DIY Shelves: 60 Ingenious Ways To Create More Space At Home

Step 4 – Attach the shelf to the wall
Floating shelves are extremely practical in areas such as the kitchen or the home office. They add extra storage and they’re very convenient. If you want to be creative, you can make your floating shelves double as drawers. Find out more about this on notjustahousewife.

Both the mounting hardware and the painted stripes stand out but each in a different way. You can play with the design, the colors and the combinations of styles and patterns in a lot of fun ways.


Need some inspiration? How about the beautiful kitchen shelves featured on Keepingitcozy? The first step should be to sand the wood  if it’s weathered. You can stain it first and then assemble the shelving units.

DIY Shelves

Step 2 – Drill the Holes

Floating Shelves

In the case of the design offered on themerrythought the shelves and the mirror form together a sort of vanity. The design, however, is more casual and simplified. You can create something similar by using a large wood board as a back support.

Book Shelves 

Open shelving started as a popular home decor trend a few years ago and hasn’t slowed down since. The shelving style can make your living space look stylish if you feature the right items on the open shelves. If you don’t, open shelving could ruin a room’s theme. 

Corner Shelf

The ones featured on sheknows are special because of the color combination. The interior was painted a nice shade of turquoise while the rest of the wood kept its natural color.
Most shelves are attached to walls using brackets. Here are a few of the common styles:

Hanging Shelf

Step 1 – Cut the Wood

Built in Shelves

Let’s finish the list with something festive and Christmas-related. We’re talking about a shelving unit made of a repurposed sled. You can find more details on the project and the steps you need to take if you want to create other easy-to-follow crafts at funkyjunkyinteriors.

Fixed Bracket Shelves

Take the six shortboards and drill two pocket holes into each one (both on the same end and about 2’’ from the sides of the board).
Take the six shortboards and drill two pocket holes into each one (both on the same end and about 2’’ from the sides of the board).

Picture Frame Shelves

Bucket Shelves

A bunch of wood crates can also be stacked to form a tower unit. You can put separators in each crate to obtain more shelves. The result will be a simple-looking shelving unit that you can make out of crates, wood boards, plywood, and brackets. The building process is described on dreamalittlebigger so check out the tutorial for more details.
The list of things that can be repurposed into shelves is pretty much endless. For example, even an old table can be sued for such a project. You’ll be cutting the table in two lengthwise. Stack the two halves one on top of the other and this will be your shelving unit. The idea comes from infarrantlycreative.

Old Shutters

DIY shelving unites character with a space. When you use pipes, it’s anything goes. Check out gloriouslymade for a list of supplies. The pipes are heavy in this example and were installed vertically so they wouldn’t sag. 
There are variations of floating shelves. This is one eye-catching example from vintagerevivals. The DIY shelves would stand out in  any home décor.

Christmas Sled Style

The DIY shelves are good for spaces in hallways, entryway, kitchen, laundry room or basically any space that could use some simple extra storage.
Thread the rope ends through the holes of the first shelf and make a knot under the shelf. Then thread them through the bottom shelf and tie a knot once again.

Types Shelf Brackets

DIY floating shelves such as the one featured on Atilio are interesting because they offer something more. In this case, the shelf doubles as a magazine holder, which is a great idea to reduce clutter. To add this functionality a few simple things are needed: hooks, a string and two wood beads.
For more details you can check out the example on Abeautifulmess.

Angle Brackets

A really cute and stylish hanging shelf also made using a marble tile can be found on abubblylife. Aside from the marble tile, you’ll also need leather cord and scissors if you want to recreate the design.

Floating Brackets

Here’s how you can make floating shelves from scratch:

Invisible Brackets

It depends on how often you use your laundry room. For busier laundry rooms, having easy access to things like detergent and bleach will help you save time. If you have small children, open shelving for your utility room would not be a good idea. 

Lip Brackets

You can make DIY shelves with many things including repurposed items. This is a cool way to personalize your decor and to avoid throwing out old stuff.

Decorative Brackets

Pipe Brackets

Folding Brackets

DIY Wall Shelves Conclusion

When space limited or when you simply want to make the most of the space you have, multifunctional furniture saves the day. This applies to just about anything, including shelves.



A log can be used in stylish ways for a home’s interior design, whether you use it as a solid mass or cut it into slices.