Essentials to Start Building Your Flat Lay Styling Kit
The moment you start styling flat lays is usually the moment you realize there are a lot of things you wish you had. Because, as you sit down and start moving things around (there is always a lot of subtle shifting of props to get it just right), you wish you had this to keep something from flying away, that to level something out, and other things that might just take what you styled from good to great. So today, we wanted to help you build out your flat lay styling kit to have the things that will actually help and not just take up space. Read on to find out what the essentials are!
An organizer
Call us basic for putting this at the top of the list, but as a team with quite the styling kit at this point, trust us when we tell you that you don’t just want to toss everything in a tote bag. We organize all of our flat lay props in these organizers from Ikea and love them! They are super cheap. They stack well. And we’ve found ourselves ordering more as our kits have grown. Plus, the compartments in each one help keep like-things together—our ring boxes also fit perfectly inside.
Acrylic styling blocks
We used to use rolls of washi tape, our phones, and random stacks of small objects to raise certain props up in our flat lays, but that was far from ideal. So back in 2018, we launched our line of acrylic styling blocks and have shipped sets around the world! Our styling blocks were designed with you in mind and are sized specifically for things like jewelry and wedding invitation suites. You can pick up a curated set or you can totally customize your own with our single blocks that start at just $1 each.
Want to know what blocks Jenny Quicksall can’t live without? Find out what styling blocks she has in her flat lay styling kit.
Styling mats and surfaces
Everything in life needs a solid foundation: your house, your business, and your flat lays. And, over the years, we’ve come to love a few styling surfaces and always have them in tow. Check out this list of our favorite styling mats and surfaces to serve as your foundation (no more styling straight on the ground).
Ribbon
Not everything you style needs to include a ribbon, but sometimes it’s just the thing you need to complete the scene. We’ve added spools of neutral colored ribbon to our kits to ensure we always have the perfect color on hand (along with a few seasonal colors for when we want something rich). But don’t forget to add a pair of scissors to your kits—you don’t want to find yourself without them when you need them.
Stamps
There are moments when you have just a bit of “dead space” that needs to be filled in an invitation flat lay and stamps usually do the trick. Whether you collect a few vintage stamps or newer and more modern ones, they can come in incredibly handy at times.
Ring boxes and dishes
Jewelry flat lays are a staple in the world of weddings and so are ring boxes and dishes! So, similar to our approach with the ribbon, you want to have a few options in neutral colors as well as in your brand colors. Here are some of our favorites:
And, though we much prefer supporting small, women-owned businesses, Amazon has inexpensive options for velvet ring boxes too.
Dental wax and tape
You probably weren’t expecting to see this on a list of must-haves but, trust us, you definitely want to have these two items in your styling kit. Dental wax is great for styling rings and you’ll want to have tape for those days you are styling outside and there is even the slightest breeze.
A flat iron or portable steamer
Last, but not least, is a flat iron and/or steamer. Why? Because is kind of sucks to see a beautiful silk ribbon with creases and wrinkles—there are definitely some shots in our library with them and a piece of us dies every time we see it. So, learn from our mistakes and be sure to put these in your flat lay styling kit!
Ready to start building out your kit? Head over to The Shop to mix and match our acrylic styling blocks or pick a curated set from out line.
