25 Ideas of Floating Bookshelves for Your Home Decor

Floating bookshelves are a popular decor choice for a good reason. They are relatively effortless to install and available in a lot of charming designs. 

Also, they offer the simplest way to boost your storage capacity instantly without the need to purchase a new bulky cabinet for books. 

Moreover, if you are not convinced yet, keep reading to find the reason why this bookshelf is indeed one of the best investments you can ever make. 

Good Reasons to Include Floating Bookshelves in Your Home Decor

It is no secret that floating shelves will make sure everything is within your reach. Hence, you can easily take out your favorite book when needed.

Besides, this piece of furniture works no matter how much wall space you own and will introduce dimension to your blank walls. 

So, for other good reasons to install floating shelves for your books, please find below.

• Flexible Placement

With a floating bookshelf, you have the chance to create a cozy reading nook anywhere around the house as it can be placed nearly everywhere. 

You do not need to worry that this furniture will appear out of place while mounting it on any part of your wall. For example, you can install these shelves over your bed as a replacement for the headboard. 

• Space-Savvy Alternative

Do not forget that these shelves can leave more floor space while letting you store your book collections too. 

Therefore, those who have limited storage space typically appreciate the existence of these floating bookshelves.

Their designs make it possible for you to turn an awkward corner into a functional storage space. 

• Better organization

Another good reason to opt for floating shelves is that they can make de-cluttering less complicated. This makes it more convenient to store your things instead of simply pilling them in cabinets. 

Further, the design of this shelving unit will make your book collection look cleaner, classy, and more organized. 

• Stylish and Modern Look

Many homeowners decide on utilizing floating bookshelves due to their aesthetic value. You can find them in a huge variety of materials, designs, and colors.

From granite to wood, there should be a good one to match your home style. Thus, they can be a classy design twist that improves the ambiance and look of your home office or study room.

Floating Bookshelf Ideas to Enhance Your Home’s Décor

Now that you are certain about installing a floating bookshelf in your home, you will some inspiration to get started.

Luckily, this post has covered floating bookshelves of any styles, materials, and designs that you may love. Without further ado, let us check them out!

• A Pair of Straightforward Design

If you prefer something simple yet functional, this floating bookshelf is indeed one of the best choices out there.

Likewise, made of wooden boards and metal wires, these shelves are sturdy enough to hold your book collection and even some indoor plants as a part of the decoration.

More interestingly, you can easily replicate this shelving unit for a DIY project within a weekend.

• Recessed Wall Bookshelves 

Due to some design choices, you probably have an awkward corner around the house. Instead of keeping the space empty, this must be better to install floating bookshelves on it.

Then, you can take advantage of melamine boards to create a charming bookshelf with a glossy white finish.

Measure the length between each shelf is enough to accommodate a book of any size. Doing so will allow you to put more diverse things to display as additional décor.

• U-Shaped Wall-Mounted Bookshelves

With a u-shaped design, these floating shelves are perfect for displaying your books. Hence, the edges will keep your collection safe from falling.

Moreover, their natural wood color can make it easy to put the pieces in any backdrop. When mounted on a neutral white wall, they will offer an outstanding aesthetic that elevates your home style.

• Stairway to Your Books

Any bookworm out there may envy the design of these floating bookshelves. They not only make the book collection easy to grab, but also complement the modern décor very well.

Due to the floating stairways, the bookshelves appear like they are part of the staircases. Thereupon, it makes this part of your home seem more innovative and personalized.

Additionally, you can have the luxury of having much space for storing your book collections. 

• Tree of Books

Make the corner of your room looks like a piece of art by creating this unique bookshelf. Then, with tree wood and some boards, you can duplicate this idea in your home.

These floating bookshelves offer enough room to store a bunch of books at once. Besides, their fun design makes them a beautiful focal point in this space.

Furthermore, feel free to include other accessories or even a fancy string light around the bookshelf for a style.

• Whitewashed Nursery Bookshelves 

Looking for a way to give a rustic touch to your home? You can consider this whitewashed nursery bookshelf to accomplish the goal.

This floating bookshelf adds a vintage flair without messing up with the modern pieces around it. Instead, it allows the colorful cover of the books to steal the spotlight with their color pops. 

• Industrial Touch

Although this bookshelf is not completely floating, you can still use the idea to create one with an industrial affair.

Likewise, you can build floating bookshelves with some wooden boards and pipes for introducing a touch of industrial elegance. 

To enjoy the book collection, you can place a long wooden bench under the floating shelf. Additionally, do not forget to involve other décor pieces like this vase of flowers as well.

• Brass and Glossy White Finish

Boost the elegance of your modern home by installing these floating shelves. Thus, you can use them to display some beautiful accessories and a selection of your favorite books.

What so lovable about these shelves is the brass glossy finish of the edges that hint at something luxurious. 

When it comes to a huge collection of books, just make sure to prepare strong wooden boards if you want to build these floating bookshelves yourself.

• Built-in Floating Desk

If you need a shelving unit for your study room, this idea is something you should not miss. It has everything from a functional floating desk to a bookshelf.

Furthermore, it makes a perfect design for those who want to have the luxury of a dedicated study room but do not have enough floor space to do so.

You can count on this floating shelf to display your decoration as well. From mini sculptures to indoor plants, there are various things you can showcase. 

• Cubical Collections

Give your vertical space extra functions and a pop of color by adding these unique floating bookshelves.

Buy some of this individual cubical shelf on a nearby home improvement store and paint them in any color you love. 

Otherwise, if you have a neutral white wall like the above and want to keep the scheme subtle, consider picking some soft or pastel colors.

• Beige and Gray Bookshelves 

Your modern living space deserves to have a floating bookshelf that is equal to its simple yet elegant style.

Instead of the similar cubical floating bookshelves above, you can consider having some that come with longer dimensions to have more collections kept on the unit.

Then, choose some colors like beige and light grey to match the simple style of the room.

• Wall-to-Wall Bookshelves 

If you have a bunch of books and photographs to display, this wall-to-wall shelving unit is probably of interest.

It takes advantage of the entire side of the wall and becomes an outstanding focal point of the room. 

For such a full shelving unit, you may consider keeping the other wall sides empty to give the spotlight to the displayed collection.

In case, there are some books that you do not want to display, adding a basket under the lower shelf will not hurt too.

• White Corner Bookshelves 

These floating bookshelves camouflage with the white wall flawlessly, offering a gorgeous statement to the room.

It utilizes the awkward corner of the room and provides functional space to display some book collections and décor items.  

For a pop of color, you can consider showcasing books that come with colorful covers.

• Modular Shelving System

In addition to the wall-mounted desk and file drawers, this home office also features a floating modular shelving system to keep books and small adornments.

Thanks to these floating shelves, the homeowner can have much floor space for other items including the unique lighting fixture under the desk. 

Also, you can pair these floating bookshelves with other furniture easily thanks to their neutral wooden aesthetic. 

• Bookshelf in Disguise

Double as a TV console, this floating unit offers plenty of space to store a selection of books. Its dimension makes it possible to keep a book of any size as well.

This neutral white design allows you to pair the unit with other furniture effortlessly as well. Besides, the spacious room on top makes it possible to store speakers, other entertainment media, and more decoration.

• DIY Piece from Wooden Boards

Are you looking for another shelving unit that allows storing a bunch of book collections at once? This wooden shelf has a wall-to-wall design and can be a nice idea to try.

Moreover, consider creating this shelving unit from wooden boards and keep the natural color to contrast the white background.

• Neat Rows

If you need floating bookshelves that make a perfect addition to your bedroom, this idea should be on the list. It fits in a small space and allows for creativity.

Thanks to its thin white edges, it seems like the books are hanging there neatly by themselves. This is indeed classy and brings your room décor to the next level.

• Grand Collections

Instead of mounting your wall shelves uniformly, you can set them based on the book’s dimension that will be organized later.

You can steal the look of this shelving unit to provide the right length of shelf for each book’s size. 

Thereupon, to keep the books lined perfectly, you will want to have a bookend on each row. Alternatively, use a ceramic vase or a mini sculpture to do so.

• Acrylic Hanging Bookshelves

These floating bookshelves are very trendy and look ahead of time. With acrylic frames and an opaque glass design, these 3D shelves can give the right amount of contemporary style to your study room.

Thanks to the neutral color, these bookshelves still fit in the patterned wallpaper. Another beauty that they offer is how they pronounce what they hold.

• Bedtime Story

For your nursery room, you will need a simple yet mighty bookshelf like the above. It does not take so much space but can provide plenty of room for your collection.

So, install the floating bookshelves over a rocking chair and you will be able to grab your kid’s favorite bedtime story effortlessly. 

• Triangular Shelving Unit

A few triangular bookshelves can hold books, files, and some décor choices at the same time. Besides, you can easily incorporate this piece of furniture in any area around the house.

If you are not planning to display a big collection of books, simply install one of these triangular shelving units and let it be the sole focal point in your room.

• Zigzag Beauty

With these seven-level shelving units, you will be able to store a bunch of books, CDs, and many more to offer an outstanding piece of décor simultaneously.

These floating bookshelves have a unique arrangement that minimizes the wall space taken. However, the way they are stacked may limit the capability to store more items vertically.

• Hexagon Floating Shelves

For those who are seeking a balance between aesthetic value and shelf-storing space, this idea is something you should take into account.

This collection of hexagonal box shelves is arranged in an eye-catching hive-like design to make the most of the wall space. 

Furthermore, if you prefer a more individual look, simply mount the floating bookshelves away from one to another.

• A Sort by Colors

Indeed, you have to be creative when decorating with a floating shelf. For instance, you can sort your books by their covers’ color to create a charming look as above.

You can arrange the books from the most vibrant colors to the subtle ones or simply set them however you are comfortable. 

In case you have some books that cannot be displayed, consider stacking these items on the floor and arranging them with the same sorting method. 

• Invisible Floating Bookshelf

This is exactly how a floating bookshelf will look like. It seems like your books are hovering on the wall without any support.

Luckily, this kind of floating bookshelves are widely available on the market, so you can let them do the wonder in no time.

They are typically made of ultra-thin metal that is not recognizable once mounted on the wall. 

Even though they are pretty easy to install, you may need to give up many numbers of books to display when using these bookshelves. 

How to Install Floating Bookshelves the Right Way

Now that you have learned some ideas to implement these floating shelves in your home, knowing how to install them correctly is necessary.

Before hanging anything, it is crucial to discover what yours made of. The ideal area to install a floating shelf is typically a wall stud.

A wall stud can provide you with the most supportive foundation for the project. As a result, some homeowners decide to use a hand-held device that can locate its place.

Install Floating Bookshelves on Wall Studs

The benefit of installing a floating shelf on a wall stud is that you do not have to utilize any anchor to do so. 

If you are going to attach the floating shelves on plaster or drywall, wall anchors are often needed as additional support. 

So, to install your bookshelves on wall studs, you can follow the following steps.

• Prepare the materials and tools

You have to prepare a bracket, screws, handheld electric drill, and stud finder to install floating bookshelves. 

Do not forget to get wall anchors as well in case you cannot find the wall stud. Make sure to keep everything near your project area so that there is no time wasted to commute for necessary tools or materials. 

• Measure and level the shelf

Once the tools and materials are ready, you should measure and mark the wall space to determine where to install the shelves. 

Then, use a level to draw a tactful line in pencil across the wall. This way, you can be sure that the shelf will sit straight after the installation. 

• Install the anchors and the bracket

Take your hand drill and make some holes for the anchors. After that, follow the particular direction indicated on the package of your floating bookshelves to insert them.

Next, you can align your bracket with the above. Utilize a general screwdriver to mount the bracket to the wall.

Once finished, you can simply slide your floating shelves onto the bracket.

The Bottom Line

All in all, floating shelves are a great alternative to store your book collection without sacrificing the limited floor space. 

Available in a lot of different styles and designs, these bookshelves will complete any décor and give your room an upgrade accordingly.

Use the above ideas of floating bookshelves as your inspiration and don’t hesitate to execute one of them in the future. Good luck!