The floating shelves appear to float on the wall without any use of visible support from above or underneath. These shelves are generally supported from behind and are made of wood, metal, or other high-quality material. Floating shelves are often installed in sets of three to five. Floating shelves are one of the best ways to add storage space to a room without taking up more space, especially in small apartments.
You don’t need to search the entire home for your lost items as you can easily put them on floating shelves and simply take them out whenever required. Floating shelves are generally used to create themed displays. You can easily place all the objects that highly inspire you on the shelves. However, if you wish to redecorate or buy a home, you can easily create a shelf with different themes, colours, and pictures you love that will inspire you every day.
See also: Kitchen shelf ideas for a stylish and clutter-free space
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Benefits of having floating shelves for your interiors
Floating shelves not only provide a stylish way to showcase your cherished items but also maximise space and offer easy accessibility, making them a versatile and practical addition to any home. Some of the benefits of floating shelves are explained further:
Highly durable: floating shelves are durable, reasonably sturdy, and long-lasting. They even appear dainty and sleek and offer a lot of support holding them in place since their brackets are bolted into the walls.
Popular choice: they don’t require any visible fasteners as they just adhere to your walls. Consequently, they generally appear to float against the wall and also look amazing.Â
Fits everywhere: they have countless applications as they can fit everywhere in your home as well as office spaces. In addition, you can fix them up in the garage where you keep your equipment or put flower pots on them on your balcony. Moreover, you can even match them to the rest of the home decor anywhere you like by simply choosing from a variety of sizes, colours, and designs.
Minimalistic look: floating shelves offer a great framework that is so small so as to take up little space on your wall to offer a minimalistic and simple appearance. In addition, this is even beneficial when you don’t want the focus to be diverted from your decor objects.
Add function: they even work functionally by simply lining up neatly on the wall. You can easily utilise floating shelves as your nightstand to give your bedroom a more open and dynamic appearance. Additionally, they can even offer more usable space than a typical nightstand and are also less expensive than the majority of nightstands available in the market.
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How do you buy the best floating shelves for your interiors?
You should look into the following points while buying the best-floating shelves for your interiors
 Weight capacity
The brackets of floating shelves may support up to 50 pounds per stud. Therefore, you need to pay close attention to the weightage restrictions that the shelf manufacturer specifies in case you can’t mount your hooks to wall studs.
Material
You should always choose floating shelves made up of engineered wood or solid wood that is at least two inches thick. However, plastic, metal, and plywood can also work.
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Installation
Installing a floating shelf can be tedious. So, you have to figure out whether you will need a handyman to install it or would be able to do the same by yourself. Some essential tools in installation include a hammer, drill, level, and stud finder.
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Depth
You can also look for shallow floating shelves while browsing as they can easily support more weight.
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How do you install floating shelves on the wall?
The floating shelves usually come in three parts: the actual shelf itself, an adhesive strip with a built-in level and a marked center point, and two metal pieces you need to push through your wall to fix them up.
After measuring the center, you need to level up the strips and remove the tape from each side to stick it on the wall. You will also have topush through the metal pieces that hold the shelf up. Next line up the shelves to the brackets, simply slide it on, and you’re done.
How to Decorate & Style Floating Shelves?
The best quality of floating shelves is that they are suited to almost every home aesthetic. There are numerous ways to decorate different corners of your home with floating shelves.
Statement Piece
You can use floating shelves to create a statement piece as they are great for displaying smaller house plants, family photos, nick knacks, and other collectibles. You can easily try using different sizes of shelves to call attention and create a bold look for certain parts of the room.Â
In addition, these shelves can even make an impressive statement as part of the home office backdrop.Â
Simple Hallway Addition
Floating shelves can also be used in a hallway with dead spaces at one end. They add a decorative touch and act as an extra functional storage for household items.
Unique Bookshelf
The floating shelves can even make simple yet effective bookshelves. If your books are similar in size then you can place multiple shelves at equal distances vertically and used to store books. You can even create a pair of floating bookshelves close to your home office desk or any available wall space near it.Â
FAQs
Are floating shelves durable?
Floating shelves are durable, fairly sturdy, and last a long time. They even appear dainty and sleek and offer a lot of support being held in place with their brackets that are bolted into the walls.
Are floating shelves functional?
The floating shelves work functionally by simply lining up neatly on the wall. You can easily utilise floating shelves as your nightstand to give your bedroom a more open and dynamic appearance. Additionally, they can even offer more usable space than a typical nightstand and are also less expensive than most nightstands.
Is the installation of floating shelves difficult?
Installing a floating shelf can be tedious. So, you have to figure out whether you will need a handyman to install it or if you can do the same by yourself.
Which material is best for floating shelves?
You should always choose floating shelves made up of engineered wood or solid wood that is at least two inches thick.
Can I also put a TV on floating shelves?
Floating shelves are perfect for displaying books, decorative items, and electronic devices such as a TV.
How far apart should floating shelves be from each other?
You should place floating shelves from 11-17 inches apart for a visual flow that helps to provide adequate space on the shelves to put different items. However, you can feel free to keep them in a straight line or arrange them as per your preference.
Can floating shelves fall?
The floating shelves could fall off the wall if they aren’t placed with a strong anchor to the wall.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |
