How to Build Wall Shelves With a High-End Look

Floating Shelves

• 1

  Paint the floating shelves and your walls the same color. Use matte paint for a subtler, more sophisticated look. Expect to dust the shelves regularly, as matte paint becomes dingy looking more quickly than high-gloss paint. Use moistened fine-grit sandpaper to smooth the shelves.

• 2

  Measure the ideal height for the shelves. Check that each shelf is sufficiently spaced to suit books or other objects you plan to display. Leave extra space between the shelves for a sleek, high-end effect. Use a level to keep the measurements perfectly horizontal and mark the heights for screws.

• 3

  Use a stud finder to identify vertical wall studs that align with your shelving. Pencil in the places to insert your screws so they go into studs. Drive the screws or other floating shelf mounting hardware into the wall. Hang the shelves.

DIY Shelves

• 4

  Assess the number of items you wish to store on your decorative shelves. Measure the areas in which you want shelving. Check that you are providing enough space to contain all your items to display. Arrange the shelves in a staggered pattern for an eye-catching and playful effect or in a symmetrical arrangement for a simpler aesthetic.

• 5

  Cut your boards to the desired lengths. Paint or stain the boards to the desired effect. Paint the wall behind the shelves in a complementary color. Sand the ends and all of the shelves' exposed surfaces. Start with rough-grit paper and work toward finer grit, finishing with moistened fine-grit paper.

• 6

  Add horizontal elements to the shelves to add visual interest. Screw vertical strips of wood to the walls and paint them the same color as the wall for a subtle look. Hang small lamps from long, straight wires to break up the horizontal lines of longer shelves and illuminate whatever items they display. Screw the shelf brackets or other mounting hardware into the vertical strips or the wall, directly, along the vertical studs.