The Art of the Floating Shelf

One of my signature design suggestions for just about any room in a home is the floating shelf.  First, because floating shelves are simple and classic and can serve as an artistic focal point in a room; and second, because floating shelves enable you to change what you have on display at any point in time creating an entirely different look in your room with minimal effort.  But not only can floating shelves serve as pieces to display artwork, books, etc., they can also serve to give you additional “functional” shelving pieces in a tight space, i.e., the bathroom. 

Photos courtesy of HGTV.com

The floating shelves in this dining room and the living room below make great use of the wall space to create an additional focal point in the room.  Notice the different sizes and shapes of the shelving used here and also notice the leaning picture on the shelves in the dining room and the living room below - that's another design trick that I typically use.  The leaning photo as opposed to the hanging photo is unexpected and can be very quickly changed out when you want to display something new.  

A lot of new homes and apartments do have medicine cabinets anymore, but rather flush mirrors with great lighting.   If you have wall room, as shown here, floating shelves in the bathroom can give you additional space to place all of your jams, jellies, and towels that you may not have the cabinet space for.

You have the wall space, why not use it?

The niches above this fireplace were made for display.  Why not add glass floating shelves?



Floating shelving can also be used as functional shelving as shown in this kitchen.



If you are in need of additional shelving and have some wall space to spare, give floating shelving a try.  They come in a multitude of colors and sizes, and even corner units to make use of the all forgotten corner.  They can be found just about anywhere, but my favorites can be found at Ikea, Pottery Barn, and Target. 

La Toya Michelle

~You are only limited by your own imagination