Corner shelves serve more than one purpose. The shelving system creates extra storage while offering a platform to display your favorite items. Plus, DIY shelving is easy and fun to create.

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University (JCHS), “owners 65 or older spend, on average, only 12 percent of their home improvement dollars on DIY projects.” Meanwhile, the same report discovered that homeowners under age 35 spend almost 30 percent of their home improvement expenditures on these projects, while owners aged 35 to 44 spend over 20 percent.

If you’re looking for a new DIY project try one of the following corner shelving ideas. By adding corner shelves to a room you’ll have additional storage space.

DIY Corner Shelving For 2022

The following 25 examples were handpicked by our team of DIY experts. Each item represents the latest in DIY corner shelving concepts.

1. Plank Corner Shelves

With wood planks and easily installed racks, you can add corner shelves in a room before lunchtime. The rack shelving provides adjustable height options. This example is convenient for renters and budget decorators. (A Beautiful Mess)

DIY Woodworker’s Corner Shelves

Use unfinished wood for a Scandinavian vibe. Choose bright colored paint that will make your once awkward corner stand out. (Deuce Cities Henhouse)

3. Triangle Corner Shelves

Construct a set of shelves with triangle shaped pieces of wood. You’ll find it will fill the space and provide styling opportunities. (4 Men 1 Lady)

4. Corner Bookshelves

Instead of playing the “Should I put a table or a chair there?” game, install some corner shelves with lovely trim. (Truly Lovely Life)

5. Floating Corner Shelves

According to professional organizer Laura Cattano, the key to bringing visual order to a space is a balance between open and closed storage. “Closed storage allows you to hide the things you don’t need or want to see, like extra toiletries, office supplies, and household items like light bulbs and cables,” she said.

DIY Display Shelving

Opt to stack your shelves instead of placing them at even distances. You’ll create lots of little nooks and crannies that you’ll enjoy filling with your modern knick knacks. (A Home West)

6. Open Corner Shelves

Open shelving is a big trend in the kitchen and lucky for you, it’s a great option when you have to turn a corner above the countertop.

You’ll discover it’s the prettiest way to get the most out of your storage space. (Design Sponge)

7. Pantry Corner Shelves

Does your home lack a pantry? Use a set of corner shelves in your kitchen to give you plenty of storage space and effectively create a makeshift pantry. It is certainly a good excuse to buy the prettiest jars and bowls.

8. Built-In Corner Shelves

Don’t be worried about floating corner shelves in your vintage home. You can make a corner into built-in shelves with more effort and no one would ever guess it was an empty corner. (Copper Dot Interiors)

9. 3D Corner Shelves

Aren’t these 3D shelves the most fun? They would make a great addition to any child’s room to keep all their little tiny precious treasures organized. Plus this shelf won’t take up much space.

10. Rectangular Corner Shelves

While this particular shelf is to buy, it would be oh so easy to make yourself. Not only can it go on an inside corner, but will also fit around an outside corner. Your opportunities just got limitless.

11. Desk Corner Shelves

Corner desks can be difficult in terms of sufficient storage. But not with corner shelves! Make them the length of your desk so they provide plenty of storage and blend in with your office corner. (via Shanty 2 Chic)

12. Nursery Corner Shelves

So many nurseries are made out of closets and empty corners in small homes. If you’re looking at an empty corner for your baby’s space, install some corner shelves that will act as your storage space and surface space and everything else your baby should need beside a crib. (Apartment Therapy)

13. Tree Trunk Corner Shelves

When you have an excuse to use a tree trunk to decorate your rustic home, you take it with open arms. These corner shelves are just that. You’ll never want to leave your cabin’s reading nook ever again.

14. Country Style Corner Shelf

Are you in search of country style storage space for your small country styled dining room? Build this beauty out of reclaimed wood for that one empty corner. It will become your favorite piece to style for every season and holiday. (Ana White)

15. Children’s Corner Bookshelves

Books might be one of the most fun ways to decorate your child’s bedroom. Make these corner shelves that will corral all their pages in a corner that will decorate their space and inspire many hours of reading.

16. Rope Corner Shelves

Rope corner shelves are a unique way to add storage to any room. However, these lightweight shelves are only suitable for lighter knick-knacks and other small items. Rope corner shelves are stylish and not that hard to install as long as you have a friend to help you hold them up.

These shelves can be installed for less than $50 dollars and are the perfect way to bring together the smaller miscellaneous decorations in a space. (Honeybear Lane)

17. DIY Corner Plant Stand

It can be a hassle to find a good place to store houseplants where they won’t be in the way, and corner shelving can be a great option for housing them. A DIY corner plant stand can use up some underutilized space while also giving your favorite potted friend a place to call home.

Corner plant stands can also be used to keep your houseplant collection together in one place. Be sure to choose a shelf location that will allow your plants to receive adequate sunlight, or install artificial lighting with your plant shelf as a way to help them out. (via Bob Vila)

18. Closet Corner Shelves

Closets are often one of the most cluttered and disorganized areas of the entire house. This can usually be chalked down to a lack of proper storage options. Adding some DIY closet corner shelves to your closet can either give you added closet storage for your wardrobe accessories or allow you to renovate your closet completely for storage other than clothing.

Corner shelves in the closet will help you keep your small closet items from getting lost in the shuffle. (Reality Daydream)

19. Rustic Corner Shelves

These DIY rustic industrial free standing corner shelves add a touch of bohemian grit to your living room or dining room without overpowering the space. The benefit of using pipes and other heavy-duty materials in corner shelving is that these shelf designs are able to hold heavier items than more lightweight DIY shelves. (Laura Makes)

20. DIY Door Corner Shelf

Repurposing materials in DIY construction projects helps you save money and make an item that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. Using an old door to create a corner shelf might require some light woodworking skills, but the result is unlike any shelving system you’ll find.

Check thrift and antique stores for good doors that have been thrown out during remodeling projects. (Craftaholics)

21. Seven Minute Corner Shelves

If you need quick storage, these seven-minute corner shelves are the project for you. These shelves aren’t fancy, but they’re simple and compact enough to fit in all sorts of spaces.

If you have time, these shelves can be painted or stained to match whatever decor is already in the rest of the room. This project takes simple woodworking tools such as planks, a saw, finishing nails, and wall anchors. (House of Rose)

22. Single-Board Corner Shelf

For a corner shelf that uses the bare minimum of materials to put together, this one-board corner shelf is perfect. It is a useful project for using up leftover wood without requiring a bunch of other supplies to complete.

The simple design of this corner shelf also fits in well with modern and contemporary designs since it doesn’t have any frills, and it’s easy to install for DIY beginners. (Merry Pad)

23. Natural Pine Corner Shelf

If you want to add storage and a woodsy vibe to your room at the same time, natural wood is versatile and each piece can create a one-of-a-kind shelf. The types of wood you use to make a corner shelf, pine is a smart option since it’s a softwood that’s affordable, easy to find and clean.

Natural wood is also a great design element for adding a warm and cozy feel to any room. This small shelf doesn’t hold many items, but it’s perfect for showcasing a keepsake that deserves a special spot. (Instructables)

24. Industrial Farmhouse Corner Shelves

Industrial farmhouse might seem like a contradictory theme in interior design, but this fusion of styles incorporates the best of both worlds. The plain wooden shelves and metal brackets of this shelf design are reminiscent of an old-school barn. Dressing these shelves with a live trailing houseplant or a stack of antique cookbooks can finish off the look. (Two Feet First)

25. DIY Corner TV Shelf with Pipes

Corner shelves create extra storage space. Commercial corner shelf units can be flimsy or made out of cheap materials. You can also paint the pipes in this shelf plan to create a fresh look that matches other accents in the room. (The DIY Nuts)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

What Does Technical Quality Furniture Mean?

It implies the durability and endurance of furniture construction. Detachable assemblies are often used in shelving and cabinet furniture.

What Are The Four A's Of Universal Design?

The four A’s are accessibility, adaptability, aesthetics, and affordability. Shelving systems are important household and office furnishings. Many furnishings are designed for more than one purpose, and this is true for corner shelving.

How Many Plastic Milk Crates Do I Need To Make A Floating Corner Shelf?

The standard is six milk crates for a regular floating corner shelf system. Other than the milk crates, the only other thing you would need is industrial strength super glue.

What Is A Fast And Easy To Create Shelves With Thick Wood Pieces?

If you have thick pieces of wood the only things you would need are a set of floating shelf brackets. The brackets are easy to install and are ideal for heavy wood pieces.

Corner Shelves Conclusion

Shelving is designed to hold items, but it also functions as a form of storage. Awkward bare corners that don’t have storage options are a waste of space.

Though many types of shelving are freestanding and movable, some designs challenge the conventional paradigm. With shelving attached to a wall or floor, it loses its mobility. Either way, interior space is made complete through the size and location of the shelving.

With DIY design, workmanship, and construction processes are important. Modular shelving units and folding storage pieces require more tools to create but are possible to achieve given your DIY skill level.

From bathrooms to bedrooms, DIY corner shelf storage helps homeowners keep items off the floor and categorize in orderly spaces. An uncluttered home with adequate storage is just as important for making your home functional as it is for making it look great.