A week or so ago, I spotted the cutest little secretary desk and hutch on Facebook Marketplace. Although I had absolutely no idea where I would put this piece, it was instant love. The hutch was local and just $100 so I drove right over and loaded it into my car! Many thought I’d paint it or fix it up somehow, but I love it’s shabby look, chipping paint and all. My favorite part of the cabinet? Styling the shelves!

After moving it all over the house, upstairs and down, I finally decided to put it in the living room. Of course, doing so meant that I had to move other things around in the room, but I love that it’s the first thing I see when I come down the stairs each morning.

How to Style Shelves: The Decor
Whenever I decorate shelves (for aesthetics, not function), I like to use a mix of the following:
- Things I love
- Sentimental items
- Organic elements
See the Transformation!
Here’s a little time-lapse video of how I styled the shelves of my new-to-me hutch. I like to add my anchor pieces first and finish with organic item. You can find more details on shelf styling below the video.
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Shelf Styling Details
You might have noticed from the video that I left the center area relatively blank, and that’s because anything in the center gets covered by the door frame!


I really am a sucker for old books, especially if they are deckled edge books. On the top shelf, I added two prints that I picked up on my travels to Europe with my family as a reminder of our vacation.

To add a bit more greenery, I decided to use some preserved lichen because although it’s real, it doesn’t require any maintenance. I get a nice pop of green and an organic shape and I can’t kill it! I also added some address number plaques that I picked up in Europe.

On the left side, I included my most favorite book that my husband surpised me with, plus a very fake potted fern. It definitely looks better behind glass than in does up close! I also included some feathers and ironstone for an additional organic shape.

The top of the hutch flips down to reveal a desk space. While I had originally planned to make this my workspace, I decided I didn’t really like facing the wall.

And for those of you with eagle eyes, YES, I painted my living room wall. I was so over the yellow! I’m not sure this is the final color and this is the only wall I painted, but I love it so much more than the yellow so it’s a keeper for now! It’s Classic Grey from Benjamin Moore in a matte finish. More to come at a later date about my paint project….
To learn more about how to style shelves, read {THIS} article!


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I painted the majority of my home Classic Grey four years ago, love it and extremely easy to live with – adorable secretary/hutch, fabulous deal!
What a beautiful piece! I wouldn’t refinish it, either.