Floating shelves are one of the magical unicorns of design; they just seem to work everywhere. They’re often the perfect choice if you need a bit more storage or if you want to add some visual interest to a space. And since they come in all different styles and sizes, they’re incredibly versatile.
Here are 12 of my favorite examples of floating shelves done right. And luckily I managed to find examples in almost every room of the home. So no matter where you want to put your shelves, I’ve got you’re covered.
Over the TV
Add some floating shelves above your TV to draw the eyes up. In this example, the TV fades into the background. Adding color-coded books to your shelves is another fun trick to attract the eye away from the TV.
Dish Display
Consider adding a few shelves between your existing kitchen cabinets. You can display your prettiest dishes and glasses, and simply switch it up depending on the time of year or season.
Book Collection
These narrow shelves are used to display books like a magazine rack. This would work well if you have a lot of coffee table books to showcase. It could also be a great solution for displaying framed artwork or family photos.
Statement Piece
Shelves prominently displayed on the wall can actually take the place of artwork. Here, the rustic, reclaimed wood shelves are used to showcase decor, houseplants and accessories. When cleverly arranged, they manage to stand in for a large piece of art.
Laundry Room Storage
The laundry room is another great spot to add shelves if you have the space. You can increase your storage space with a couple of extra floating shelves and quickly upgrade the functionality of your laundry room. If you don’t need the extra storage room, you can add some artwork or some plants to warm up your space.
Easy Bookshelf
Hung all in a row, you can actually use floating shelves in place of a bookcase. If all of your books are similarly sized, you can hang the shelves equidistant from one another. However, floating shelves would also allow you to customize the space between each shelf to account for books of all different sizes.
Kids’ Storage
These white and gold shelves would make a great addition to a modern kid’s room. They can do double-duty as both a spot to store books, as well as a place to display fun decor. Hang the shelves higher if you want to make sure your kid can’t reach the shelves or down low for easy access.
Bath Hack
Floating shelves can be miracle workers for anyone who happens to have a small bathroom. If you lack storage in your sink vanity, or just need more space, add shelves to your bathroom walls to manage the overflow of toiletries.
Hallway Update
If you happen to have some dead space at the end of your hallway, consider adding some floating shelves. These chunky, wooden shelves are solely decorative, but they manage to liven up an area of the home which would have otherwise been empty.
Library Style
Floating shelves can also be a great solution to use in the corner of a room. Again, because you’re using shelves rather than a bookcase, you have flexibility to arrange them exactly as you like to work with your specific space. This homeowner even used a ladder in front of their shelves to make the space feel like a traditional library.
Color Pop
You can even use wall shelves to add a splash of color to a room. Here, robin’s egg blue shelves are used in a white kitchen to add some visual interest on the wall.
Clever Use
This is a perfect example of how to use shelves on an awkward space in their home. Using shelves in this spot brings order to the living room but also keeps things tucked away. The flexibility of the shelves also allows the homeowner to go higher than a standard bookshelf.