I lean to books on every shelf.....just a few....after all they are "book" shelves. And add natural stuff....plants, pine cones, dry grass herbs.
And put something here and there standing in back of something else....a flat basket...t.arnished copper plate or dark pewter plate. and you need a "theme" looking at that I have no idea where you may live or are from nor what you do or what your hobbys are....your "stuff" should bear some relationship to you!

Being a total bibliophile I go in the direction of filling every shelf to overflowing with books - so I can't be of any decorating help.

I do love your cabinets!

Can you shsre how wide they are from the far left edge to the far right? How wide is the TV area, and how deep are the lower and upper units?

I don't mean to be prying, but I want to do something similar in my little living room. Except I don't have a beautiful brick fireplace to anker it!

Thanks! I do have a tobacco basket with darker wood tones and antique mirror I can layer in by leaning them against the back of a few of the shelves, for some richer depth. I have photos of my kids in there which reflect what's important to me. The rest is honestly filler to look pretty and aesthetically pleasing to my eye as I'm sitting on the couch folding laundry, lol. My hobbies are this site, my job is marketing/PR which isn't easy to reflect with "stuff". I live in New England, which is reflected in the style of my home (Cape Cod) but also in the lantern and beach setting of my photos (hard to see). Maybe I could put some seashells in the open crate/tray.

Thanks Caroline! I will get you measurements tonight when I get home. I can tell you that the bookshelves have made my space look larger and more finished, because I have very low ceilings and this helps disguise that. My original brick was 1960's bright red and I whitewashed them to look a bit more updated.

Caroline, just measured up for you. Width end to end is 10 feet, 5 inches. Width of TV section is 5 feet. Depth of mantel level shelves are 11" and 10" for upper 2 shelves. Base cabinet depth is 16 inches. Hope that helps. It adds a substantial focal point to the space and IMO, really finishes off the room. We had them built during our kitchen remodel on the afternoon that the contractor was waiting for the drywall plaster to dry. He used all leftover materials and charged us next to nothing to do them since he was here anyhow. I've learned that bundling projects together offers major cost efficiencies because for the contractors it's worth their while to make a few extra bucks if they're here anyway and all their equipment is already set up. Good luck with your project, we would love to see pictures!!

More books! IMO nothing adds interest like books. Also, they should be displayed with the spines and titles turned out; otherwise no one knows what they are.

I think it looks fantastic :)

It looks great. Let's call it a day.