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30 DIY Shelves That You Can Make for Your Home

Upcycled wood shelving on white wall with framed print and small decor

The Spruce / Almar Creative

If you are looking to add extra wall storage without spending a lot of money, consider DIY shelves. You can make your own wall shelves from affordable or upcycled materials that are usually less expensive than prefabricated shelving and will add a personal touch to your decor. 

Customize your DIY shelving using materials that you have on hand or can source inexpensively that will harmonize with your decor, such as upcycled pallet wood, plywood, rope, acrylic, or scraps of canvas and leather. Tailor the look of your shelving to your interior, whether it leans modern, rustic, industrial, Scandinavian, boho-style or anything in between. 

Here are 30 ideas for DIY shelves of varying sizes and styles made with simple, inexpensive, or upcycled materials to inspire your next project.

Watch Now: 9 Tips for Styling Shelves

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    DIY Belt Shelf

    Shelf with belt hangers

    Nur Noch

    Want to show off a few small items? This belt shelf from Ronja, the blogger behind Nur Noch, is a smart idea that's cheap and easy to create. All you need is a wooden board and an old suede or leather belt. In this instance, Ronja used an Ivar shelf she picked up at IKEA for less than $5.

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    DIY Cheese Box Shelves

    Circle shelf with bottles
    Curb to Refurb/HomeTalk

    Carrie of Curb to Refurb has a knack for recycling found objects into stunning home furnishings. She created this stylish round shelf using a discarded cheese box.

    To find a similar box for free, visit your local gourmet store. Stores generally discard such boxes after unpacking the cheeses.

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    Plywood Floating Shelves

    diy plywood floating shelves

    Most Lovely Things

    If you have a large collection of small items, building custom shelving can keep it organized rather than adding clutter. Most Lovely Things made DIY plywood floating shelves to house a collection of essential oils that makes everything easy to find while creating a visual display.

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  • 04 of 30

    Dresser Drawer Shelves

    drawers hung as wall shelves

    Namely Original

    If you have a dresser you no longer need, you can follow what Emily from Namely Original did. Emily created these adorable DIY shelves using dresser drawers that she purchased from a resale shop.

    Locate wall studs using a stud finder, and then attach the drawers by driving fasteners through their bottoms and into the studs.

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    Wood Tray Shelf

    narrow wooden DIY shelf with cacti on them

    Nur Noch

    Ronja from Nur Noch transformed a wood tray into a smart shelf. The project begin with sawing the tray in half lengthwise using a circular saw. Then, one short end is cut off each tray in half. Finally, the cut ends are joined together to form a long, narrow shelf. The shelf is then attached to the wall with fasteners driven through the back edge and into studs.

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    Craft Boxe Shelves

    Hexagon shelves

    Making Lemonade

    Carrie from Making Lemonade created a stunning shelving display using customizable paper mâché boxes.

    Carrie spray-painted the boxes gold and then screwed them into the wall after playing with placement for a bit. Finally, Carrie used gold scrapbook paper on the shelf backs to cover up the screws.

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  • 07 of 30

    DIY Wall Planter Shelf

    diy wall planter shelf

    Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona

    Turn your dream of having a vertical garden into reality with a simple DIY wall shelf. Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona made a wooden box planter for her kitchen wall that came together in just an hour, creating a vibrant focal point that would work in any room.

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  • 08 of 30

    DIY Peg Rail Shelf

    diy peg rail shelf

    A Beautiful Mess

    A peg rail shelf has a timeless look that can work in any space from traditional to modern. A Beautiful Mess made a simple DIY peg rail shelf that houses mugs, kitchen towels, and more to keep the kitchen organized and everyday items visible and accessible.

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  • 09 of 30

    Pallet Wood Window Shelves

    diy pallet wood shelves

    Lobster and Swan

    Weathered pallet wood shelving will add a rustic look to a cottage interior. Lobster and Swan installed silvery pallet wood shelving in the windowsills of this English country cottage work shed that functions like window sills to house plants and display objects.

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    Paper Mâché Magazine Shelf

    Recycled magazine bookshelf

    Recycle Nation

    Many shelves are made out of wood. But you also can turn paper into shelving. This shelf seen on Recycle Nation is crafted from 80 National Geographic magazines that have been connected using a paper mâché technique. After the paper mâché hardened, a band saw was used to carve out the rectangular shelf shape.

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    DIY Stretched Canvas Shelf

    diy canvas shelf

    The Merrythought

    Repurpose a stretched art canvas to create a narrow shelf to display lightweight objects and small postcards or photos, like this DIY project from The Merrythought.

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    Floating Corner Shelves

    diy corner shelves

    A Beautiful Mess

    Maximize an unused corner by adding floating L-shaped shelves that will create space for storage or display, like these chunky white DIY shelves from A Beautiful Mess that cost $100 to make.

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    Wood Slat Entryway Shelf

    diy wood slat entryway shelf

    The Merrythought

    Add storage to a small entryway with a DIY shelf to store keys, sunglasses, and more. The Merrythought created this minimalist wall shelf with light wood slats, adding staggered shelves and a small mirror to turn it into a multifunctional piece.

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    House-Shaped Shelf

    diy house-shaped shelf

    A Beautiful Mess

    Keep your mugs organized and accessible by storing them in plain sight. This DIY mug shelf from A Beautiful Mess is a simple project that will add a homey feel to your walls.

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  • 15 of 30

    Wood Circle Shelf

    diy wood circle shelf

    The Merrythought

    Add a small scrapwood shelf to a wood round to create a quick DIY shelf that will add soft curves to your walls while providing space for a mini display of succulents, candles, or whatever you want to show off, like this simple project from The Merrythought.

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    Skateboard Shelves

    skateboards turned into shelving

    Be Makeful

    Rebecca from The Crafted Sparrow repurposed inexpensive skateboards into eclectic DIY shelves for her son’s room. Rebecca found skateboards that already matched the room, so she didn’t have to alter their appearance. Then, Rebecca simply mounted them to the wall with L brackets and added some cool decor pieces on top.

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    DIY Triangle Shelves

    diy wooden triangle wall shelves

    The Merrythought

    One of the easiest ways to make your interior more dynamic is to choose decor, furniture, and textiles with a variety of geometric shapes.

    The Merrythought made these small wooden triangle shelves that can be used as simple wall decor, or used to store small knickknacks. Hang them right side up or upside down (or a mix of both) for a playful look.

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  • 18 of 30

    Marble and Brass Shelving

    diy marble tile shelves

    A Beautiful Mess

    Create the look of high-end marble and brass shelving to dress up a narrow wall above the toilet alcove in a small bathroom.

    A Beautiful Mess attached marble tiles to wood boards and spray-painted brackets with gold paint to achieve the glam look for less.

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  • 19 of 30

    Mini Photo and Plant Shelf

    diy photo shelf

    The Merrythought

    A small purpose-built shelf with room to display a rotating selection of printed out photos with a hole cut out to house a mini planter will add a touch of wall decor to a minimalist space, like this DIY project from The Merrythought.

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    Pre-Stained Wood Shelves

    diy prestained wood shelves

    A Beautiful Mess

    Create a midcentury modern-inspired display of geometric dark wood honeycomb shelves using pre-stained boards like these DIY shelves from A Beautiful Mess that double as wall decor and storage.

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    DIY Towel Shelf

    diy towel shelf

    The Merrythought

    Make a DIY wall shelf to store extra towels to keep your bathroom looking neat and tidy. This simple modern shelf from The Merrythought features hanging storage for rolled towels below, and a display shelf above for plants, mirrors, and decorative objects.

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    Rope Shelf

    Front view of a hanging rope shelf

    The Spruce / Sanja Kostic

    These DIY shelves from Ananda at A Piece of Rainbow are easy and inexpensive to put together with just rope and wood. If you have scraps of rope and wood from other projects, that might be all you need to fashion some shelves.

    Ananda dyed the rope yellow for some extra design flair. Then, Ananda drilled holes in the wood and ran the rope through them, knotting it under each hole so the shelves stay in place.

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  • 23 of 30

    DIY Fruit Basket Shelves

    diy hanging basket flower garden

    A Beautiful Mess

    Fruit baskets aren’t just for kitchen countertops. These DIY shelves are the perfect spot to store fruit, veggies, and other items using vertical wall space. The DIYers simply attached baskets together and then mounted the whole unit to the wall. 

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    Driftwood Shelf

    Driftwood shelf

    Sustain My Craft Habit

    There’s a lot you can do with a salvaged piece of driftwood, including making some rustic shelves. These DIY shelves from Sustain My Craft Habit fit right in at a lakeside cabin.

    The goal is to display the natural beauty of the driftwood. Cut it as needed to size, aiming to retain its natural lines when possible. Then, sand the wood to reduce its roughness, and apply wax to seal it before hanging it on shelf brackets.

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    DIY Pipe Shelf

    industrial pipe shelf

    The Spruce / Lauren Thomann

    If you like an industrial look, consider making shelving out of pipes. This large custom shelving unit from The Design Twins cost only $350 to create.

    Black industrial pipes were attached to the wall to form the shelving frame. And then the DIYers stained pine boards to run along the pipes. 

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  • 26 of 30

    DIY Bathroom Shelves

    diy bathroom shelves

    A Piece of Rainbow

    If your bathroom includes a dated medicine cabinet, consider replacing it with simple DIY wood shelves instead.

    A Piece of Rainbow created a little niche above the bathroom counter with natural wood shelving that complements the frame on the mirror above the sink and adds warmth to white walls.

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    DIY Acrylic Wall Shelves

    diy acrylic and laminate wood shelves

    Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona

    If you spot a chic storage solution at your favorite retailer but don't have the budget to spring for a ready-made option, think about whether or not you can whip up a reasonable facsimile with your own hands.

    Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona added acrylic sides to white laminate shelves to create a modern look for less.

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    Floating Baby Bookshelves

    diy nursery bookshelves

    A Beautiful Mess

    Floating shelves make an excellent choice in a nursery, toddler room, or kids' room, allowing book covers to be displayed to add color and entice little readers to pick up a book.

    A Beautiful Mess layered rows of simple white painted floating wood shelving on illustrated wallpapered walls for this easy DIY project that was made with precut three-foot boards that made for quick work.

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    Vintage Wall Crate Shelves

    diy vintage crate shelves

    Most Lovely Things

    Repurpose vintage crates to create custom wall shelving. Most Lovely Things hung vintage crates on an empty narrow wall that holds cookbooks, spices, and more that are both practical and homey, adding a touch of warmth to white walls.

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    Extra Long DIY Shelf

    diy laundry room shelf

    Liz Marie Blog

    Add storage and display space to your laundry room or basement kitchenette with an extra-long shelf.

    Liz Marie Blog made a DIY shelf for vintage finds and laundry essentials from lengths of marble cut to fit the space for a custom wall-to-wall look. A brass picture rail at the front of shelves is both decorative and practical, ensuring that items won't fall off. If marble is too pricey, you can use another material to achieve a similar look.

Is it less expensive to build your own shelves? 

It can cost less to build your own shelves depending on what materials you use and what your shelving project entails. You can build inexpensive shelves from upcycled materials such as pallet wood if you have the skills and access to simple tools that will cost next to nothing to make.

What can I use instead of wood for shelves?

In addition to wood, you can build shelves from MDF, plastic, metal, glass, and other materials. Be sure to choose the appropriate hardware and fasteners to build and hang shelving, which will differ depending on the type of material that you choose.