Ways to Arrange Block Shelves

Choosing Block Shelf Types

• The character of the block shelves you plan to install have an impact on how you arrange them. In general, light-colored, glossy or shiny block shelves convey a feeling of lightness, while dark-colored, matte-finish shelves bring heaviness to a decor. Hollow-center block shelves, sometimes called cube shelving, look lighter than solid blocks, even when filled with storage or display items. Fully cubic block shelves protrude from the wall more than flatter rectangular ones, which can make space seem cramped or awkward to navigate. Many of the same design qualities apply to block shelves as to picture frames: their visual weight and bulk determine how they are best arranged.

Common Arrangements

• Arrange block shelves the way you would other kinds of wall art and small furniture in your decor. Block shelves lend themselves naturally to symmetry: for instance, one on each end of the couch as minimalist end tables or on opposite sides of the bed as space-saving night tables. In a spaced horizontal row over a piece of furniture, block shelves create a sense of centering for an area or activity. A row of block shelves over your buffet defines a serving area, as does a row over a desk or work table. Using solid or hollow blocks above a bench seat and larger hollow ones below lets you turn a chaotic back hall into a clutter-free storage area for boots, toys and outdoor gear. The hollow block form suggests dozens of storage uses from children's rooms to the den to your craft room. A vertical row of hollow blocks creates entryway cubbies for keys, phones and mail on a narrow wall.

Block Shelves and Art

• Some of the most creative uses of block shelves relate to decorative arts. Block shelves can provide permanent storage for special treasures. A vertical row on each side of the mantel lets admirers see your grandmother's Meissen figurines without endangering them. A grid of four or more block shelves can be spaced out on a den wall to display a frequently changing supply of sports medals, trophies and memorabilia. A single block shelf in an alcove can hold candles, garden flowers or a tiny family vignette. Their strong lines and sometimes strong colors demand attention, making them an appropriate display vehicle for objects you really want noticed. Like picture frames, they structure and define large blank spaces; unlike picture frames, they make it easy to change what they hold up to view. Used as part of a large wall-decor scheme, they let you mix pictures, mirrors and objects you would not be able to hang on a wall. Regarding the shape, texture and color of block shelves as art objects in themselves enriches your overall arrangement. Treating the shelf and the object it supports as a single object can help you evaluate the impact they have on your decor.

Arrangement Techniques

• Unlike picture frames, block shelves bring a third dimension to spatial arrangement. It is easy to place block shelves too high, making it difficult to see the objects they hold. Placed too low, block shelves create a feeling of hazard; guests may avoid your sofa for fear of bumping their heads. Centering block shelves at standing eye-level, usually in the range of 63 to 65 inches above the floor, lets viewers see the objects they hold clearly. Art-gallery-style mounting lowers the centering of objects to 58 inches above the floor. While a standard design rule suggests that the bottoms of pictures be 6 to 12 inches from the top of the sofa's back, you might wish to allow another 2 to 3 feet for positioning shelves. Use comfort as your standard when placing block shelves close to seating or activities.

Making Your Arrangement

• One of the easiest ways to create your own block shelf arrangement is to make paper patterns of the shelves you wish to use. Use brown kraft paper or construction paper close to the color of your planned shelves to test the effect you want to create. One pattern-making method is to measure and cut out each shelf individually. Tape patterns to the wall with masking tape and adjust them until you have your intended look. For a large or complex arrangement of shelves alone or shelves mixed with other art objects, laying out the individual patterns on a larger sheet of paper, tracing around them and creating a single large shape can give you a good sense of how your plan fits into your space.