10 Ideas for Original Home Shelving

Creating your own shelving is a great way to add extra storage space on a budget and create a custom, unique piece for your home. Taking on a do-it-yourself approach to adding shelving to your living room, kitchen, home office or bedroom lets you have complete control over how the shelving looks and works.

Whether you consider yourself to be a crafty person or not, these ideas can help you get the inspiration you need to design and then build your own, custom shelving; all you’ll need are a few fixing tools, an empty wall and… tonnes of creativity!

Basic Boards with Decorative Logs

This idea can bring a touch of nature into your home while still maintaining a clean, modern vibe. Create this look by using L-brackets to attach painted shelves to your wall. Then, insert thick sticks vertically between the shelves to add some interest. If the sticks have interesting bark you can leave it on, otherwise you can strip it off and sand and stain them.

Panelled Door Turned Bookcase

If you are a fan of the eclectic and rustic look, use a panelled door to create a bookcase. Refinish the door however you want, even giving it a distressed look, and then lean it against a wall, leaving some space between the wall and the door. Decide how many shelves you want to add and then cut that many square holes in the door.

Next, measure the distances between the bottom of each hole and the wall and attach shelves to the door. The great thing about this idea is that it is very easy to customise.

Repurposed Crates

Crates are the perfect thing to use for shelves because they are already assembled. Collect wooden crates and leave them with their natural look or finish them with paint or stain. Then, install as many as you want to your wall in any configuration you want. You can create a long look by stacking a few crates on top of each other, or you can create a wall of storage by installing several crates in a cube, free standing group or another shape.

Suitcase Shelves

One look that is in style now is using vintage suitcases for shelves. Find an old suitcase, seal it shut and cut it in half horizontally. Then, use a drywall screwdriver to mount both halves on the wall. To make a bigger statement, you can use a collection of suitcases and hang them in a group. This is an excellent look for a home office, library or even bedroom.

Shallow Drawers with Colourful Liners

Take some shallow drawers from old dressers or desks, repaint the frames and then add some bright colour to line the bottoms. Hang the drawers on the wall to act as small shelves or nooks for collectables, souvenirs and trinkets.

Stand-Alone Brick and Wood Shelves

This option is perfect for renters or those who don’t want to install anything directly on a wall. To build these shelves, use a saw to cut some boards into equal lengths and paint or stain them, depending on the look you are going for. Then, stack them with brinks or cinderblocks in between each shelf. You can easily customise the height of the shelves and even take them apart in case you want to store or move them.

Rope Shelves

These rope shelves would be a good fit in a child’s room or in a laundry or mud room. Use narrow boards, painted any colour you want. Then, drill two holes on either end and fold two hefty ropes in half. Thread one half of the rope through one side, and the other through the opposite side of the boards, leaving some slack at the top and knotting the ends at the bottom, under the shelves. Hang the ropes on the wall with a sturdy hook.

Triangular Nooks

You can make some triangular nooks that are perfect for storing books, beauty supplies and picture frames by cutting three boards to fit together as triangles. Paint them or stain them and add a pop of colour to the back by painting it a contrasting colour or covering it with decorative paper.

Guitar Case Shelf Unit

If you are a musician, you may like this idea. Find a vintage or used guitar case and detach the top and the lid. Then, cover the back with decorative paper or fabric and attach shelves to the inside. You can easily mount this on the wall by itself or as a collection with other cases converted into shelves.

File Box for Corner Shelf

Paint or refinish a file box, turn it on its side and then mount it in a corner next to the telephone, by the door or in your office. This shelf is a good solution for storing keys, cell phones and your wallet. It has the added benefit of having a nook underneath it so you can tuck some clutter away and out of sight.

If you are looking for a way to add some extra shelving to your home, let your creative juices flow and try one of these DIY options!

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