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Our picks provide a stylish and functional design solution for your organizational needs. ac mounting bracket
Products that marry form with function are the Goldilocks of the design world, aiming to check all the boxes for design and purpose. They’re equal parts stylish and useful, and nothing represents this ethos better than floating shelves. At first glance, they’re totally design-forward, granting you a modern and cool spot to display your fancy new espresso cups and coffee beans, or fill an empty wall with art. On the other hand, they’re organizational powerhouses, providing ample room for storing your olive oil collection, displaying your flameless candles, or propping up your new favorite cookbook.
To help you find the best floating shelves, we asked interior design expert Andi Morse, founder of Morse Design, to weigh in and provide some organizational tips and tricks. These picks are beautiful enough to contribute to the overall design of your kitchen space but practical enough to safely store heavy or breakable items. Browse our favorite floating shelves below, and prepare to take your kitchen organizing to stylish new heights.
These design-forward shelves are available in several sizes and finishes to help fulfill custom needs.
The steel hardware requires drilling mounting holes and might not be a good choice for renters.
It’s no surprise that our best overall pick for a floating shelf comes from Pottery Barn. The design-forward retailer thought of nearly everything with the Brighton Floating Wood Shelf, which combines minimalistic aesthetics with sturdy hardware and durable construction. You can choose from five different stain finishes (all on the same kiln-dried mango wood) and trust that the shelf will treat your dishes or drinking glasses with TLC, thanks to sturdy steel hardware that is invisible to the naked eye. Just know that the hardware needs to be drilled into the wall, so we wouldn't recommend these for renters.
Material: Mango wood | Weight Capacity: 25 to 70 pounds | Lip: No
These sustainably sourced wood shelves are large, look pleasingly rustic, and can hold a lot of weight.
They're expensive and come in only one finish option.
These rustic, minimalist shelves from Pottery Barn are large, strong, and sustainably sourced. Made of wood from orchard mango trees that no longer produce fruit, their weathered grey-brown finish is perfect against a light-colored wall. The construction is really what sets these apart: The 48-inch version weighs just 12 pounds but can support up to 60. (The 66-inch inch shelf weighs 38 pounds and holds 70.) Plus, they're made in a Fair Trade Certified factory with higher standards for fair and safe labor practices, and a portion of the sales from these shelves go towards community projects chosen by the workers who make them.
A Benchwright shelf is ideal for hanging in a kitchen and taking advantage of empty vertical wall space to store your stoneware dinnerware set, essential baking tools, or extra kitchen aprons and table linens. Unfortunately, there's only the one color option, which may not fit everyone's decor. And while we think they're worth the money for the quality you get, buying multiples of this pricey shelf for a space can get expensive quickly.
Materials: Mango wood, aluminum | Weight Capacity: 60 or 70 pounds | Lip: No
With more than 200 choices of size and color, these shelves can create the perfect storage solution for any space.
The hefty shelves have to be mounted securely to studs.
Not only do Urbandi's pine shelves come in widths from 12 to 84 inches, but you can also customize the depth between 6 and 12 inches, something few other brands offer. Add in the five colors, and you have more than 200 options in total. Whether you're staggering a few of these above your stovetop range or hanging one in your kitchen to store extra pantry goods, a few cookbooks, or your coffee mug collection, these shelves add earthy, rustic charm to any kitchen (plus lots of extra storage). For a fraction of the cost of hiring a carpenter, you can assemble a set of shelves that looks like it was built especially to fit your space.
These shelves can support an impressive amount of weight, with included brackets that hold 40 pounds each. However, you have to screw the brackets semi-permanently into wall studs.
Materials: Pine, metal | Weight Capacity: 40 to 360 pounds | Lip: No
These reclaimed wood shelves are each one-of-a-kind.
The irregular shapes don't offer as much space as a rectangular shelf.
These shelves look like slices of tree because, well, they are. Made of durable reclaimed teak, the organic Takara Live Edge Wall Shelves are each a little different, with a wavy organic shape that brings an element of the outdoors to your indoor space. Available in four sizes from 12 to 24 inches wide, they’re as much decor as they are storage. Installation is also easy, as the shelf simply slides over posts attached to the mounting bracket.
No two of these shelves will be identical, which is an advantage in the design department but gives them less useful surface area than a uniform rectangular shape. The largest size is also fairly small compared to other brands.
Materials: Teak, metal | Lip: No
This inexpensive, low-profile shelf provides storage space without visual clutter.
Short mounting screws mean the weight capacity is limited.
Prefer your decor to whisper, not scream? This ghost shelf is for you. Made from transparent acrylic, it’s an ultra-modern way to keep the focus on what's on the shelf rather than the shelf itself. (Plus, the shelf itself is at a budget price.)
There are three sizes available, up to a 24-by-8-inch option with a fair amount of surface area to work with. However, this shelf attaches to the wall with short individual screws and anchors rather than a full mounting bracket. The instructions don't specify a weight capacity, and we'd err on the safe side by using this only with lightweight items. Think your spice collection or kitchen tools and utensils more than pots and pans.
Strong magnets make this shelf easy to hang and easy to move around.
The short, shallow size limits what you can store.
Yamazaki's magnetic rack is the ideal solution for stashing often-used oils and spices within arm's reach. It'll stick to the refrigerator, oven door, or any other steel surface, with a lip and bar that keep items from sliding or falling off. You can move it from place to place in the kitchen or even take it out to the grill as you season your latest batch of barbecue. With no drilling holes in the wall necessary, it's also a great choice for renters.
On the downside, this shelf is made only for small items. At a mere 10 by 4 inches, it can barely hold five spice jars, and the magnets can only support 3 pounds. It's not expensive, but you might need to buy several if you have a long list of seasonings to store
Material: Alloy steel | Weight Capacity: 3.3 pounds | Lip: Yes
With multiple size options, these quarter-circle shelves make good use of often-forgotten space.
The shape will only fit in perfectly square corners.
Creating a functional home is all about utilizing every square inch to its full potential — including the corners. Don't waste the notch next to your stove or the snug spot in your pantry; snag some of these clever corner shelves instead. Available in seven sizes and three finishes, they're made to stack. A helpful notch right against the wall also leaves room to hide electrical cords.
Just be aware that these shelves are built to fit exactly perfect corners with no room for adjustment. If your walls are uneven or a little out of square, there will be a noticeable gap.
Material: Oak | Weight Capacity: Up to 48 pounds | Lip: No
Floating shelves are available in a variety of materials and styles. Whether you're looking for rustic wood shelves to fit into your farmhouse chic decor or a sleek clear acrylic shelf for a more modern vibe, you'll find what you're looking for. When shopping for a floating shelf for your home, it’s important to consider what material would work best to accent or complement your existing home decor.
For wood shelves, consider the stain and tone of the other wood in the space, especially cabinetry. If you plan to put the shelf in your kitchen or bathroom, you also want to consider a material that can stand up to the “elements” of those locations, including excessive moisture or things like grease and food splatters. Metal and plastic wipe down much more easily, but the look may not be right for your space.
The amount of stuff a shelf can handle is perhaps the most crucial factor to consider when shopping for a floating shelf for your home. If you pile too much onto a design that can’t handle it, you risk ruining the wall, tile, or backsplash it’s attached to.
Before purchasing any floating shelf, consider what you’ll be storing or displaying on it and add up a rough total of how much those items weight. The product information for your shelf should include a weight limit, which might also be different depending on how and whether it's mounted. It's always better to err on the side of caution; if you have 29 pounds of cookbooks, look for a shelf with at least 40 pounds of capacity to be safe.
Some floating shelves have a perfectly flat surface for holding items, while others have a lip across the front or sides. A lip can be helpful for keeping artwork or other light items from sliding off, but it limits the amount of space on the shelf — you can't hang anything over the edge.
If you’re someone who considers themself reasonably handy, you shouldn't have any trouble installing most floating shelves. There's typically a mounting bracket that screws into the wall, which the shelf slips onto or over so it looks like it's "floating." For shelves designed to hold larger amounts of weight, you'll need to screw the bracket into a wall stud, which will probably require an electric drill. If you're mounting a shelf on a backsplash or other ceramic surface, you'll also need to use a special drill bit and be very careful not to crack the tile.
There are also floating shelves that mount without screws or holes in the wall, using adhesives, magnets, or suction cups. These can't hold nearly as much weight, but they're a good option for renters.
That depends on the shelf and how it's attached to the wall. Magnetic and other temporary shelving can only handle a few pounds, while a large floating shelf with multiple mounting brackets can hold hundreds of pounds with no issues. It's important to check a shelf's weight limit before you buy it and make sure it can hold what you intend it to.
When it comes to choosing a material for your floating shelf, think first about durability. “With floating shelves, you want to make sure they are made of heavy material like metal or solid wood,” says Morse. “Generally, the heavier the material, the heavier the load it can hold.” Beyond that, the best floating shelf for you is one that feels like your style and fits in with the design of your home!
Unfortunately, there's no standard size for shelving. Every brand is a little different, and most brands offer multiple sizes. When considering your needs, you should look at width as well as depth: Shallower shelves are great for decorative displays of small items, while deeper ones have the surface area for a dinnerware set or overflow cookware.
“Installing shelves with wall studs is the best way to ensure they are safe, stay put, and can hold heavier items,” says Morse. “I recommend having an expert take a look before putting any holes in the wall, especially if installing the shelf means drilling into tile or a backsplash.” A stud finder can also be used to reliably locate a good spot for a shelf.
The exact spot where you hang your floating shelves is up to you. We recommend choosing a location that is accessible to your cooking zone for easy access, or somewhere where it will catch the eye of guests if your application is purely aesthetic. When it comes to the proper height to hang your shelves, Morse recommends between 4 and 6 feet off the ground. “I like floating shelves to be hung like artwork,” she adds.
shelf and rod bracket Alyssa Longobucco is a writer, editor, and stylist living in New York with over a decade of experience in the food, home, and lifestyle categories. When she's not diving into the latest trends and products, she's restoring an 1820s farmhouse in the Hudson Valley alongside her husband and children.