17 Best Floating Shelves That Will Transform Small Spaces (2025)

Credit: architecturaldigest.com

The best floating shelves are deceptively handy, offering streamlined organization, a sturdy home for all of your favorite tchotchkes, and a decluttering moment for your precious floor space—just to name a few perks. Designed to disappear into the walls and optimize your vertical space, floating storage (whether open shelving or closed) can be a great solution when you’re working with a cramped square footage.

Unlike bulky bookcases, floating shelves are less of the main attraction and more like a supporting player to your design scheme. There are also plenty of elegant designs that are anything but wallflowers—ideal for doubling as decor as well as achieving some heavy lifting. From fluted wooden designs and scalloped steel creations to sturdy storage ledges that act as mini shelves for your bookworm needs. Ahead, we broke down what to look for when shopping for a floating shelf, as well as our favorite picks.

Our Top Picks for the Best Floating Shelves:

Best Floating Shelves, Overall

Looking to fill an awkwardly storage-starved space or swap out kitchen cabinets for a barer look? We love the thicker edge of these wooden shelves, and so does our partnerships associate director Meg Kernahan, who praises their clean lines and the warmth they bring to her home. “This shelf is in my laundry room above my washer/dryer and it’s perfect for storing everyday items like detergent within arms reach,” she says. “The wood tone nicely complements my ‘organic modern’ aesthetic.”

Think outside the lines with the Umbra Montage wall shelf, a curvy design that comes in black, walnut, and natural colorways. Just don’t load it up with heavy books, as it is only meant to hold 15 pounds, making it ideal for picture frames and other smaller decorative items.

If you’re searching for a slim design that can hold a good amount of weight, each individual shelf in this set of six can hold up to 20 pounds. “I like that these shelves have a really minimal profile—you barely even notice the structure is there and, in that sense, they truly feel like floating shelves,” says AD commerce director Rachel Fletcher. “They’re short enough that you could use them in many areas of the home and, because they come in a set of six, you can really get creative with how they’re arranged.” Available in black or white, they±re also the perfect size to store your coveted CD collection (up to 40 fit on a single shelf!).

The small but mighty steel wall shelf by Safran Everyday works anywhere from a mudroom to a colorful kids’ room. Reviewers note that it’s sturdy and polished, with light storage for phones and small accessories. It’s only 10 inches long, so you can tuck it into tight spaces or create a little motif by bundling three in a staggered design. The reddish terracotta hue will lend your room a pop of color, while the peach and sky colorways read more cottagecore.

For more geometric mounted storage, look no further than this white oak Crate & Barrel investment piece. When curated just so, it can serve as a focal point to any space, but we think it would look especially nice as bedroom wall decor. The crafted quality of hand-applied natural finish gives this piece a rustic, lived-in feel that will make it seem as if you’ve had this piece forever.

Floating shelves are much more than pretty pieces on your wall. Take Kristie here for example, who has a secret drawer for housing keepsakes, keys, and beyond. The ribbed detail curves around the silhouette like a pretty collar, while the piece itself subs in for a side table without taking up floor space. Choose from black, honey, and light wooden hues to complement your space.

This shelf doesn’t have to have anything sitting on its surface to look really good—it almost acts as a piece of art on its own. “For a decorative wall hanging, this shelf is surprisingly deep,” commerce producer Lauren Arzbaecher told us. “That allows it to hold more decor, but it needs a good amount of clearance from the wall.” We recommend you skip the books and reserve this one for a curation of (short) treasured objects.

Best Traditional Floating Shelves

Combining a coat rack and display shelf is always going to be a good idea. This in-between-light-and-dark-colored poplar wood gives the whole look major Scandi style points. Say goodbye to misplacing your hats, jackets, umbrellas, key ring, and whatever else you decide to hang.

These bracketed shelves are very versatile—they can handle all of your office supplies just as seamlessly as your bathroom essentials. Plus each shelf can hold up to 40 pounds, meaning they’ll easily support even the thickest hardcovers or extra-wide stacks of paperbacks.

Best Slim Floating Shelves

You could opt for a live edge shelf…or you could go all in on a scalloped look. These wood wall shelves are a real hidden gem from Etsy that will look great under a stack of books or a small family of plants. Plus they’re made of solid oak so they’ll age like fine wine.

If you’re committed to buying a handful of floating shelves and you want something a bit different from the usual rectangle or rounded shape, consider these chubbier beauties. Choose between a wood-like finish and simple white.

When it comes to heavy-duty floating shelves, you may want to loosen your definition of “floating shelf.” Officially, they should appear like they’re sitting flush against a wall with no kind of support system. But to make sure you don’t end up with a big mess, this design is made of steel with brackets integrated into it. It’s perfect for bathroom organization thanks to the handy towel rack along the bottom, or could pull double as a handy kitchen shelf.

This wavy design is a winning small-space solution that discreetly stores items within the bends of its curves. Half of the people who visit your home won’t even know this is a shelf. Install it in your entryway, where the tops can serve as coat racks (the weight capacity is deceptively forgiving) and an umbrella can hang off the side.

These storage shelves come in two sizes (small and large) and would look great displaying your perfume collection. You can also buy a matching acrylic tray if you’re into uniformity for your home decor.

Slightly retro with a touch of midcentury style, this floating shelf with space in between comes in a bunch of color options and different lengths. If you’re looking for a spot in the entryway to drop your mail or highlight that souvenir you bought in Italy 10 years ago, this is it.

The under-shelf lighting in this pick is a real game changer. You’ve got two options: Install it in a dimly lit space like the kitchen counter for some extra illumination or above a pedestal housing a beloved trinket.

What to Consider Before Buying a Floating Shelf

Buying floating shelves may seem like an easy task, but there are a few important questions you’ll want to ask yourself before compiling all of your shelf ideas and hitting the checkout.

Weight capacity

Think about what you’re going to store on your shelves as some offer a higher weight capacity than others, along with how you plan to anchor your shelves to the wall. Designs including shelf brackets that can be installed into wall studs are the sturdiest, but always double check weight capacities before plopping that heavy book on your wall.

Style

There are corner floating shelves, picture ledge shelves, acrylic shelves, wooden shelves, heavy-duty shelves, and so much more. If you’re going to be housing beloved decorative items on top, consider going with some a bit more neutral so as not to steal any attention. If you’re stacking, say, a few books or just need a place to store your on-the-go essentials, have some fun with it. Opt for a bold color (cobalt blue), unusual shape (wavy!), or unexpected material (we love tile).

Length

This may seem like a given, but measure multiple times to make sure you’re buying the right design for your space. There is a sweet spot between “a tad too short” and “taking over the wall.” One easy way to fill up a lot of wall space is to install a crowd of different-size floating shelves. Go for the same style or follow a specific color or material theme for some added intrigue. For awkward or narrow spaces, a column of short shelves can turn an unused nook into a bookshelf or photo corner (when you’re going this route, make sure the spacing between shelves is even).