Corner spaces are quite difficult. There’s no much you can put in there but even though the options are limited when it comes to interior design and decor, there are some great possibilities that are both practical and stylish.

One example is the corner wall shelf which adds more storage to a space and also lets you display things on it. Today we’re showing you a few of our favorite DIY corner shelf ideas in the hopes that they’ll inspire you on your next home improvement project.

Corner Shelf Ideas That Maximize Your Space

1. Floating Corner Shelves

Floating corner shelves like the ones featured on shanty-2-chic are both good-looking and easy to make. As you can see, the shelves are pretty thick and solid, and to get that look without actually using massive blocks of wood you need to first put together a frame for each shelf. This method also allows you to make secret storage spaces inside the shelves if you want to.

2. Triangular Corner Shelves

Triangular shelves fit perfectly in corners. They’re great for hallways, entryways, or pretty much any other space and there’s an easy way to simplify their design so you can hide the mounting hardware inside the shelves. You can find a tutorial explaining the whole process on 4men1lady.

3. A Rustic Corner Shelf Unit

What even more practical than a corner shelf? Well, a corner shelf unit, of course. You can build one with a rustic-industrial look out of wood and metal pipes. It’s easy and also pretty inexpensive, especially if you use reclaimed wood or if you repurpose the boards from a pallet. Either way, the tutorial offered on lauramakes should be helpful.

4. DIY Door Shelf

All DIY projects are unique but some stand out more than others. An example comes from craftaholicsanonymous where you can find a tutorial showing you how to turn an old wooden door into a shelving unit for a tight corner space. You can leave the doorknob on if you want to. It can actually look good if the design is nice.

5. Rocket Corner Shelf Unit

There are plenty of ways to customize a basic corner shelf unit. You can even make it look like a rocket if you want to. It’s not that hard. You first have to give it a suggestive shape and then you can also add a few finishing touches, like maybe a custom paint job or some custom decorations on the sides. You can actually find more about this specific idea on instructables.

6. Natural Pine Corner Shelf

A DIY corner shelf doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, nothing has to be perfect but in this case we actually a suggestion for how to make the most of a shelf’s imperfections: try a live edge wood-inspired design like the one featured on instructables. Basically, you just cut a piece of wood and you make the edge look intentionally imperfect.

7. Minimalist Corner Shelves from Scratch

Instead of making the shelf itself stand out, an alternative idea would be to let the shelf blend in with the walls and allow the items displayed on it to be the center of attention. On abeautifulmess you can find all the details on it in order to be able to craft minimalist corner shelves like these ones from scratch. Aren’t they stylish?

8. Simple Triangle-Shape DIY Corner Shelves

If the goal is not to necessarily add more storage to a space but simply to fill the corner in a beautiful way, perhaps some simple triangle-shaped DIY corner shelves like the ones on houseofroseblog would do the trick. They’re really easy to craft and they fit even in small rooms since they require little space. You can make as many as you want.

9. Stylish Corner Shelves to Hang Your Keys and Purse

There are ways to make corner shelves look beautiful and interesting and to maximize their functionality at the same time. For example, you can install a few hooks on a shelf so you can also hang things in the corner, not just display objects on the shelf. The design could be similar to what we found on vtwomen.

10. Wood Cube Corner Shelf

Instead of the regular flat shelf perhaps something a bit more eye-catching and consistent could suit your corner space better. A wood cube corner shelf seems like a pretty cool idea. This one has a symmetrical design and is not exactly difficult to build. In this particular case, the design is more about looks than it is about functionality or storage-efficiency. If you like it, be sure to check out our video tutorial.

11. Louver Door Corner Shelving Unit

We’ve already mentioned that you can repurpose an old door into a corner shelving unit but we didn’t get into details regarding the type of door. There are various different possibilities in this case. Basically about any old door would do but if you want something special you could try repurposing a louver door. You can find more details on that in the tutorial from prodigalpieces.

12. Kitchen Corner Shelving Unit

The kitchen is a great place to put corner shelves in. It’s important to make the most of every inch of space in the kitchen and to maximize storage as much as possible. You can add corner shelves so you can store spices, dishes and other things close at hand or so you can keep herb planters close to the windows. Check out notjustahousewife to find out how to make stylish shelves like these ones.

13. Metal Pipe Corner Shelf Unit

This may look like some sort of odd metal pipe sculpture but it’s actually a great corner shelf that can be used to store lots of things including books and shoes. It takes a while to balance the items on the pipes and if you’d rather not play with gravity you can add some flat wood shelves to the design as well. Find more details about this project on instructables.

14. Easy Rustic Corner Shelf

Wood is super versatile and easy to work with, especially if you’re trying to build something with a rustic look, like this corner shelf from amigas4all. You could use some pallet boards for this or any reclaimed wood as long as the boards are long enough. Start with the middle board and then cut the rest to size. The actual shelves are triangular in shape so that’s pretty easy to get right.

15. Planter Stand for the Corner of your Room

Shelves in general can serve a variety of different purposes so there’s no reason to think that corner units would be any different. Let’s say you want to build a planter stand that can fit in the corner of a room. The tutorial shared on mylove2create is just what you need. Make the unit as tall as you want, based on how many plants you have.

16. Corner Rope Shelves

These hanging shelves from honeybearlane are ideal for kids’ bedrooms or a nursery. It’s the perfect way to fill up some space in a room, and they make a unique and fun addition to any space. You’ll just need six planks of wood and some rope, and then a few accessories to tie everything together.

17. Zig Zag Corner Shelf

For a fun and modern design for your bathroom or bedroom, try out this zig zag corner shelf from instructables. You don’t have to be incredible with woodwork to create these shelves, and as long as you can cut a straight line, you’ll be able to make these stylish and funky shelves. They don’t take up too much space, so they are ideal for smaller rooms such as the bathroom.

18. Small Corner Shelf

If you don’t have much space but need a single corner shelf to put away extra belongings, this one board challenge from merrypad will do just the trick. The shelf is assembled with biscuit joinery, so it doesn’t need screws or metal brackets. This is a great idea for small and confined spaces and won’t attract too much additional attention.

19. DIY Corner Cabinet

Using old plywood, you can create this DIY corner cabinet from myrepurposedlife. After making the corner cabinet, you can paint it to fit your home decor, and it will add some new life to an empty corner space in your home. There’s so much you could use this for, including storing shoes, books, or kitchen items.

20. Bathroom Corner Shelves

Using an old bi-fold door, you’ll be able to bring new life to an unwanted item by creating these bathroom corner shelves from homedepot. Your ordinary doors will become a chic addition to your bathroom, and you can paint them afterward with chalk finish paint to give them a beachy or distressed look. Attach a hook at the end, and you’ll be able to hang towels as well as store all of your toiletries in one space.

21. DIY Corner Floating Shelf for a TV

This DIY corner floating shelf project from weedemandreap can be used to hold your TV or is a great corner desk option if you are short of space for working from home. Corner media cabinets are ideal for hiding wires from your TV, and this is an easy way to create more space in your living room. It’s perfect for minimalist homes where you are trying to keep decoration and clutter to a minimum.

22. Corner Shelf for Nursery

If you are looking for a good corner shelf unit for your nursery, consider this DIY shelf from anawhite. It will take between three to six hours to complete, so it would make a great weekend project. The plans are suitable for beginners to follow, and pine is the recommended wood of choice. You can paint these any color to fit your nursery décor, but white is ideal for a neutral set of shelves that will be used for years to come.

23. Rounded Corner Shelves

When you don’t have much space but are looking for a way to display some of your favorite ornaments, consider these round floating corner shelves from bitterrootdiy. They add storage and decoration to any home and are great for a dining room or kitchen, which may have awkward unused spaces. You don’t need any special tools to create these, but they’ll still look like floating shelves once completed.

24. DIY Corner Bookcase

For anyone with a substantial space to fill, you’ll find a home for every book in your house with this corner bookcase from stagg-design. This bookcase will add character to any space and is ideal for a large study or living room. You’ll have plenty of space to add every book you own, and you can also display fun decorations or ornaments as well. If you aren’t an avid reader, remember these shelves could also be used for a whole host of reasons, including kitchen storage or for displaying collectibles.

25. Custom Corner Shelves

Regardless of how much you have to store or display, you can customize these corner shelves from needed storage space for your office or living room. As you can see in the photo, they are also a great option for fitting around a radiator or any awkward design features in your home.

26. Corner Shelf for a Desk

This simple plan from instructables will help you to make a single shelving unit for above your desk. It’s ideal for hiding the cords on your desk, and you can add a picture or plant to spruce up your workspace. It’s an easy and cheap build that requires minimal tools and will provide you with much needed extra storage space in a tight area in your office.

Conclusion

Corner shelves are a great way to make the most of those tricky corner spaces, and all of these projects are reasonably simple and fun to create. Most of us have empty corners throughout our home, so it’s worthwhile exploring how you could use these spaces for decoration or practical storage solutions. Consider reusing doors or boxes as part of your shelving for an eco-friendly project that will bring life to old items. Whichever one of these projects you go for first, we hope they bring joy and organization to your home!