4 Ways to Style That Credenza For “Real Life” + Shop Our Favorite Credenzas

Today is a pretty great day. Not only is it officially October (cough my birthday month) but we are giving you beautiful people what you have been asking for… a shoppable styling post for real-life scenarios (not just to get a pretty photo). To kick off what will hopefully be the first of many, we thought… credenzas. Why? Well, honestly it’s tricky to properly style out a large/long surface. I didn’t truly realize this until I was styling out my “shelf bench” at 11 pm the night before my MOTO shoot. Whoops. Now if you’ve been around these blog parts for a while, you may remember this post from a few years ago that laid out some general rules or even THIS series from 2015 where Emily took one credenza and styled it four ways. All of those are still awesome but Emily and the editorial team wanted to not only give you four (and a half) more updated versions but ones that were actually functional…you know, for real life. So questions such as “how do I style my credenza when my TV is mounted above it?” or “I want to look at my beautiful family in frames ALL the time but how do I do it and have it look good??” shall all be answered with our infamous no-fail rules.

But since all four (and a half…you’ll see what I mean in a sec) of these looks are going to have slightly more specific rules, I want to cover a few things that apply to all/any credenza style you may attempt in the future. They are also the foundations to all four looks we are about to dive into.

Color Palette: I’m sure you knew this was going to be the first rule. Make sure to pick around 3-4 colors and then vary the tones with your different objects.

Varied Shapes: Think about your shapes. Make sure everything isn’t square, or all circular. Mix it up so you can create a visually interesting vignette.

Varied Heights: This idea is in the same vein of varied shapes. Having pieces that have different heights will frame your vignette and again create visual interest to keep that eye moving across the surface. I hope you are ready to hear that phrase A LOT.

Visual Balance: Make sure that when you look at your credenza, both sides feel visually balanced. Avoid putting too much on one side without balancing it on the other. Your eyes will be happy if you keep it equally “weighted.”

Now, let’s finally get into these looks…

THE TV CREDENZA

I promise your eyes don’t deceive you. That my friends is a real-life, real person mounted TV. We find that the TV is so often “hidden” or taken out of a room for a styled photo but we know, um, that’s just not real. This shot may look familiar because it’s Arlyn’s wonderful living room and she graciously let us destroy her home for the day. Arlyn (and Charles THANK YOU). But let’s get into what you need to know to create this look in your home.

THE RULES

Start with Color Palette: Here we chose amber, white, black, blues and contrasting wood tones. We kept it neutral but with a fun pop of color with the large glass amber vase. NOTE: Unless you know you want lots of color, we recommend a neutral color palette. This way your eyes won’t go into full overload when you are actually watching TV.

Consider Shapes: Here, we used a good balance of rounded and square shapes. Plus, the multi-shaped garland adds the perfect amount of visual interest and casual movement without overpowering the whole combo.

Varied Height: It’s a good idea to “frame” the TV. Think high-low-high. You want to avoid anything that will cover the screen, of course, so keep that in mind.

Keep It Simple: This is the most important for this look. The idea is to add a bit of careful yet intentional style without overpowering the entire vignette. Your TV is the real star so let’s keep it that way.

Visual Balance: Here we kept it balanced by having a large colorful vase that is glass (which makes it feel lighter) and on the other side used a white but visually heavy, shorter footed bowl with hanging light wood garland to create the perfect balance. Tall, round, colorful, transparent vase + short, white, solid footed bowl with blonde wood garland = perfect.

Groupings: Always mix up the number of objects in a grouping. As you can see (depending on the size of the object) we used a single large vase, two larger books, two smaller books with a box topper (which makes a group of three) and then another group of two (the pedestal bowl and wood garland) at a higher height than the other two groups to visually set it apart.

Make It Functional: We made this look more functional by choosing a box that fits the TV’s remotes. Simple but effective and organized. Think about how you want to use your TV credenza/media console and then choose pieces that work with that.

Without A Soundbar

Emily Henderson Credenza Styling Tv Without Soundbar Side By Side 1

We know that your daily look will probably not include sculptural branches because it would block important shows like The Bachelor…that’s a BIG no-no. So here is how this set up looks for every day (without branches) on the left and then on the right (with branches) for when company comes over and you want to add a little somethin’ somethin’. FUN FACT: All the greenery that was bought for this shoot was from the grocery store (Trader Joe’s and Gelsons). Very affordable and very possible for you to find.

With A Soundbar

Emily Henderson Credenza Styling Tv With Soundbar Side By Side 2

Arch Object | Decorative Rock (unavailable)

Now, Arlyn actually lives with a soundbar on her credenza which made us think, “Hey, other people may also have these soundbars and may want help too!” This is the “and a half” look, FYI. All the previous rules apply but here is our solution for this particular quandary:

Create Two Groupings: We chose to create two groupings of three that frame the soundbar and create enough visual interest so the big black bar isn’t the main event. Embrace the bar because trying to hide and block it with books doesn’t…look great.

Balance Groupings: Notice that on the left, the objects are round in shape, light in color and varied in texture (glass, porcelain, stone, leather). Then on the right, the objects are rectangular, darker in tone, slightly vary in texture and the grouping is shorter overall. You could also just as easily swap out the tall vase for something lower so everything is at the same visual level as the soundbar, making it “blend in” even more.

Make Sure Groupings Take Up A Similar Amount of Real Estate: Both of the groupings take up almost if not the same amount of horizontal space. This is not a hard rule but is an easy way to help with balance.

Phew, that was a lot—time for a drink…

THE BAR CREDENZA:

What’s important when using your credenza as a bar is organized SIMPLICITY. Your bar will naturally have a lot going on (aka lots of delicious booze). That’s what we were going for with this look so let’s jump right on in.

THE RULES

Start with Color Palette: Once again, we kept it neutral with blue, black, white and some natural tones. But what we wanted to lean into was a bit of a tonal feel with the blue runner and blue tray. This helps to modernize the look a bit.

Consider Shapes: We made sure there was a good mix of round, square and even geometric shapes to help your eye wander and keep it interested.

Varied Height: You want to avoid ascending or descending grouping heights. Mix it up. Here we made the lamp the tallest object, then, on the other side, the wine decanter is the second tallest item which makes the bar area seem taller and more prominent than the middle grouping.

Visual Balance: We knew that the tray was going to be busy and full of items. So to balance it out, we chose a large and visually (and physically) heavy table lamp. Then we used the center grouping as the middle ground. Not as busy as the bar but busier (and lighter in color) than the lamp.

Groupings: We kept the groupings all very contained and different in numbers. This way it feels organized but interesting.

Make it Functional: It’s obvious that it’s functional because of the bar but we also wanted to add the table runner to this particular look to avoid any potential liquid ruining the wood of the credenza. Pretty with purpose.

Wall Art: Since there was a good amount visually happening with the credenza surface, we kept the wall art very simple with a round mirror (you could go bigger but this one is only $50). Too much art can lean overwhelming. If you prefer a gallery wall, I would take away the books and nut bowl and just have the plant (greenery is important for a splash of an organic feel). Then just add a few pieces in the same color palette as you chose for your credenza styling.

Now let’s get specific with the star of this show…

The Bar: Aside from maintaining your color palette (it will make it feel less crazy), your bar should have a variety of shapes and heights by way of liquor bottles, decanters and bitters. Adding in a cute bowl for fruit and a fun patterned cup for your bar tools will add in some texture.

Okay you Boozin’ Susan, put down that delicious cocktail because it’s time to focus on what really matters…photos of your family.

THE FAMILY PHOTO CREDENZA

It’s pretty uncommon to see lots of family photos grace design magazines and websites but most people work hard raising their families so it is only natural that they want to stare at photos of them all the time. We actually get asked a lot about how to style family photos in a stylish way. Let us show and tell you how.

The Rules

Start with Color Palette: Okay promise this is the last neutral look. But honestly when it comes to including lots of family photos, keeping the color palette neutral (but warm and textured) will make everything look more pulled together and chic.

Add Texture to Offset Rectangle and Square Frames: There are a lot of square and rectangle frames in this look so choosing other objects with a lot of texture was really important to round out the vibe. The lamp, lampshade, tray and vase are VERY textured thus making the whole vignette feel like it has a lot of movement and comfort. (The awesome maiden fern leaves don’t hurt either).

Number of Frames on Credenza: OOOOOKAY. I know this is hard because I know how beautiful your family is but for an average size credenza, the max amount of frame should be about 4. MAYBE you can squeeze in one more, but crossing over into 6+ territory on one surface will start to feel cluttered. But don’t worry, because the next tip will help you get in more of those faces you adore.

How to Add More Photos: Good news if four pictures just aren’t enough! You can create a gallery wall above your credenza and add a few more photos and kiddo drawings mixed in with other art pieces. That part is important. It will feel more pulled together if you have non-photo art mixed in.

Mix Up Black & White and Color Photos: All color photos may throw off your chosen color palette but a couple is nice to bring in some life. Then having the majority of the photos be black and white will make everything feel grounded and chic.

Varied Height and Shape: The height of the lamp is balanced by the color and fullness of the vase and plant. Then all of the frames have different heights and shapes (and colors and materials) to make it interesting and multi-note. One note styling = bummer.

Groupings: Two groupings with two different amount of objects keeps it interesting. But note that the grouping on the left comes further into the center of the credenza. This slight offset is crucial to the visual stimulation and helps to fill in what would have been too big of a gap.

Art left to right: Mist Rises Over the Water by Renee Anne | Catapillar 101 by Velinda’s Left Hand (unavailable) | Mist Rises Over the Water by Renee Anne

Gallery Wall: Here is a whole video on how to create a gallery wall with Emily but with this one, we styled the credenza first then design the wall. Taking into account the height of the lamp and vase, we spaced out the photos, sizes of frames and other art mediums to make it all feel visually balanced.

Now, this company was founded by a professional stylist so we had to create one look that was simply decorative. I mean maybe you don’t need your credenza to have any further purpose than to show off pretty things that make you happy. You are my people. Let us show you how we did it…

THE DECORATIVE CREDENZA

I’m going to be honest, I have a lot of “rules” for achieving this but this gal is really all about breaking the rules. “The Decorative Credenza” requires playing…a lot. When we put this look together, we put almost all of the pieces we had in the postmodern style on the credenza and just started moving things around. Here is how we ended up here…

Pick Your Key Pieces: We knew we had to use that killer lamp, the stunning woman paper collage by Sharlene Kayne, the metal slinky and the little olive tree (to add a little organic feel).

Color Palette: We pulled the color palette from the paper collage, though, because we wanted the artwork to be the feature piece, we kept everything neutral aside from the cobalt blue vase (very postmodern) and the large yellow book. We then made sure that those pieces were dispersed to give visual balance.

Lean Your Art: This gives a casual yet collected look. Like an extremely cool art collector that is always changing their art because they can.

More is More (with Control): This is the kind of look that calls for an array of curated objects. You just want to make sure that each piece as “a little something” whether that be texture, shape or color.

Mix Visual Weights: Have a mix of chunky and delicate items. It will give your eye a break and make it look more interesting.

Balance Sheens: Since all of the art we chose was matte, we balanced it out with objects that have varying levels of sheen to bring the look to life.

Balance Abstract and Graphic Patterns: Make sure to have both. Here we used the graphic striped box, candlestick holders, metal slinky, blue vase and perforated lamp base. Then we chose the canvas print, framed canvas painting and white planter. It creates a really awesome visual tension.

Add Something Unexpected and Sculptural: Take this amazing black metal slinky that Emily let us borrow. It’s heavy and delicate at the same time and adds such a cool element. It’s hard for your eye to not be drawn to it immediately.

Purpose is NOT Mandatory: Not every piece needs to have a function as long as it’s cool, something you feel happy looking at, and contributes to the overall style. Take the brass candle holder (it looks like a little bowl here, but it’s actually meant for a thick pillar). We didn’t use a candle because it looked awesome by itself.

Break Normal Rules: Get crazy! Here we chose to put the plant towards the middle of the credenza instead of the more standard side placement. Doing this creates that bit of unexpected “why didn’t I think to do that” vibe. Play around with placement for sure. If you always put a lamp off to the left, put it somewhere else, step back, look, and keep playing. You might be surprised where you land.

So that’s it for the styling portion of this post. Now let’s shop y’all! In case you are looking for a credenza, I have rounded up 66 of our favorites in three different budget categories. Plus, I sourced A TON of really good items to style with for the shoot that were never used in the final vignettes. It was heartbreaking but fear not because I put them all on our Shop page for you to peruse if you want to look at more options.

Okay, let’s get into these credenzas…

Emily Henderson Credenza Styling Under 1000

Emily Henderson Credenza Styling Under 2000

Emily Henderson Credenza Styling Over 2000 1

Well, that’s it from me…today. I will be back and hopefully with more content like this. But first I have questions that I would love for you to answer in the comments. Was this helpful? Did you like it? If we did this again what would you like us to style next? Coffee tables, dining tables, bookshelves? We want to create posts that help you so give me your thoughts…please.

Love you, mean it.

***Photography by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

***Styled by Jess Bunge with assistance from Velinda Hellen

The post 4 Ways to Style That Credenza For “Real Life” + Shop Our Favorite Credenzas appeared first on Emily Henderson.

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