art and fashion, nestled amongst all of your books. This tome with pictures by Annie Leibovitz is perfect for the task.
Adding sculptural forms in the same color theme, like these bronze and marble bookends, brings a variation to your display that contrasts with the linear nature of books and the angles of the box-style shelving.
This beautifully ridged vase is available in green and clear for an effect like no other. I love its subtle texture, which adds more interest than a traditional smooth glass vase.
For those who want to recreate Jimmy's gorgeous bookshelf wealth, Furniture expert Natalie Prince has an easy and highly replicable technique for you: the rule of three.
She explains: 'The 3 by 3 shelf styling formula follows the rule of thirds, often used in film and photography. It is a guideline that centers around grouping items in threes to create a harmonious and balanced design. There is psychology behind this, as the human eye is drawn to intersections in a 3 by 3 grid, so ensuring points of interest in your shelf design in these areas makes your display more visually appealing.'
To follow this method, Natalie recommends starting with a blank canvas. She advises: 'Remove all items from your shelves so that you can see the space clearly with no distractions. Then, take a picture of your shelves with the grid setting on your camera turned on, or draw them on later. This will show you where the intersections on the grid are and, in turn, where items should be placed. Next, arrange items from tallest to smallest to create visual flow. Keep in mind high, medium, and low when placing them to have variation in scale throughout to keep the eye moving.'
Furthermore, as Jimmy's design shows, it is important to balance beauty and function in this type of design. Natalie recommends: 'Shelves should be both stylish and practical, so mixing in decorative items with more meaningful objects like books and collectibles adds personality while ensuring your space works for you. It’s all about striking the balance between visual appeal and purposeful design.”'
Our homes are the canvases of our lives, and shelves are one of the clearest demonstrations of this. When styled right, they speak to who we are.
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