Shelves are the salt and pepper of interior design. They complete spaces in unique ways and they’re the perfect blend of looks and functionality.

Below you’ll find ten shelving types that we find particularly interesting. They each have their own way of adding charm to a room plus some are also super practical and versatile.

All the ideas included here today are DIY projects which means you don’t need to look for them in stores, you can build everything yourself from scratch.

Ingenious Shelves For A Better Home Organization

Floating shelf hanging from above

This industrial hanging shelf is super easy to build if you have a board, four screws, four screw-in hooks eight wire rope clamps and some rope/ cable/ wire. It can hang from the ceiling to add a bit of extra storage to a room or you can attach it to the underside of a cabinet.

Coastal rope shelves

This hanging rope shelf is also designed to be attached to the ceiling but in this case all you need is a single hook. This eliminates the need to drill multiple holes plus the design is super cute and really chic. The supplies needed for this project also include two rectangular pieces of plywood, rope, clamps and paint.

Industrial pipe shelf

Perfect for the bathroom or the kitchen, this industrial towel rack with an oak shelf is not only easy to build from scratch but also really versatile in spite of its limitations. The cool thing is that you can make it as big or as small as you want and that you can customize it by staining the wood or painting the pipes and fittings.

Intertwining box shelves

The double box shelf system is quite trendy right now and this gives you a perfect opportunity to update your interior decor with little effort and money. To build this you only need two wooden boxes, some craft paint, wood glue, a hammer, a saw and four small nails. You can use boxes of different sizes and even different shapes.

A single box-inspired accent shelf

A single cube box shelf can look lovely too and instead of building it out of plywood you could simply repurpose an existing wooden box.

Attach the mounting hardware and after that you can use colored paper or card stock to conceal all these elements and to give your new box shelf a chic and stylish look. Use this as a wooden display shelf for decorations or small collectibles.

Hanging wood slice shelf

A hanging shelf, as it turns out, can be a great alternative to a regular bedside table/ nightstand. The advantage here is the low cost which combined with the fact that you can build and customize the shelf yourself is a great thing to take advantage of. Check out diys to find out how you can make a hanging shelf using a slice of wood and some rope.

Minimalist floating shelves

Shelves are useful in a lot of spaces, in pretty much any part of a house, but they tend to be more popular in areas like the bathroom or the kitchen.

These floating bathroom shelves are interesting because of how robust they look. They give the room a very neat and simplistic look. You can make something like this out of wood and plywood.

Acrylic window shelves

Usually, shelves are installed on walls and that’s pretty easy to do. However, that’s not the only option. If, for example, you want to grow a few plants indoors, they obviously need natural light.

If they’re the type that does well in direct sunlight, there’s no place better for them than right in front of the window. These DIY acrylic shelves show how you can make that happen without blocking the light or altering the view too much.

Over-the-door shelf

You can add more storage space to a small kitchen by installing a shelf above the door. That’s right, that little space up there which everyone ignores can actually be useful.

This simple above-the-door bathroom shelf lets you keep extra towels or toilet paper rolls up there so you never find yourself in a difficult situation. Of course, you can also use this shelf as a display surface.

Picture ledge shelves

If you feel like one of your walls could use some color and character, consider turning it into a gallery wall. You could build a simple picture ledge (or several) and then use it to display all your favorite pictures, perhaps some paintings, drawings of the kids or whatever else puts a smile on your face.

Floating shelves with invisible brackets

Floating shelves in general are super versatile and look nice too even when empty. Sometimes however the hanging hardware gets in the way, especially if you want a clean and modern look.

This design featured on shanty-2-chic solves that problem by hiding the brackets inside the shelves themselves.

Custom extra thick shelves

This style of thick floating shelves like the ones featured on misadventuresofthecranes is quite popular now.

They have a nice Scandinavian-inspired look but they’re also super versatile and can suit any style. What’s also nice about them is that you can customize them however you want based on your specific needs and style. What a nice and easy way to upgrade a bathroom.

Floating shelves with secret drawers

These floating shelves that were featured in a tutorial on notjustahousewife definitely look really nice. They’re made of reclaimed wood which gives them lots of character and they have a really simple and stylish design with no visible brackets. They also have a really cool secret: little drawers hidden inside them.

A hanging shelving unit

In spaces where wall-mounted individual shelves would be too permanent or wouldn’t fit the vibe of the room, consider a hanging shelving unit instead.

There’s a lovely design on shanty-2-chic which we think you’re going to like. It’s perfect for that little awkward space above the bathroom toilet but it can also fit in the kitchen and in various other areas as well.

Display shelves for books and magazines

These shelves are not meant to hold a lot of books but instead are designed to put the books on display. They’re very shallow and have a little ledge in front which keeps the books in check and prevents them from falling off.

They also happen to be perfect for nursery rooms and for the kids’ rooms. If you want to see how they’re made head over to mekhart.blogspot to find a complete tutorial.

Corner zig-zag shelves

Nobody really likes corners because they’re quite difficult to furnish or to decorate. However, they can also be very inspiring and there’s actually plenty of really cool design ideas that are specifically meant for corners, like these zig-zag shelves featured on imgur a while ago. They’re not just eye-catching but also very sturdy.

A reclaimed pallet shelf

As you may know already, wooden pallets are perfect for lots of different DIY projects and crafts. One particularly inspiring idea is to use a few of the boards to make a hanging shelf like the one we found on ana-white.

It has a nice rustic appeal and it’s multifunctional. Use t to store and display like books, kitchen utensils and spices, tools and so on or use it as a wine rack.

Pipe shelves for the pantry

Yes, these pipe shelves are perfect for the pantry but don’t let that prevent you from considering something similar for a space like the living room, the kitchen or the dining area.

What’s really nice about a design like this is that it’s super versatile. At the same time, pipe shelves are a great DIY project with lots of room for customization. Check out diyshowoff for more details.

Rustic kitchen shelves

There’s a lot that can be done with just a few pieces of reclaimed wood. One thing that comes to mind is a custom shelf for the kitchen, something extra that adds warmth and character to this space.

There’s a lovely design with a rustic hint that you can check out on keepingitcozy.blogspot. These double shelves are small enough to fit in any kitchen.

Double ladder plant stand

If you’re in search of a way to organize your favorite potted plants, one that’s both practical and aesthetically pleasing, consider a ladder plant stand.

The idea comes from funkyjunkinteriors and shows just how casual and easy a project like this can be. This could also be the inspiration for a custom shelving unit for more than just plants.