To think of a shelf only as “storage” is a surefire way to take the fun out of your search.
With options to suit every taste and choices influenced by wood type, grain and source location, finding the perfect floating wood shelving becomes so much more than just a functional shopping quest.
Whether you’re in the market for rustic oak, laid-back beach or elegant mahogany, our guide to wood shelving has something for all tastes. In this article, we’ll take you through several key considerations when looking for the perfect floating wood shelves – from choosing the perfect place to put them to the process of mounting them to the wall.
Not sure where to start looking? We’ve also compiled an edit of the very best floating wood shelving you can buy off the shelf, as it were – from simplistic storage solutions to sculptural wall units and even floating shelves with drawers.
Before you crack out the toolbox, though, here are a few things to think about.
What are floating shelves?
As we explain in our guide to floating shelves in all materials, the floating design does away with brackets in order to offer a cleaner and more minimalist style than traditional shelving. They don’t just float by magic, though, nor are they stuck to the wall via a super-strength adhesive. Floating wood shelving employs hidden brackets or other mounting hardware that is concealed from view, often taking the form of a strip of metal with protruding pins that slot into pre-cut holes.
Is floating wood shelving easy to put up?
Floating wood shelving needn’t be any more difficult to erect than traditional bracketed shelves – all you’ll really need is a trusty drill and a spirit level. Like any other shelf, once you’ve determined your wall is sturdy enough to support its weight and contents, its simply a case of choosing the right position, making holes to coordinate with your mounting bracket, securing with screws and sliding your shelf into place.
Where are the best places to hang floating wood shelving?
Only you can determine the best spot for a floating wood shelf in your own home, but the style has become increasingly popular in kitchens. Creating more open, functional spaces than the alternative of bulkier wall cabinets, one or two long floating shelves above a run of floor units can provide a good place to store plates, mugs and glasses, as well as cookbooks and decorative items that would otherwise clutter countertops.
Smaller wood floating shelves can work well in entry halls, providing a useful surface for keys, purses/wallets and other essentials like loose change to leave the house with. In other rooms, colour-matching floating wood shelves to existing wooden furniture, such as beds and dining or coffee tables, can create a more cohesive look while providing extra surfaces to display antiques, plants and ornaments.
The best floating wood shelves at a glance
- Best for kitchens: Wickes Natural Oak Shelf - £26, Wickes
- Best for picture displays: AM:PM Dagane Oak Picture Shelf - £170, La Redoute
- Best for small spaces: Habitat Jak Floating Shelf - £8, Habitat
- Best for modern interiors: Zipcode Design Felicia 3-Piece Floating Shelf - £45, Wayfair
- Best for reclaimed wood: Emmerson Reclaimed Wood Floating Wall Shelves - £139, West Elm
- Best for natural-look shelving: Foret Live Edge Hidden Bracket Shelf - from £25, Etsy
- Best for IKEA-lovers: IKEA Lack Wall Shelf - from £7, IKEA
- Best for entry halls: Gatton Design Floating Shelves - £32.99, Amazon
- Best for shelving with drawers: SoBuy Wall Mounted Floating Drawer - £34.95, ManoMano
- Best for on-trend interiors: Ben Simpson Furniture Thin Floating Shelf - from £52, Ben Simpson Furniture
Ready to shop? See the best floating shelves to invest in right now below
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Wickes Natural Oak Shelf
Best for: kitchens
Long, natural wood shelving is all the rage in kitchen design right now, giving a feel of spaciousness where mounted wall cabinets might otherwise close down a room. This option from Wickes ticks all the right boxes in sustainably-sourced oak with a natural oil finish that gives a subtle sheen and enhances durability (not to be overlooked in hard-working kitchens). Beyond adding character to kitchen aesthetics ranging from modern industrial to simple shaker, it will also provide valuable extra storage for crockery and ceramics or your favourite cookbooks.
Buy now £26.00, Wickes
AM:PM Dagane Oak Picture Shelf
Best for: picture displays
If you’re looking to mount a floating wood shelf for needs more decorative than functional, this AM:PM number works a treat. Maximising storage in tight spaces, the slimline oak shelf provides a small but mighty surface for photos or any bitesize ornaments you’d like to keep on show.
Perfect for bedrooms and studies, the natural oak platform provides a more artful and effortless way to present pictures than meticulously mapped-out gallery walls.
Buy now £170.00, La Redoute
Habitat Jak Floating Shelf
Best for: small spaces
Small, simple and budget-friendly, Habitat’s Jak floating shelf comes crafted from a smooth engineered oak and will provide a useful platform for small trinkets or on-your-way-out-of-the-house essentials. Hidden mounting brackets give it a seamless appearance, most effective when staggered as a duo or trio in a seemingly-random configuration. At 30cm long, with a weight capacity of 5kg, it’s an inexpensive lifeline for London flats lacking in the square footage department.
Buy now £8.00, Habitat
Zipcode Design Felicia 3-Piece Floating Shelf
Best for: modern interiors
The slick minimalism of this Zipcode Design floating shelf wouldn’t look out of place in a modernist Los Angeles abode. Made from a high-quality MDF with a gloss white finish, it’s proof that wood shelving doesn’t have to be rustic or shabby. It offers three surfaces rather than just one and can be arranged in a variety of configurations – either a traditional horizontal or a more unique, albeit slightly less functional vertical layout. When it comes to styling, avoid clutter and lean into the LA vibe with a carefully curated selection of books and plants.
Buy now £45.00, Wayfair
Emmerson Reclaimed Wood Floating Wall Shelves
Best for: reclaimed wood
The reclaimed look won’t be going out of style any time soon, and when it comes to floating shelving, it’ll add an instant touch of rustic charm. The contrast of natural-looking pine with the seamlessness of a floating design is an interior juxtaposition that works a treat, so West Elm’s Emmerson shelf comes with the added bonus that no two will look the same. It’s also a great choice for anyone looking to curate an eco-friendly interior, being made from a material that would have otherwise gone to waste.
Buy now £139.00, West Elm
Foret Live Edge Hidden Bracket Shelf
Best for: natural-look shelving
This unique floating wood shelving from Etsy’s Foret LDN takes the rustic look to another level with its characterful curves and richly-detailed wood. An excellent choice for rural retreats, these shelves come in a range of lengths (25cm right up to 150cm) and a further six choices when it comes to depth, meaning you can order to your precise spec. As you’ll see in the review photos, it can even serve as a narrow desk in rooms where space is limited.
Buy now £25.00, Etsy
IKEA Lack Wall Shelf
Best for: IKEA-lovers
Floating wood shelving meets Scandi minimalism with this IKEA option. Made from particleboard, it offers a subtler-looking wood grain than others in our edit, meaning it will seamlessly slot into any room without contrasting with existing wood furniture. As with most IKEA purchases, installation couldn’t be simpler. Sizes go from 30cm to 190cm long and a range of corresponding Lack storage units means you can ‘IKEA hack’ to your heart’s content.
Buy now £30.00, IKEA
Gatton Design Floating Shelves
Best for: entry halls
The S-shaped design of Gatton’s wood floating shelving throws an extra layer of organisation into the mix by zoning it in two. Used in an entry hall, this means you can get the most from both function and decor by using one side for useful items like keys, wallets, work passes et al and the other for air-purifying succulents, vases and any other ornaments you’d like to greet you as you enter the house.
Buy now £33.00, Amazon
SoBuy Wall Mounted Floating Drawer
Best for: shelving with drawers
Not everything you own is meant to be on display. A floating wood shelf that also incorporates a drawer offers the best of both worlds – a decorative platform for your more aesthetically-pleasing items and a place to tuck away that more functional clutter. Dog poo bags if placed in an entry hall, for instance; unsightly wires in home offices; or any number of things if mounted in place of a traditional bedside table in the bedroom…
Buy now £34.95, Man Mano
Ben Simpson Furniture Shabby Chic Thin Floating Shelf
Best for: on-trend interiors
This stripped-back floating wood shelf nails the laidback Hamptons beach house vibe dominating interior trends right now. Made from pine sourced from sustainably-managed forests in northern Scandinavia, every length of timber the brand uses is hand-picked for its rustic characteristics, including grain patterns, saw marks and wood splits. It’s then kiln-dried for optimal moisture content (below 10 per cent) and handcrafted to any size between 30cm and 150cm at the brand’s West Sussex workshop. For an added eco-friendly upshot, 10 trees are planted for every one used.
Buy now £52.00, Ben Simpson Furniture
