To place and store things and accessories, it is difficult to do without not only cabinets and chests of drawers, but also other pieces of furniture. Shelves of all kinds are irreplaceable elements of the interior of any room. Products of various configurations, from different materials are widely represented by manufacturers.
Those who like to make furniture with their own hands can easily make unique designs themselves. But the most unusual and interesting shelves are sometimes made from scrap materials.
DIY shelves made from scrap materials
Materials for making shelves
Depending on the materials used, we can distinguish:
- wooden,
- glass,
- metal,
- plastic shelves.
Wooden shelves
For a wooden shelf, you can use solid wood and its derivatives:
- plywood,
- chipboard,
- MDF.
Working with these materials is not very difficult, and with proper processing, the shelves turn out to be practical, convenient and durable products.
Glass shelves
Glass products look stylish and give the interior a special atmosphere due to their lightness. Making a glass shelf is not very easy; special attention must be paid to processing the cuts. Glass shelves require additional care and proper load distribution.
Metal shelves
This material produces original and durable designs, but such shelves are more difficult to fit into the interior of an ordinary home. In addition, due to the characteristics of the metal, the product requires mandatory surface treatment to avoid corrosion and a room where there is no high humidity.
Plastic shelves
Plastic is an easy-to-work and convenient material from which you can make interesting shelf options.
In addition, with a creative approach, you can use various household items or scrap materials to make unusual shelves. For example, old books, suitcases, various storage containers. An important condition for success in this use of unusual materials is the correspondence between the design of the shelf and the overall style of the room.
There are a lot of ideas for creating shelves with your own hands. The advantage of a homemade shelf is that it can be made as convenient as possible and fit organically into your home interior.
Assembly of the structure
When floor flower shelves are made using this technology, the ends of the parts should be lubricated with glue, then pressed tightly and additionally secured with slotted screws. Self-tapping screws are not suitable here; two screws should be prepared for each joint. Both parts of the shelf must be attached to the wall, aligned, marking the fixation points with a pencil. Then the holes are prepared for dowels, the shelves should be screwed to a bracket with self-tapping screws and the structure should be hung on the wall at the desired height. It can be located near the floor. Instead of brackets, it is permissible to use decorative shelf holders.
Types of shelves for the kitchen
Before you buy a shelf for your kitchen, you need to understand what they are like:
- Open. They allow you to visually enlarge the room and add space. They require regular tidying and frequent wet cleaning. To make cleaning easier, experts advise installing a powerful hood.
- Closed. They have back and side walls. Equipped with lifting, hinged or sliding doors. Allow you to hide contents from prying eyes.
- Mounted. They complement the free kitchen space well. May vary in purpose and size. Options with hidden fastening look the most impressive.
- Floor-standing. They come in metal and wood. Can be equipped with wheels. The main advantage is high strength.
- Tabletop. They are divided into stationary and folding. May have more than one tier. Installed along the wall on the countertop. Serve to place cups, jars with seasonings and cereals, and bread bins.
- Built-in. Mounted in a niche, cabinet or island, helping to use space more efficiently.
- Shelving. They are an organizer with a certain number of shelves united by one box. Fits into most interior styles. Helps organize things effectively.
- Hidden. The facade of such structures merges with the wall decoration or kitchen unit.
How to make a bookshelf yourself?
A bookshelf is one of the most popular options for homemade wooden shelves. It fits organically into the interior of a small room, is comfortable and practical. Wood is an easy-to-work material, and shelves made from it are practical, comfortable, durable and easily fit into any interior.
Classic wall shelf
One of the classic options will be a shelf with three cells measuring 100 * 40 cm. The design provides a small upper side 10 cm high for additional placement of a number of books.
To work you need to stock up:
- jigsaw,
- sanding machine or sandpaper,
- drill, screwdriver or screwdrivers,
- screws or self-tapping screws,
- square,
- brush,
- varnish for wooden surfaces.
The calculation of the dimensions of the parts was made for a board with a thickness of 2 cm.
Step-by-step instruction
First of all, you need to cut out 2 long pieces:
- 50 cm,
- 96 cm,
- 26 cm.
Then they get to work.
- The wooden parts of the future shelf must be sanded or sanded.
- Assembly begins from the bottom, which is fixed in the side walls at a distance of 1 cm from the edge. This will make the product look more interesting. Fastening is done using self-tapping screws.
- On the inside of the fixed base of the shelf, you need to mark the places for attaching additional supports. With the same cell size, the step will be 32 cm from the side wall on each side.
- The inner walls are attached to the base strictly at right angles.
- I secure the top lintel of the shelf.
- If the design does not provide a back wall, then it is recommended to reinforce the shelf with metal corners.
- The shelf is treated with stain, dried and varnished. Varnishing usually occurs in 3 stages with an interval of 12 to 48 hours for surface drying.
Taking this option as a basis, you can make a bookshelf yourself.
Criteria for choosing a shelf for the kitchen
Any piece of kitchen furniture must meet requirements such as convenience and practicality.
When choosing shelves, you should pay attention to a number of other things:
- Capacity (when considering models, it is worth taking their parameters into account);
- Strength qualities;
- Reliability of fastenings;
- Moisture resistance;
- Resistance to household chemicals;
- Unpretentious content;
- Ergonomics.
Design execution is of great importance: color scheme, configuration, dimensions, texture.
It is believed that open shelves in the kitchen, designed in light natural colors, visually expand its area, and models in black are appropriate only in contrasting interiors.
Preparation of materials and tools
A floor shelf can become a real decoration for any room. It will require a small amount of lumber, and a set of tools will be available to any home craftsman. These factors are in favor of performing such a design yourself. To carry out the work you will need:
- MDF sheet;
- electric jigsaw;
- low construction level;
- acrylic paint;
- disk cutter;
- milling machine;
- drill;
- drill;
- twine;
- pencil;
- metal ruler;
- brackets.
After you have prepared these tools, you can proceed to marking work.
Shelf dimensions and shape
If the size of the room is limited, then the preferred choice is a corner shelf for the kitchen. It will take up a minimum amount of square meters and will fit organically into the decor. In addition, if necessary, it can be supplemented with a variety of accessories.
If you want something original, then you can opt for a multi-tiered structure up to the ceiling. Such furniture will allow you to conveniently arrange a large number of things.
Horizontal models covering the entire wall or part of it, which consist of several levels, look non-standard and interesting. Also today, customers are offered a wide range of narrow shelves designed for storing decorative items.
Shelves on the wall
In any room there are places on the wall where you just need to hang something. After all, most modern furniture occupies only the lower part - sofas, tables, couches. The upper part remains empty and dissonance arises: the lower part of the room is overloaded and the upper part is half empty or completely empty. These voids on the walls are organically filled with shelves.
Corner shelf is an excellent solution. Structurally, most shelves consist of actual shelves and lintels. But these components are combined into so many options that it is impossible to count. A simple design is good: you can make any shelves with your own hands. Moreover, these products may be the first self-made things. It's really simple.
How and what to attach it to
It’s not for nothing that we start with fasteners. The design of a wall shelf largely depends on the type of mounting. Or maybe it’s the other way around. It depends on what to dance from...
Traditional hinges
Traditional hinges for hanging shelves
There is a traditional way - on hinges. It is suitable for wood and fiberboard, any other material that is thick enough to attach. Screwed onto the sides with self-tapping screws. Then the distance between the centers of the loop holes is measured and marked on the wall (make sure it is horizontal). At the marked points, holes are drilled for the dowel, the dowel is inserted and a dowel-nail with a small head is screwed into it, which fits into a loop or bracket (a pin slightly bent upward). Then a shelf is hung on them.
Not all materials can be drilled. For example, glass shelves. You definitely can't screw anything into them. Fastenings for glass shelves are special: they consist of two parts, between which glass is inserted. Often elastic pads are installed between the holders. The bottom mount usually has a small clamping screw to secure it in place.
Fasteners for glass shelves
The most popular mount for glass shelves is called “pelican” - for its unique shape. It looks good on its own and is available in different colors. The thickness of glass that it can hold is from 8 to 34 mm. You can insert not only glass into it, but also any other material of such thickness. It just looks stylish with glass.
It’s easy to make glass shelves on the wall with it: you buy a mount, order pieces of glass with processed edges of the required size and shape from a glass workshop (or cut them yourself, if you know how). All that remains is the assembly itself:
- Attach the pelicans to the wall. Two dowels each. The case is collapsible - the decorative trim is removed, and there are two holes in the mounting plate. One is higher in the body, the second is lower. We secured it and put the decorative trim in place.
- Glass was installed.
- Tightened the screw. All.
Holder for a glass shelf on the wall
There are other forms of similar fasteners. The photo below shows a few of them.
Some mounting options for glass (and not only) shelves
Decorative brackets
Another type of fastening is brackets. They are reliable, some are decorative, so much so that they themselves are decorations.
Wall shelf brackets
Concealed installation - shelves without support
And the most amazing device for hidden installation. It makes it possible to hide the fasteners. A seat for the pin and the holder body is cut out at the end, and the shelf is simply put on it.
Hidden fasteners for shelves
As you can see, even a simple board or piece of glass on such mounts is not bad. But there is still a sea of all sorts of ideas.
Features of accommodation
You can place it anywhere and any way you want. But there are still some nuances that must be taken into account.
- When planning the mounting location, you should think in advance about whether your head or other parts of the body will hit it. If suspicion arises, it is better to move the structure a little. You can take care of solving this problem by purchasing with smoothed corners.
Rounded corners
- Despite the fact that wall panels in the interior are considered to be a decorative element, they still require decoration. The use of spotlights will look original, due to which it will be possible to highlight both the piece of furniture itself and what is located on it.
Decor in the form of lighting
- You need to pay enough attention to the area that remains above the shelves or between them. This space can be highlighted using contrasting wallpaper or colored fabric, hang a small mirror or picture there, and apply a painting. Thanks to such finds, it will be possible to turn the shelf structure into an interesting interior corner.
Interior corner with accents
- In rooms designed in a high-tech or minimalist style, compact, strict shapes, discreet colors and equipped with beautiful lighting will look best.
High-tech furniture for the living room
- Scandinavian interior or loft style design recognizes wall structures that are both light and massive. In this case, everything will depend on the size of the room, lighting and amount of free space.
Shelf in loft style
- For Provence, country, and shabby chic styles, vintage ones or those decorated with beautiful carvings would be appropriate.
Country style kitchen shelf
- For a classic style, a combination of miniature structures on metal consoles is perfect.
Use of metal consoles
- Modernism involves the use of glass or creative metal products.
Art Nouveau style in the living room interior
Interesting ideas for children's rooms
Equipping a child's room with original shelves is not a problem today.
“House” for the children's room
When decorating a children's room, two basic rules are put at the forefront - safety and functionality.
Floor structures and shelving must be strong and reliable, because it is possible that a child will want to climb on them. Even those that stand on the floor are recommended to be additionally attached to the wall so that they do not collapse and crush the baby. That is why they are not made tall for a children's room.
Reliable, strong design for children's
The structures in the room where the baby spends a lot of time are distinguished by bright colors and can be made in the shape of letters, where toy boxes are placed.
Shelf in the form of a letter
Using a system with multiple drawers will help make cleaning quick. The combination of open and closed is a great find for preschoolers. Both boys and girls will appreciate the fairytale town.
Quick cleaning with drawers available
If the baby has grown, you can change the design or color.
Shelves for the kitchen
Furniture in the kitchen should, first of all, be functional. This rule applies to them as well. After all, there is not much space in this room; most of it is occupied by cabinets. The main task is to maximize the use of free space.
An interesting solution can be found for very small gaps between the wall and the refrigerator, for example. An excellent option is an exit one on wheels, which rolls out and then hides completely there. This design is very narrow.
Great idea for filling space
There are many ideas to save space in the kitchen. So, for example, if the sink or table is located near the window, then you can use the sides.
Shelves above the sink and stove
A hanging version in the form of a lattice on chains, where all kinds of utensils will be attached, will look original. However, this option is suitable for cases when the desktop is not near the wall, but is moved away from it.
Kitchen storage systems
The way of zoning the kitchen-dining room with a counter will also help to save space. You can install a hanging one above it.
Hanging rack above the table
You can, of course, cover the space above the desk with cabinets covering the entire wall, however, it will look difficult. This problem can be partially solved by using glass doors. But it is much more practical to make open ones between the cabinets. This will give lightness to the interior, and the work area will no longer put so much pressure on the rest of the space.
Open shelves for storing dishes
To the living room
A wall shelf for the living room is an opportunity to realize your wildest fantasies. Some are selected in accordance with the features of the interior. In addition, manufacturers have a huge number of solutions with which they can add individuality and chic to any room.
Individuality of the room
For living rooms decorated in accordance with the standards of classicism or country style, environmentally friendly wood products are best suited. In this way, not only will the impression of integrity and harmony be created, but it will also be possible to focus attention on the natural color.
Wooden shelving in the living room
Typically, shelves on the wall are used as a decorative element. For small living rooms, this is an opportunity to avoid bulky cabinets.
Elegant shelves for room decor
Whatever model is chosen, be it asymmetrical, modular composition, horizontal long or vertical short version - they will all look spectacular in the room.
Spectacular asymmetry in the room
The living room is the face of the room. Here you can safely use frame shelves, structures of unusual, curved shapes or hanging ones. The main thing is that the chosen option corresponds to the general idea of the interior.
Unusual solution for the living room
For the bedroom
The interior of the bedroom is always planned carefully, attention is paid to all details, even the most insignificant. Usually they serve as a decorative element here. They put frames with photographs, souvenirs, and books on them.
Decorative element for souvenirs
An excellent option is to place it on the wall, above the head of the bed. This will give the room unusualness and lightness.
Unusual headboard
For the bedroom, it is recommended to use light-colored shelves of small thickness. If the room has unusual bright curtains or other colorful ideas, then the shelves can be selected to match them.
On the wall for the hallway
In the hallway, a shelf can perform several useful functions at once, which is very important for a small room. In addition, it is in the hallway that guests leave their clothes and excess items; this fact must be taken into account when choosing a design.
Special niches for things
A classic and stylish option is a shelf with a hanger. You can hang outerwear on a hanger, but put a hat or cap on top.
Specially designated place for hats
The interior of the hallway must have shelves for storing small but necessary things.
Shelves for storing small but necessary things
If you don’t have enough space, you can use the corner idea in the hallway. This design takes up little space, but its capacity is good. If the corner is made of glass, the space will visually increase.
Corner hallway with open shelves
The choice of shelf for the hallway depends on the individual needs of each person and the amount of free space.
Floor shelf for flowers made of pipes
A floor shelf made of pipes, like the one in this photo, has many advantages - it takes up little space, flower pots are placed compactly, every flower is accessible, and every plant has room to grow. And most importantly, it is very beautiful. You're probably wondering how much a shelf like this costs in a store? But this shelf was made with our own hands , albeit at a cost of fittings. To make such a shelf with our own hands, we will need:
- Plywood, 20 mm thick;
- Five-meter chrome-plated pipes;
- Bushings, flanges, bolts for furniture;
- Wood putty and car enamel
- Yes, you will also need to buy furniture edges for decoration.
