Best Floating Shelves for the Bedroom

Floating shelves take your interior design to a new level of minimalism and intricacy. You can get creative with your placements, designs, and decorations. Floating shelves let you fill up your wall space without your room looking too congested. 

The right floating shelves can help you keep your home tidy, complete, and smart. That’s why we’re going to break down the best options for your home today, along with some tips you should know before you go shopping for the best floating shelves.

Best Floating Shelves

I love floating shelves! So, I chose these based on quality, weight capacity, and design.

What is a Floating Shelf? 

A floating shelf is a shelf attached directly to your wall with no visible supports. This helps create a neater, minimalistic appearance around your home without congested furniture taking up too much space. 

They’re good alternatives for bookshelves if you find they’re taking up too much room. They also help fulfill miscellaneous decoration requirements to make your home feel homier. 

You might want to check: Best Bedroom Shelf Reviews of 2021

How Do Floating Shelves Work? 

There are two basic components when installing floating shelves. First, there is the bracket that the shelf goes onto. The mounting bracket is made to hold the shelf up while also disappearing inside of it completely. You see none of the brackets when the shelf is complete, which adds to the majesty and appearance of the ‘floating’ shelf. 

The second component is, of course, the shelf itself. This is where you can get as creative as you want. What type of material is the shelf going to be? What’s the shape, design, size, and color? All of these choices are completely up to you, so your floating shelves add some flair to your room. 

Types of Floating Shelves 

The floating shelf isn’t the main attraction here, but the mount type. The easiest way to go about hanging floating shelves is by using the wall studs inside of your walls. Sometimes, however, these studs aren’t placed exactly where you want the shelf to be. So, there are other ways to mount your floating shelves.

• Anchors

The first way to go about installing a floating shelf is with anchors. These are smaller supports that go underneath the ends of your shelf, keeping it balanced and upright. If you have a longer shelf, you can also consider placing one under the middle of the shelf as well. The shortcoming of anchoring your floating shelf is that people can see what’s supporting it. 

• French cleat

The next mount your can use is a French cleat, which will be covered completely by the shelf. A French cleat has a 30-to-45-degree angled slope on the top which is used to support different wall hangings and decorations. In the case of a floating shelf, the floating shelf is slid over the French cleat for maximum internal support. 

• Dowel 

Finally, there are dowels. Dowels are long rods on which you can place different hanging items. Your dowel will be used much the same as the French cleat or standard bracket is. Once installed on the wall, the shelf body will go over the dowel and the dowel will act as internal support, keeping the shelf in place and straight. 

What Are Floating Shelves Made Of? 

You can purchase a floating shelf made of many different materials, to help mix and match the shelves with the rest of your home. 

• Wood 

You’ll probably come across this option the most. Wooden shelves are simplistic, elegant, and easy on the eyes. They find comfort in your home with ease and brighten the area no matter where you place them. Another plus with wood is that it tends to hold more weight than other materials. 

• Metal 

Metal is extremely stable, and probably the type of shelf you want to have in a garage or workshop where heavier items need to be stored. They have an industrial appearance to them but can be a great addition to modern, chic homes. 

When looking for metal shelves, it’s best to search for heavy-gauge metal which is powder-coated. Preventing the metal from corroding over time. This is best for rooms where moisture is inevitable, such as bathrooms or laundry rooms. 

• Glass 

Glass shelves are another level of elegance and delicacy, while also being extremely fragile. Unlike metal and wood shelves, glass shelves are not mounted on an internal bracket, as this would ruin the appearance. Glass shelves have metal or wood frames which can then be properly mounted onto the wall. Glass shelves are best suited for bathrooms and laundry rooms, where transparency is appreciated most. 

• Acrylic

Acrylic is a lightweight and mouldable material that allows you to be more creative with the sizing and shape of your shelves. This thermoplastic does not require as many brackets as wood or metal would, but still manages to support a considerable amount of weight. 

Best Material for Floating Shelves

Wood can easily be considered the best material for floating shelves. It’s super simple to work into your interior design, supports a considerable amount of weight, is easy to install and maintain, and comes in a wide variety of shapes, colors, types, and sizes. 

The best wood specifically for floating shelves is maple wood. This wood has a high density and is more affordable in comparison to other wood options. Maple wood will retain its natural husk and feel post-production and is scratch-resistant, meaning it will last longer in your home. 

What to Consider When Buying Floating Shelves

There is a few things to think about before you start putting up floating shelves in your home. Every individual consideration will help you make the ideal choice. 

Style and Design 

With the considerations of material, size, color, and shape all at your disposal, the possibilities are endless when it comes to floating shelves. You can enjoy simplistic straight wooden shelves or try your hand at intricately curved and bubbly metal shelves which will leave family and guests mesmerized.

Weight Capacity 

This is always important to consider, especially if your floating shelves are somewhere easily accessible in your home. Naturally, people are going to be using these shelves to place belongings, so they need to be able to hold them while also being aesthetically pleasing. 

Weight capacity varies from the materials the shelf is made out of, the size of the actual shelf, and the support the bracket provides. Be sure to read through product details and manufacturer’s notes to get the actual estimated weight capacity to see if it meets your requirements. 

Price Range 

Quality and price go hand in hand in every purchase that you make, more so when they’re long-term investments such as floating shelves. When buying floating shelves, you need to be careful, ensuring that you’re purchasing a good deal (brackets, supports, instructions, tools, the shelf itself) at a reasonable price and not simply a slab of wood someone could consider a shelf. 

After-Purchase Services 

This is an important consideration. After-purchase services could be lifesaving for people who do not know how to install a shelf or have little to no handyman know-how. There are companies that will help you install the shelves upon delivery, meaning you don’t have to do it yourself. It also ensures that the shelves are installed professionally and carefully so they don’t collapse and can evenly support the weight.

Dimensions and Size 

Do not rush into buying a pretty-looking shelf. Before you even begin to browse, you need to measure the empty space in your home which you are trying to fill. Make sure that anything you consider purchasing fits within your available wall space and has suitable dimensions that you can easily handle. You don’t want to end up with a gorgeous shelf that is either too small or too big for your wall.   

Final Words

Floating shelves add a great modern touch to any empty wall. They remove the permanent structure of furniture and shelves, allowing for more spacious décor. With the right planning and products, you can recreate your entire home with the simplest addition to empty spaces here and there. If you have some of your own DIY floating shelf ideas, feel free to share them with us in the comments below. Then pop over and see our list of the best closet organizers!

Frequently Asked Questions