Building blocks.

Let’s face it, we all have “stuff”. You know, the things that seem to build up around us unnoticed until they come crashing down on us. Of course among those things are items that have some meaning (or at least represent that) for us. Shelves can be the building blocks to bring some order to that chaos and are relatively straight forward to create even if you are new to DIY. Plus the order can highlight those pieces that are important in our own story. Here are a few ways you can start on that journey.

The simplest way to get started with shelving is what I term “brackets and board”. Put a couple of brackets on the wall with a board on top, and bam! Shelf. From a function viewpoint that might work, but unless you pay attention to the materials you use, it not be the most aesthetic.

Obviously, the brackets you use can affect the overall look, but do not forget about the board itself. You can go for a nicer wood like walnut if you are looking for something on the darker side or maple if you want to lighten things up. Your big box store will typically have a small section of hardwoods, so don’t let that scare you.

The pros for this style is that brackets are available almost everywhere, from online to big box, to specialty stores. the con is that these typically do not hold much weight at all.

The next style is what I call a "box”. What I mean is that you are now extending the shelf in the first style, down one or more levels but attached only at that first level. I think along the lines of a shadow box, but there is no reason you cannot section that out for multiple items. It also could be flatter and be a picture frame as well!

The pros for this is that brackets would not be necessary, and your imagination can be opened up for shapes and textures. Cons include more difficulty in building it out and you have to really start thinking where to attach to the wall.

The last style I’ll go through is what I call the French cleat and sheet. This means using a French cleat for strength along with some type of sheet that things can be attached to, including shelves. But pegs and hooks work well with the option as well.

The basic of this is to cut a strip of wood at a 45 degree angle along the length of the stip. One half of this will be attached to the wall with the angle up. The second piece of the strip attaches to the structure of your structure and when you put that together you have a “whole” wood piece that has amazing strength.

The pros for this one is the strength. Because you can get a solid connection to the studs, this method can hold the most weight. Since you are hanging a sheet of wood, there are much fewer limits to the shapes you can add, so this is a great option for odd shaped or deeper items. If you highlight the sheet aspect you can cover bad walls or use led strip light to again make the shelf a focal point. Cons include harder cuts, especially the longer 45 degree cut.