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DIY shelves make some of the most accessible home projects, and they can have a great decor effect.
To make it even easier for you, here are 50 of the best tutorials out there.
Building a small shelf is simple as far as handcrafting goes, and you can design it to make a statement decor piece for display as well as extra storage.
So while you can buy cheap shelves in stores and install them quickly, just a little bit more effort in building DIY shelves will give you unique results.
And while you do that, leave some leeway to be creative and allow yourself to drift away a little from the instructions if to add your unique personal touch.
Do you want to build a bookshelf instead?
Easy DIY Wall Shelves
Tree Branch Shelf
If you want a truly unique DIY shelf to make a whimsical, rustic decor statement, try building this branch shelf. Made of real tree branches, it is more wall art than a storage unit.
Farmhouse Style DIY Shelves
These farmhouse style DIY shelves will add architectural interest as much as they bring charm to your decor. The corbels add detail that makes it pop.
Industrial Pipe DIY Shelves
You’ll find industrial pipe DIY shelves in many chic style decor interiors these days so why not make one yourself. Small shelves like these are as useful for extra storage as they are to create beautiful displays.
Letter DIY Shelves
If you want to create a display that tells a story, letter-shaped DIY shelves are great to do just that. Here’s a project for HOME.
Wall Mounted Display DIY Shelves
This is a fancier but still very doable project to build beautiful display shelves. They’re perfect for the space above the sofa, and they add some architectural interest as well as a lot of decor value.
Mug Rack DIY Shelves
Do you own a collection of coffee mugs? If you do, how do you display them? A collection should not be hidden away in a closed cabinet, so build this simple shelf just for your mugs and show them off. Also, check out our other DIY mug racks.
Plywood Mirror Shelf
Plywood may not be the most attractive option as far as the texture and color go, but we’d like to encourage you to experiment. It’s cheap, and you can easily make a mobile shelf like this. You get a full-size mirror to go along with it too.
Window DIY Shelves
We bet you haven’t thought of adding shelves to your windows. It’s certainly a unique idea that brings whimsical decor to the table. You can easily add glass shelves that don’t obstruct the view or light and have plenty of room for plants and other display items.
Decorative Mountain Shelf
There’s a lot of decor value in shelves that are art themselves. Not only they provide you with space for displays, they inherently make decor accents.
Solid Wood 3D Shelf
Unique design requires some effort, but this modular shelf made of solid wood cubes is as simple as it is eye-catching. All you have to do is glue several wood cubes together to make this elegant 3D shape.
Industrial Rustic DIY Shelves
We love the look of industrial rustic piping shelves that provide a lot of decor interest. The warm rustic wood looks inviting, and it is met with sharp industrial lines. Such shelves provide a lot of room for storage as well. You make them at home by following the DIY tutorial.
Rustic Floating DIY Shelves
Rustic floating shelves don’t take up much space so you can install them in any corner of your house. They will give you extra space for storage as well as display and they will look good while doing so. Check out the tutorial for easy instructions.
Rustic DIY Shelves with Corbels
Rustic shelves with corbels have a lot of charm and architectural interest. You can easily install them on any free space of wall as the floating design doesn’t take up much space. They are perfect for storage as well as display. Build them by following the tutorial the easy way.
Built-in DIY Shelves
Built-in shelves make a great stylish solution especially if you make accent shelves. This tutorial shows how easy it is to make such a solution in a bathroom. You can use it to build your shelves anywhere you have suiting space.
Back to TopDIY Floating Shelves
Adding shelving to your living space makes for more functionality and organization. They allow you to keep knick-knacks, pictures, and other items up and off of functional living spaces and they are typically very easy to set up. Floating shelves are a sleek and modern shelving solution that is incredibly sturdy. You don’t have to worry about large, stand-alone shelving units taking up floor space in your home. They’re called floating shelves because they appear to float on the wall without supports. Even though they appear to be free-floating without support, they are solid.
Live Edge Floating DIY Shelves
This how-to shows you how to make a floating shelf using a much harder and more valuable single piece of wood. This is good for higher end woods like solid oak or cherry.
Floating DIY Shelves for Under $150
It’s not that these shelves are made of some high-end material, it’s just that there are a lot of them. This project outlines making a shelving unit system meant to transfer tons of books, lamps, toys, and other items onto it. So you’ll need a lot of wood, paint, and hardware.
Simple Floating DIY Shelf
These instructions use a lot more hardware, routing, and otherwise hands-on steps than I’m used to for a DIY, but the finished product looks phenomenal. Keep in mind that more hardware and more tools translate to more money spent on this project.
Floating DIY Shelves for $20 Each
It’s not 7 dollars but $20 isn’t bad. The best part about these types of posts is that you know what the cost will be up front. There’s nothing worse than getting into a project only to find out there was some uber-expensive part the author left out.
How to Build Simple Floating DIY Shelves
This post focuses on a broad overview of how you build the shelves, and then you can apply that using any wood, length, height, etc. you want. You can make long shelves, small shelves, one shelf or two shelves. It’s like the Dr. Suess of floating shelves.
Rustic DIY Shelf with IKEA Brackets
They sell these types of floating shelves at IKEA, but if you want to make your look, you can use bracket alternatives and make your board.
These shelves are a single plank with a metal bracket at each end that holds the board in place. Very easy to set up and install.
Open Pipe DIY Shelving
Pipe DIY shelving is very rustic and industrial looking which is cool. Instead of the shelves being the primary pieces affixed to the wall, the pipes are, and they hold up the shelving units. A very creative approach.
Open Shelving in Dining Room
If all of the other floating shelves we mention in this post are for a handful of items at most, the dining room shelving could house an entire book collection as well as other knick-knacks. This guide shows you how to make full wall length shelving in your dining room so you can store whatever you need there.
Quick, Easy & Cheap Floating DIY Shelves
Virtually every other tutorial in this list aside from the plant shelves uses multiple pieces of wood to build a floating shelf. This one uses a single stained plank with two pocket holes for hanging the shelf. That approach makes things easier. Less cutting, less measuring, less drilling, and, well, you get the idea.
Floating Plant DIY Shelves from a Birch Wood Slice
Most floating shelves are large enough to hold a few items at least if not an entire book collection. The birch wood round shelves, however, are specifically for your plants. These little things are unobtrusive and super creative. They are designed to hold one plant each and built-in groups together on the wall.
Simple Floating DIY Shelves
Like the previous two simple projects, the Easy Floating Shelf is also a low cost, simple version of a floating shelf. It’s hollow on the bottom making for easy access to hardware to later remove the shelf if you need to. This tutorial is lacking some instruction but still has some useful tips.
How to Make a $7 Floating Shelf
Need to make a shelf on the cheap? This post is for you. These are more like floating boxes, and they are super inexpensive to make. The finished product is surprisingly sharp looking for the price.
How to Make an Easy Floating Shelf
If you want a bare-bones process for a floating shelf, this tutorial shows you how to make one without all the frills. You’ll just be making a plain wood shelf with removable cover. This is one of the few tutorials where the whole shelf portion is removable so you can detach the main studs underneath if need be.
Rustic Floating DIY Shelves
Here’s another rustic step-by-step for floating shelves. The hardest part about following instructions from a post online is when the images are not good. This post has some of the highest resolution images I’ve ever seen, and each step is very well documented. If any other posts are confusing for you, this one will do the trick.
Alternate Rustic DIY Shelves
These are a different kind of rustic shelves than the previous tutorial we mentioned. Most floating shelves you only see the surface that you’re placing items on and all the hardware and wood attached to the wall is hidden. In this tutorial, the boards and supports are visible, so it’s not a valid floating shelf in the traditional sense. These are still very sturdy and good looking though.
Repurposed Books DIY Bookshelf
Got a taste for artistic flair? Using old books to make your floating shelves is a good way to upcycle old stuff. It’s also a great conversation piece for pretty much anyone that sees it. The tutorial walks you through the various ways you can combine hardware and old re-purposed materials to build floating shelves from old pieces of literature.
DIY Tree Shelf
This is a fun one especially if you have kids. The tree shelf is exactly what it sounds like, a shelf that branches out like a tree on the wall. Items can be placed on the branches that extend out. It’s taller and attracts a lot more attention than traditional floating shelves but a great project if you want something outside the box.
DIY Repurposed Cake Pan Shelf
If you want a unique take on the floating shelf, this one is for you. The author makes a smaller shelf out of household items like drawer pulls and a spring pan. It’s great for holding small things, and it looks super trendy.
Simple DIY Floating Shelves
This DIYer builds a series of three floating shelves in a bathroom using simple materials. The cool part of this tutorial is that not only do you get a materials list she also shows you a complete list of tools needed for the job. The Simply Designing tutorial is also a great example of how to make a smaller space look taller through use of the shelves.
DIY Rustic Modern Floating Shelves
This is an easy step-by-step with images showing you the materials and process for making a set of rustic looking floating shelves. Using store-bought lumber and some stain, this tutorial shows you how to make a two-toned floating shelf and even a foolproof way to order all the right materials.
Back to TopDIY Hanging Shelves
Floor space is a precious commodity, especially in smaller, less spacious homes. DIY hanging shelves and tables provide an awesome solution for homeowners who are unwilling to sacrifice style and function, even if space is limited. This additional storage or display space can effortlessly enhance room organization and improve the visual impact of the space.
One of the fantastic features of DIY hanging shelves and tables is the option of hanging them in awkward corners. They can also be stacked as high as you can reach. These fantastic solutions can be designed to ensure that space feels clutter free. You can try the DIY projects below for different organization solutions or carry out any function you desire.
Patio Hanging Table
This hanging table is ideal for a patio, especially a smaller one. Chairs and another furnishing can take up a lot of room, and there might not be any space for a book, a drink or a phone. To achieve a farmhouse style, some breadboard ends were added.
Pallet Hanging Shelving
This shelf is reminiscent of an old-fashioned wooden swing, and it can infuse any space with style and function. This rustic masterpiece is excellent for displaying plants, pictures or any of your favorite accessories. This shelving is sure to bring nostalgic charm to any space.
Hanging Rope DIY Shelving
This hanging rope shelving is a great way to eliminate a blank wall or add something cool to an empty corner. Being suspended from the ceiling, it also helps you to avoid putting holes in the walls. Additionally, it provides a cool way to display beautiful accessories.
Rope Wall DIY Shelving
This project can be tackled by the dedicated weekend warrior who is committed to bringing style and function to space. If you have been toying with the idea of putting up shelves around your home, this could be the project for you. Get your wood, rope and other necessities together and let those creative juices flow.
Hanging Rope DIY Shelves Made Easy
These DIY shelves provide a beautiful space to artfully display some prints you have not yet committed to framing. They also help you to avoid putting tons of holes into the walls. This is especially beneficial to renters who want to ensure that they get their security deposit back after moving out.
Hanging Rope DIY Shelves
These DIY shelves can transform a room, and one of their best features is that it doesn’t cost a lot to make them. They are perfect for displaying plants, books and some other decorative items. The combination of the wood and the rope makes them as visually appealing as they are functional.
Simple Rope DIY Shelf
DIY Shelves can add so much function and aesthetic appeal to a well-designed space. The height and depth of these shelves can be fully customized to satisfy your specific needs and design preference. They can put a finishing touch on the space and can make the room cozier and more spectacular.
Easy DIY Rope Shelf
If you love to rearrange furniture to revamp the look of your space or you move a lot, this shelf is an excellent choice for you. Building and attaching it to the wall is easy. Don’t be surprised if you feel empowered after firing up your drill and creating this shelf.
Pulley Hanging Table
This versatile hanging table is designed to carry out many functions. It can be used as a resting place for your book, computer or a cup of coffee or tea. Its capacity to be raised and lowered will make it an incredible asset to some individuals.
DIY Floating Shelf
This floating shelf provides a beautiful way to display your plants and succulents. Not only is it pleasing to the eyes, but it can be used to show some decorative items. Its minimalist lines and understated sophistication make it ideal for a contemporary space.
Hanging Pallet Side Table
This type of side table is what the dreams of environmentally-conscious individuals are made of. Created from recycled pallets, it can provide an excellent place to display accessories. After dismantling the pallet, it is time to put the pieces back together to make a rustic hanging table.
Hanging Closet Crate DIY Shelves
These storage crate DIY shelves are ideal for storing baby supplies and other items. They provide remarkable organization for the DIY closet and can also be visually appealing. The crates are not refined when purchased and could use some sanding and painting. A bit of elbow grease gets them ready for hanging.
Outdoor Hanging Table
Creating this outdoor hanging table involves the use of pine boards, scrap lumber, exterior wood screws, Liquid Nails and wire cable clamps. A simple painting technique is also used to achieve a weathered look. This relatively sizeable hanging table is quite functional and can be used to display decorative items as well.
Hanging Walnut Wood Table
This hanging table is a great addition, especially in smaller spaces that lack style and function. Made out of black walnut, this hanging table can serve as a fresh, contemporary version of a bedside table. It provides an excellent space for books and other decorative items.
Hanging DIY Nightstand
Looking for an exciting nightstand solution for a small bedroom? Save space by hanging it from the ceiling. This DIY project will allow you to build this easy nightstand with a lot of decor interest.
Round Hanging Shelf
Adding decor interest via small decorative shelves is a simple yet handy technique. It doesn’t take much space or effort to install one, but the impact you can make to bedroom decor is quite significant.
Hanging Rope Shelf
You can save a lot on shelving units if you create these suspended shelves out of cheap boards.
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