Shelving ideas - 10 of the best

Click through our gallery for 10 great shelving ideas from Style at Home. For more decorating ideas, visit housetohome.co.uk

Add cute shabby chic shelves to display your favourite china collection and other treasures. Look in antique and junk shops or search on eBay for vintage shelving - and paint the interior different colours for an individual look.

1/10 Similar cabinet

floating shelves

(Image credit: Future PLC/Rachael Smith)

Notonthehighstreet

For more brilliant shelving ideas, check out our pick of the best floating shelves for inspiration.

2/10 Organised home office

home office

(Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole)

Sort out your paperwork once and for all in your home office with shelves that run the length of a wall, making the most of a tight corner. Combine colourful stationery with more traditional office furniture for a relaxed, inspiring feel.

Similar chair
Oka

3/10 Pretty kitchen display

kitchen display

(Image credit: Future PLC/Rachael Smith)

If you already have open shelving in your kitchen, why not add hooks so that you can display your favourite tea cups? Paint your shelves white to blend with a white wall to really show off your china collection.

Similar vintage china
China Search

4/10 Statement shelving

bookshelves with sofa and cushions

(Image credit: Future PLC/Matt Cant)

Your collection of books in your living room can become decorative items in their own right displayed on fabulous open wall-to-wall shelving against a brightly painted wall.

Similar shelving
Ikea

5/10 Kitchen open shelves

kitchen with cabinets

(Image credit: Future PLC/Matt Cant)

This plain white kitchen is given bags of character with open shelving that has been made to fit neatly in the alcove. The dark wood contrasts well with the scheme and works beautifully as a kitchen storage solution.

Similar kitchen
Magnet

6/10 Alcove floating shelves

floating shelves

(Image credit: Future PLC/Matt Cant)

Use the alcoves either side of your fireplace as a fabulous place for display with sleek floating shelves. They'll work in traditional living rooms, like this one, when painted to blend in with the walls, and also in a modern scheme.

Similar shelves
Shelf Direct

7/10 Dining room display

dining table

(Image credit: Future PLC/Mark Scott)

For a relaxed dining room, look out for ladder-style shelving on which to arrange photographs and accessories. Match the wood to your table and chairs for a seamless look.

Similar ladder shelving
Marks & Spencer

8/10 Below-basin shelf

bathroom with bathtub

(Image credit: TBC)

In a compact bathroom, boxed-in plumbing can become a useful shelf for everyday essentials. Paint or tile it so that it blends in with your scheme. Extra storage can be provided by a quirky vintage wooden crate or two.

Similar basin
Victoria Plumb
Similar crate
Notonthehighstreet

9/10 Cubby-hole shelves

cubby hole shelves

(Image credit: Wayfair)

Perfect for a children's room, or as a quirky display in your living room, these cubby-hole shelves are ideal for showing off an eclectic and colourful collection. Look out for a reclaimed storage unit in antique or junk shops.

Similar shelves
Wayfair

10/10 Kitchen corner shelves

kitchen corner shelves

(Image credit: TBC)

Make use of even the slimmest of spaces in your kitchen with small shelves, like these, tucked between the end of a unit and a window. They're perfect for your tea caddy and coffee jar.

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Holly Walsh
Contributor

Holly Walsh was Content Editor at Ideal Home from 2021-2024 but joined the brand back in 2015. With a background of studies in Interior Design, her career in interior journalism was a no-brainer and her passion for decorating homes is still as strong as it ever was, now she is a freelance interiors writer and shopping editor. While Holly has written for most of the home titles at Future, including Livingetc, Country Homes & Interiors, Homes and Gardens and Style at Home, Ideal Home has always been her ideal home, and she can still be found sharing her expertise and advice across both the printed magazine and the website, while also raising her two young children.