If you’ve ever been on Instagram (great, so that’s everyone then…), you’ll be well acquainted with The Flat-Lay. On the surface, it’s all like, ‘oh, these cute items in a complementary colour palette just happened to be hanging out in the same square frame, looking fine’. In reality, it’s pretty darn tricky. That’s why we got our art director and in-house styling extraordinaire, Lizzy, to give us her advice for nailing it first go. Bring on the regrams!
1. Get your lighting right. “This is just as important as having beautiful items, trust me. I recommend using daylight wherever possible, so position your items and background next to a window or open door. If the light is too harsh, creating un-flattering shadows, try hanging up a white sheet to soften it.”
2. Choose your hues. “A colour scheme helps to bring everything together. I went with a palette of pink, nude and rose gold.”
3. Consider your background. “This can be a floor, table top or fabric. Or, if you’re really serious, you can paint a surface to suit your colour scheme. Whatever you choose, it’s generally easier to use a lightly textured or flat surface so you don’t detract from the items displayed.”
4. Make shapes. “Square, circle, triangle, organic? The items you choose can form a shape, like our square, or they can be arranged in a more organic fashion and bleed out of the edges of your camera frame. If you’re creating a shape with your items make sure it’s not a wonky one (rhombus, anyone?).”
5. Big items first. “Start with the largest item (your ‘anchor’), then build around it. I started with the notebook and clutch and then filled in the gaps with smaller pieces.”
PS. Check out Lizzy in action and these will elevate your flat-lay.
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