Options for Placing Wall Shelves in a Room

Built-ins

• Even if your home didn't come with built-in wall shelving, you can hire someone to build and install it for you, or you can do it yourself. Built-in shelving can be made to look as though it was part of your original home by encasing it in a bookcase or a closet and finishing it with era-appropriate finishes, such as crown molding. For those who need a lot of storage, an entire wall of shelves can be built along an unused wall of your home, turning a formerly unused space into a valuable storage and display area.

Freestanding

• If you don't have the money or do-it-yourself time or skills to craft built-in shelving, you can emulate the look by purchasing freestanding bookshelves or shelving units and bolting them to your wall. Give your inexpensive shelving a custom-finished look by adding decorative molding to the top edge and bottom lip; cover any unsightly seams with decorative chair rail border purchased from a home improvement store.

Room Divider

• Large, sturdy wall shelves can do multiple duty as shelving, storage and a wall divider; in this sense, it creates its own wall full of storage and display areas. For best results, look for large, heavy wall shelving units that are tall enough to be bolted securely to a wall or ceiling so they won't tip over. Wall units of this type are widely available at big box stores with both shelves and cubby-style cubes; both types of shelving units allow for individual baskets to be placed within the units, providing hidden storage areas. Additionally, shelving units with diagonal shelving are available at specialty home supply stores; these shelves provide visual interest as well as excess storage space.

Box Shelves

• Box shelves are boxes turned on their sides, securely bolted to the wall. These shelves provide deep, sturdy storage and the ultimate in flexibility as they can be placed on your walls in a variety of different configurations depending on your storage and decorative needs. Box shelving comes in an endless variety of finishes and décor styles and is readily available at most big box and home décor shops.