Last updated on August 26th, 2022
Think storage and you’ll most likely think of spaces hidden behind closed doors. Well, not anymore. Open shelving has established itself as a prominent design element in interior design and is creating waves with the variety of different spaces it is getting incorporated in. It isn’t just a stunner in the way it looks but is also inexpensive to incorporate into a setting.
Let’s take a look at a few creative ways to incorporate open shelving into your home and interiors.
1. Divide And Conquer
Shelves can become excellent room dividers and can effortlessly perform the dual function of dividing a space, based on its function and housing knick-knacks, souvenirs, or books. This can be especially useful in studio apartments where space is usually a constraint.
Using open shelving, whether tall or low, allows light to flow from one part of the room to another, and still demarcates spaces as per their function.
2. A Bookcase In White
You can get wall-mounted, open bookcases in white that can fit into any space with their sheer simplicity and elegance and of course their neutral color, and add to the beauty of the décor.
3. The Perfect Home Office
One of the best ways you can incorporate open shelving is by using it to carve out a nook, which can become your home office. Whether you decide to use a wall in your living room, bedroom or even the kitchen, all you need to keep in mind is that you would need at least 30 inches of wall space to keep your desk against and a depth of at least 42 inches for seating. Once you have that figured out, you can install your open shelving above your table.
You can make the space bright and appealing by painting the wall behind the shelves in a bright, eye-catching color.
4. A Storage Doorway
If you happen to have a wide doorway between two rooms, it can form the perfect place to incorporate open shelving, which wouldn’t just give you additional storage space to display your books, artwork, or your serving pieces, but would enhance the look of the doorway as well.
5. A Gallery Wall
Incorporating open shelving on a wall can help you put on display many pieces of framed artwork instead of just one or two.
You can create a gallery wall and show off even your entire collection of framed photographs and artwork.
Just make sure all the pieces that you decide to display can be tied together into a story. Use too many in varying textures and colors and you’ll end up making the space feel cluttered.
6. As Storage In The Pantry
Exposed shelving can work really well in your pantry, but you will need to decant your supplies into simple uniform jars so that your pantry doesn’t end up looking like a grocery store with all the items in their boxes.
7. As A Media Wall
Use selective shelving to transform your boring TV wall into a stylish display space.
By installing shelving space around your flat screen, you can use them to store small gadgets and other knick-knacks striking a balance between the gadgets and the other objects on display. Just ensure that nothing on this wall competes for attention with the primary feature of this wall – your television.
8. Shelves At The End of Cabinets
Don’t waste that precious space at the end of your kitchen cabinets. Add small shelves to their ends and you have yourself extra storage space for your drinking glasses or your spice jars.
9. A Place To Display Your Curated Collection
The best use of open shelving will always be to display your collections. From vintage artwork to family heirlooms, open shelving lets you display all your much-loved art pieces. You will need to remember, however, that each element that you decide to put on display needs a reasonable amount of breathing space around it, for the shelf space to not appear cluttered.
You can even think of adding some excitement into this design element, by painting the wall behind the shelves in a bright, cheerful color.
We hope you enjoyed this little piece on shelving ideas and have fun incorporating these in your home!
Happy decorating, folks!
