How to Style Open Shelving in a Modular Kitchen or TV Unit

Open shelves look effortless in finished photos but usually take deliberate styling — otherwise they read as cluttered rather than curated.

Key points

• Group items in odd numbers (three or five) rather than even pairs for a more natural visual balance.
• Vary height across grouped items — a tall vase next to shorter books or bowls reads better than uniform heights.
• Leave visible negative space on at least a third of each shelf rather than filling every inch.
• Rotate seasonal or decorative pieces occasionally so the shelf doesn't become static and dusty.
• For kitchen open shelves specifically, keep daily-use items lower and display pieces higher, out of splash range.

Why this matters when you're planning tv unit

At No More Wood, every tv unit we design starts from this same material logic — a TV unit sits in the most-viewed spot in the house, so any warping, colour fading or exposed wiring is impossible to miss — and standard ready-made units rarely fit the exact wall or TV size. We build the tv unit to avoid that from day one, not patch it later.