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DIY Tips & Trends: Floating Shelves


One thing that has been super trendy for a number of years now, and seems to only be gaining momentum in Salt Lake City is the floating shelf. This is definitely a project in my future – probably featuring a few right above my 90 gallon fish tank in our living room. There are lots of practical and decorative uses for floating shelves, and they are surprisingly easy to make! There’s a video at the end that will show you one of the most popular methods.

Via Pinterest

The style above is the one I see the most of, in varying types of wood, with different paint or stain depending on the room. And a sneak peak of how it’s done:

Via DIYPete.com

Pretty simple, huh?! You can construct this shelf and framework yourself, or of course there are a variety of options to buy one retail.

Via Pinterest

One place that floating shelves seem to be very elegant is the bathroom. Especially since bronze hardware and faucets are so popular, if you pair it with some rustic looking shelves it could look pretty dreamy. The sunrise mirror below is always a good option, too!

Via Remodelaholic.com

Or are you looking for that shabby chic, country kitchen feel? Take a look at these live edge kitchen shelves that replaced some upper cabinets.

Via DIYindpx.com

For these you need to use a little different method of hanging, since it’s not a box that can use a homemade framework. The most popular option I’ve seen are these hidden shelf hardware pieces screwed into the studs of your wall.

Via Pinterest

You can get a little creative with it and make a James Bond style hidden compartment, if you’d like! You’ll just have to alter your plans a bit to make the inner frame into more of a drawer.

Via Pinterest

Or you could make a floating bench instead, which is cute and also very trendy.

Via Pinterest

And there are millions of other variations of floating shelves. The greatest thing about them is that you can customize them any way you want, and make them out of just about anything to fit your style and your budget. The one below was made out of pallets, which in Salt Lake you can find for free on KSL or Craigslist all the time.

Via Pinterest

And here is DIY Pete to show us a popular method to make your own customized shelves. You can also get free plans on his blog: DIYPete.com

As always, feel free to let me know what you think of these ideas, and if you’ve done any floating shelf projects of your own I’d love to see them! You can find all of these and more on my Pinterest page on my DIY Home Decor board.


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