A Designer Told Me to Stop Styling Shelves This Way

I’m a firm believer that the number one way to make a house into a home is by adding pieces that hold memories. Sometimes that’s a rug passed down from a relative; sometimes, it’s a purple giraffe figurine. It doesn’t really matter what the item is, what matters most is how you style it. Less is definitely more — too many sentimental items in one area, and your space can start to look cluttered quickly. 

For Javier Burkle, an interior designer in Dallas, how you put things together decoratively is everything. “I got my start working at Ralph Lauren and learned so much about styling through merchandising,” he explains. “When clients began asking for styling advice, I realized I needed an easy formula to share and started noticing common threads in the way I approached shelves and surfaces.” The method he came up with in the end is as clever as it is easy to remember. Introducing: the TLC Method!

When styling your shelves, all you need is some TLC: a Tall object, Layers, and something Curved! According to Burkle, his method is the easiest way to achieve that perfectly-styled, “designer” look. “The biggest benefit of the TLC method is that it gives people an easy framework to remember when styling a space,” he said. ‘It helps take the intimidation out of the process.” 

Curious to see what the hype was about, I decided to use the TLC method on my own cluttered and understyled spaces. Though I love to fill my living room’s built-ins with photos, books, and random decor I’ve accumulated over the years, I admittedly put minimal thought into the styling. Instead of TLC, I’d basically been using the Tetris method. 

I left my framed photo as it was in the corner of the shelf and designated it as my “something tall.” I then turned my books on their side and placed this adorable round blue vase on top of them — my “something curved” and an added layer. (I interpreted “layers” to mean making sure you have at least three pieces, each positioned at differing heights and depths.) I stepped back, and finally, my shelf felt more like a vignette than simply storage space. 

My main piece of advice? Get creative with your books. When I was experimenting with my built-in display, I felt like a cluster of vertical books looked a little blah next to my taller framed photo. But a horizontal stack of books looks layered and more intentional. Plus, it increases the surface area for styling space.

Giddy with the look of my zhuzhed built-ins, I applied Burkle’s TLC rule to other spots in my home. My console table got a mini-makeover when I ditched the fourth item, a frame, to let the focus fall on my adorable mini lamp, a wavy glass bowl from John Pomp, and my collection of matchboxes. I added a chic woven trinket tray at the front for an extra layer of texture. 

Burkle might’ve invented the TLC Method, but even he admits this rule isn’t written in stone. “Don’t overthink it,” the designer explains. “Have fun with the process and use it as a guide rather than a strict formula.” Instead, he says, it’s most important that your home has at least a few items that truly bring you joy.