15 Floating Shelf Ideas You Can Easily Re-create Yourself
Stylish storage solutions at the ready.
Whether you live in a studio apartment or sprawling mansion, you have a finite square footage to work with. There's only so much floor space to hold furniture, appliances, decor, and most important, storage. The smaller the space, the fewer the opportunities for storing and displaying your beloved objects. That's there the walls come in. The untapped element in any room, walls provide much-needed vertical space. If you're not sure how to use your vertical space, let us recommend floating shelves. Named for the floating appearance they get from hidden hardware, floating shelves are chic, minimal, and great for decorating or storage.
The best floating shelf ideas combine functionality with style. No matter your decorating style, floating shelves can be incorporated into your space. You can use them in the kitchen to hold extra dinnerware or forego cabinets all together. In the bedroom, opt for floating shelves as part of your closet setup or use them display family photos or your book collection. There are endless possibilities. Floating shelves, because of their "lack" of visible mounting hardware, they take up less space than traditional shelving systems.
Now that you know about all the possibilities for floating shelves, you might be wondering where to hang them. We've got you covered with 15 designer-approved floating shelf ideas. Read on for ultimate shelf inspiration.
Keep Your Cookbooks On Hand
In House Beautiful Editorial Director Joanna Saltz's kitchen, cookbooks are kept not only within reach but also easy to find. It's the ideal storage solution for those of us who are better at remembering books' covers rather than their titles.
Display Shoes like Art
Treat your shoes like the investments they are rather than throwing them in a pile in your closet. With a series of floating shelves, designer Tasmin Johnson ensures that this client will always know what they have. Place seasonal shoes on the top shelf, out of sight until you need them.
Add Antiques
Looking to add character to your new build or embrace your old home's original era? Opt for reclaimed or antique wood floating shelves. The unique knots and grains make each board unique.
Make Cooking Easier
Floating shelves are a great addition to pretty much any room in the house, but they seem to be a particular favorite in the kitchen. They make it easier to grab items while you cook and clean than enclosed cabinets do, plus they give you an extra perch to display decor. In Justina Blakeney's kitchen, earthy reclaimed wood floating shelves are enhanced by the glossy green tile backsplash.
Get Cozy In a Reading Corner
Create a cozy corner reading nook in your bedroom with a dark paint color, plush fabrics, emotive artwork, and of course, easy-to-reach books. In this bedroom designed by Arent & Pyke, the rows of floating shelves provide a home for the occupant's collection.
Make Them Pop With an Accent Color
Whether your space has a customized niche or you want to reimagine an existing quirk, consider floating shelves your solution. They'll allow you to get some practical use out of an otherwise wasted divot. Here, Emil Dervish accents this space by giving the floating shelves a bright orange-red backdrop.
Opt for Thin, Sleek Shelves
Remember to play with profile types the same way you experiment with various color, composition, and material options for your floating shelves. For example, a thicker shelf will look more assertive on the wall, while thin floating shelves like these will be sleeker and allow your decorative items to take center stage.
Just Install One
Equal parts preppy and bohemian, contemporary and timeless, this kitchen by Anna Spiro Design is an eclectic dream. A lone floating shelf in line with the bottom of the range hood is visually arresting and streamlined.
Maximize a Small Bathroom
In a small powder room, a floating shelf will be a life-saver for essentials like washcloths, hand soap, candles, and tissues. Interior designer Gail Davis installed a simple glass shelf right under the mirror for a symmetrical display.
Spruce Up a Breakfast Nook
In smaller spaces where a tulip table is all you can squeeze in, choose fun accent chairs and consider a built-in bench. A casual gallery wall or statement-making floating shelves displaying decor will spice things up without taking up any precious square footage. This breakfast nook designed by Arent & Pyke proves it.
Create a New Kind of Gallery Wall
Create a gallery wall with more depth by laying out a pattern with floating shelves instead of hanging framed artwork. In this living room designed by Alberto Villalobos, the offset composition and metallic material is enough of a statement, but you could also fill yours with decor and books to fill the negative space.
Stretch From Wall to Wall
Floating shelves can be bold and over-the-top when decorated a certain way, but the emphasis on material and shape also makes them also a minimalists dream. In this space designed by Shapeless Studio, the wall-to-wall floating shelves for make for a neutral, linear, and clean display—almost gallery-esque, yet still approachable and grounded.
Rethink Shape and Form
Two floating cubic shelves function as pedestals to prop up vases in this colorful dining room designed by Corey Damen Jenkins. This trick is perfect for a narrow wall in a dining room, hallway, or entry.
Make Them Blend In
The floating shelves in this neutral-toned Scandinavian studio apartment blend in seamlessly with the white walls. Take inspiration from this space if you're working within a smaller scale space and want your floating shelves to disappear instead of distract.
Float a Cubby
Why settle for floating shelves when you can secure a floating cubby to the wall? In this living room, it strikes the balance between bohemian and polished.
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