We may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story.
Get your corner shelf just perfect can be tough…Let me provide a few tips and ideas:
Place a corner shelf next to your bed
If the head of your bed is near a corner, don’t bother putting a nightstand there. It’ll only waste space. Instead, mount some shelves in that corner, with the lowest one at the same level where a nightstand would go. That way, you’ll have a spot for your alarm clock and all of the other stuff that would go on a nightstand, but you’ll be able to use the space more efficiently. Plus, you can mount matching shelves all the way up to the ceiling for books, trinkets, and other decorations.
Mount a corner shelf above your couch
If you have a sectional couch that bends around a corner, mount some shelving a few feet above it. You can decorate the shelve with leaned paintings or photographs and small sculptures. From the other side of the room, this will draw your eye upward above the couch, which will make the ceilings look taller!
Use corner shelving in your kitchen
With minimalism being such a huge trend, a lot of people are starting to get rid of their cabinets and replace them with wall-to-wall shelving. After all, cabinets are basically just places to collect clutter. By placing shelves on your wall, especially ones that bend around the corner, you can keep your pretty cups and dishes on display.
And even if you want to keep your cabinets, corner shelves can come in handy. By mounting a shelf in an unused corner, you’ll create a space for spices, jars of pasta and oatmeal, or even just a few kitchen-themed decorations.
Get a corner shelf for your bathtub
If you don’t already have a shelf in the corner of your bathroom, get one immediately. You’re losing out on valuable space. There are plenty of floating shelves that give you a place to put your soaps, washcloths, and shampoo bottles, so they won’t have to sit on the edge of the tub anymore!
Plus, with your bath products already in the tub, you’ll never have to walk across the bathroom when you’re already soaking wet to grab something you forgot.
Store your books in a corner
Unless you have an enormous book collection that demands wall-to-wall shelf space, keep your books on a corner shelf. Whether you stack them on top of each other or have several levels of books with the spines facing outward, it’s a great way to organize your library.
If you can’t drill holes into the wall, buy a freestanding corner shelf
Oftentimes, renters aren’t allowed to create holes in their wall. But don’t let your lease prevent you from taking advantage of that space. Even a freestanding shelf will help you to use your corners for storage. Otherwise, you’re wasting at least 12-18 inches of space. And in a small apartment, that’s a lot!
The Shortlist...
How do you support a corner shelf?
Corner shelves are supported by sturdy brackets that have been installed on a stud in your wall. The brackets are installed on the wall by using special screws. These screws can be pre-drilled into your stud framing, or they can be screwed into place after the stud has been installed.
How are corner shelves measured?
Typically, corner shelf units are measured by the horizontal distance between the wall and shelf, not by the vertical distance. Measurement is usually from the floor to a point halfway between where the front two corners of a unit will be against the walls, since that will be its center. The angle of each corner can be used to determine where to place supports for attaching it securely to the wall.
How do you hang a corner shelf unit?
Since these units typically have no back panel, they need to be hung on sturdy brackets that support any weight placed on them and are able to bear the weight of items like books or baskets containing objects that weigh over 35 pounds.
How do you join shelves in a corner?
A common way to build a corner shelf unit is to use a corner piece and two pieces of L-track. A corner piece has two sides and angles in the corners. When installed, it has the same depth as a regular wall unit, but fits into an angle of 90 degrees between the walls. This allows for more storage than would be possible with one single wall-mounted shelf section (and also more storage in less space).