Floating Shelves Done Right: 12 Ways to Style Floating Shelves

By surrounding yourself with the things you love, you’re telling your story while giving your home personality and a sense of place. Floating shelves are the perfect display for thoughtful and personal vignettes. They add a functional design element and smart storage solution that is a welcome upgrade to any room. Ledges are especially useful in small spaces, where square footage is limited and you need to think vertically. Read on to learn how to add open shelving to your home and decorate accordingly. 

#1: Niche Floating Bookshelf

Awkward alcoves create a void that may leave you scratching your head. Whether it’s beside a fireplace or in a narrow hallway, by simply stacking floating shelves you can create a bookcase to display your collection of tomes.

#2: Floating Shelf Above the Window

With the extra structural support of wood framing, windows provide a solid foundation to anchor open shelving. Installed above a window, ledges draw the eye up, making a space feel more voluminous, and it provides a special place to display decorative collections.

#3: Entry Table / Mudroom Shelving

Small, narrow foyers prove difficult to furnish, especially in apartments. A floating shelf offers up just enough surface area to serve as a catchall when you walk in the door. Simply top with a small lamp and a basket to hold mail and keys.

#4: Floating Shelf Powder Room Display

In small bathrooms that are short on storage, a narrow ledge installed above a pedestal sink and below a mirror is the perfect place to display necessities like soap, candles, and a tissue box. 

#5: Minimal Spice Rack

Having seasonings nearby and well-organized when cooking is a must, and a narrow ledge is all you need to quickly grab spices while cooking. Simply mount a shelf above your stove and line up seasonings in alphabetical order.

#6: Floating Nightstand

In lieu of a bedside table, a floating shelf serves the same purpose as a nightstand, but with a more minimal look. Paired with a wall-mounted sconce, a floating shelf is a perfect perch to hold evening essentials like reading spectacles, books, and a water glass.

#7: Modern Pantry with Floating Shelves

A pantry with wall-mounted shelving creates a beautiful display in an often neglected yet important corner of the kitchen. With plenty of room to organize food and serving ware, shelving topped with beautiful baskets and bins sets the tone for a well-oiled kitchen and seamless entertaining.

#8: Floating Plant Ledge

For the plant parents, open-shelving is a thoughtful display for your leafy friends. A bonus: brackets give plants with trailing vines, like the pothos, something for their tendrils to grab onto.

#9: Kitchen Lite

In lieu of upper cabinets, floating shelves make a kitchen feel larger and brighter. In small sculleries, it’s the easiest way to make the space feel more expansive. When decorating, think less is more — too many cups, dishes and decor will make a kitchen look cluttered. 

#10: Floating Fireplace Mantel

For the fireplace facade that is missing that special something, installing a ledge adds the finishing touch. Front and center, it’s an ideal display for seasonal decor, family photos and quirky collections.

#11: Floating Desk

A perch to put your laptop or write in your journal, a wider floating shelf can serve as a tabletop. Simply decorate with photos and a desk organizer and hang a bulletin board above it.

#12: Floating Shelf Coffee Station

A coffee station can be brought to life with wall-mounted shelving to display all your morning accoutrements — pretty cups and saucers, a canister of beans, and jars filled with sweeteners.