If you are hoping to upgrade a wall, you might be considering art, wallpaper, or a coat of paint, but you could be missing the most obvious solution: built-in shelves. This chic addition brings both storage and style to a home. If you need more proof, look no further than Serena Williams living room.
The tennis pro took to Instagram to showcase how she upgrades a base of wooden floors and simple white walls with dark wood built-in shelves. She adds color by filling the shelves with pretty decorative books (like our favorite Assouline volumes from Saks Fifth Avenue). The third slide shows that Serena has designed the rest of the room to match the colorful shelves with an abstract rug and an abstract painting. Overall, the shelves add a stylized feel to the overall simple room.
Rather than signifying a passing fad, Serena's design choice is a more timeless investment in storage as decor. Below, we will explore this choice. I've offered a sneak peek into Serena Williams' living room, curated an edit of products to recreate her look, and interviewed experts on the shelving trend.
Shop Serena's Look
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).
This open-concept wooden bookcase is clean and linear with an artistic, asymmetrical, and modern design. Its dark espresso colored stain highlights the beauty of the piece.
Capri Dolce Vita is a look at this fabled corner of the famous Italian island through the ages – and is described as a celebration of paradise on earth. It features 272 pages of photographs that capture Mediterranean spirit and style in every sense of the word.
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 Serena Williams' living room.
The unique shape and colors of this rug is the perfect brightening accent for any living room, similar to the bright colors of the one in Serena Williams' home.
An abstract painting, like the one on Serena Williams' wall, brings out the beauty of innovative shelves. This orange version is the ideal piece to recreate the look.
Serena Williams' built-in shelves represent a shift in interior design trends away from storage as purely functional.
Design expert Shelley Cochrane explains: 'This season, reimagine storage as an opportunity to decorate your home. Lean into the current trend for ‘curated clutter’ and rather than hiding beautiful objects behind cupboard doors, display them on a shelving unit or sideboard. This works best with a variety of objects, from books to ceramics and from candles to artwork. The key is to keep the color palette pared-back or cohesive for a curated scheme that looks thoughtfully styled.'
Rather than being confined to this specific moment, shelf design is an ever-evolving trend that will always find a new place in culture. 'Social media has played a big part in the rising popularity of styled bookshelves,' explains Shelley. 'From 2016’s #shelfie trend to bookshelf wealth, there is no end to the demand for curated storage as our Instagram feeds are filled with images of beautiful bookshelves.'
What's the best way to recreate Serena's look? Shelley advises: 'To style this look at home, I’d encourage you to lean into maximalism. The key is not to match everything, but to curate a selection of objects that reflect your personal style and taste, from books and artwork to framed photographs and vases of flowers. Styled shelving is an excellent way to decorate a dining room, as the space is often the backdrop to big celebrations and cozy dinners. It’s a great conversation starter and can be refreshed with minimum effort – just add fresh flowers, new photographs, or a candle.'
Built-in shelves are an investment not only in the storage, but the aesthetic of your home. Choosing the right accents can take any white wall to the next level.
