DIY Open Shelving

Open shelving is all the rage right now. It is a hip, modern, and fun way to make use of storage space. I have it down in my half bathroom on the main floor, the laundry room, and a couple other areas in the house where I wanted functional storage without throwing up cabinets or a shelf.  

Here is our bedroom before the open shelving:  

Okay ... but too many mirrors and no where to store jewelry. 

Look at the after!  

Here’s what we did:

First: order brackets

Knowing that I wanted open shelving and knowing that the metal brackets from Home Depot are moving me right now, I ordered these online and had them shipped. These are 10 inch long brackets, but Home Depot also carries 6 inch, 8 inch, and 12 inch brackets so decide how far you want your shelves to stick out from the wall before you order.

I was so excited when they arrived! Look how fun! 

Second: Order wood for the shelves

We used pine boards from Home Depot and we had them cut so that they were about 3-4 inches shorter than the dresser on either side of it. Our IKEA dresser is about 60 inches long. We ordered 54 inch boards.  

Third: decide where you want the shelves

For this room I wanted them centered above the dresser. From a length standpoint, the brackets should not be all the way at the end of the wooden slats.  

From a height standpoint, I wanted to see what was on the shelves and be able to reach the items, so I didn’t want them too high. We settled on 12 inches between each shelf. This left enough room for photos and plants but made sure that they were not so high that I could not reach my jewelry up on top. Mark the drill holes accordingly and screw them in. 

Fourth: stain or paint the shelves.

Obviously, not while they are hung on the wall!  I chose a light stain so it wouldn’t darken up the room too much. It looks kind of gold and I am really happy with it. 

Finally: Hang them up and style them!  

 Horray! The best part!

This was a huge DIY win for us. I love the way they turned out in the bedroom and of course, styling them is my favorite part. That adorable letter board I found at Target.  

Like my dresser? We painted it! Check out how to paint furniture here.

Check out how they turned out in the bathroom. In that room we used 8 inch black brackets. Same stain as the bedroom. I think it is something really light. It’s funny how they look different with different bracket colors and different colored walls.  

This project is such an easy way to update a room! Have fun!