Recommendations for selection
Basic tips for choosing wisely:
- When choosing a cabinet shelving structure, you should take into account the shade of the other furniture items in the interior and the overall style of the room.
- It is necessary that the product be as reliable as possible, have a sufficient size and a convenient shelf height, which must correspond to the height of the person using this design.
- A more practical solution would be closed-type models, as they protect the internal filling from dust and ultraviolet radiation.
- In residential premises it is better to install wooden or combined products. Lighter metal models are perfect for a dressing room.
Choice of color and material
The color of the shelf should match the interior of the room. Do not fall out of the general color scheme, but, on the contrary, correspond to it. It is possible to use colors in this way, for example, light colors predominate in the room (white, beige, sky blue, etc.), then the shelf should be approximately the same color.
This shelf looks quite natural.
An exception would be the use of contrasting colors in bedroom design, when light walls contrast with a darker bed and bedside tables, then the color of the shelf is matched to the furniture. This is what they do when decorating a classic bedroom.
It happens that they make the shelves blend in with the wall in color, and it seems as if the objects standing on it are hanging in the air.
This visual technique is often used when the room is decorated in a minimalist style.
Sometimes shelves are specially highlighted in color from the overall interior; this technique is mainly used when arranging children's rooms next to the bed.
The material used for the manufacture of shelves, racks and whatnots is very diverse. It can be solid wood, fiberboard, chipboard, chipboard, plywood, metal, glass and many others. etc.
This is perhaps one of the cheapest interior elements and at the same time easy to make with your own hands.
But, of course, the most common is chipboard. This is due to the price. Relatively inexpensive material with a wide range of colors. An equally convenient material for a shelf would be solid wood. Possessing such qualities as ease of processing and wide availability, wood has always been used for making furniture.
In small bedrooms, they generally try to use the bedside area with maximum rationality.
Often, instead of traditional cabinets, tall narrow shelves are built.
Material
In the manufacture of such models, a variety of types of materials are used:
- Metal.
- Wooden.
- Plastic.
- Glass.
- MDF, chipboard, plywood, chipboard.
Properly selected high-quality material helps create a comfortable atmosphere in the room and ensures safe operation.
Shapes and sizes
To decorate a small room, small or corner models are ideal because they do not overload the space, use square meters as efficiently as possible, and are also very aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.
Racks can have symmetrical or asymmetrical shelves in a wide variety of rectangular, square, straight, curved or even zigzag shapes. One of the unusual solutions is a step-type product, which consists of several modules installed in increasing sequence in the form of a ladder. Such designs are mostly open-designed, without a back wall, and fit perfectly into any modern interior.
The photo shows a bedroom interior with a wooden shelving shaped like a ladder.
Particularly popular are narrow vertical or horizontal models, which contribute to significant space savings and the creation of a minimalist design. U-shaped structures used to frame doorways or various furniture elements, such as a sofa or bed, have sufficient capacity, but at the same time a compact appearance.
Shelving series
Kallax
One of the series of shelving units from Ikea is Kallax. This series is a set of sections of different heights and widths with the same size of cells and various inserts: baskets, drawers, cabinets with doors, boxes. There are Kallax racks with already selected inserts. And if desired, Ikea offers to purchase several sections of a suitable size and the required number of boxes or drawers for them. Any element of the Kallax series from Ikea can be made in the following colors: white, glossy white, yellow, green, black-brown and bleached oak. The main parts of the structure are made of chipboard and fiberboard. To make and cover doors, Ikea uses chipboard, film, acrylic paint with embossing and printing, and ABS plastic. Doors can also be light green, turquoise or pink.
The Kallax series has a standard external cell size of 42x42 cm. There are single sections on sale, as well as composite designs: 2x2 cells, 4x1, 4x2, 4x4, 5x5. Moreover, each structure can be installed not only in a vertical, but also in a horizontal position. There are several options in which the Kallax shelving unit is combined with a side table. Similar models can be used to zone a room. At the buyer's request, it is possible to equip the cabinet with wheels or lighting. Kallax shelving is suitable for the interior of a living room, study, library, office and children's room, decorated in modern, minimalist and hi-tech styles.
Billy
Billy shelving from Ikea is made of chipboard and fiberboard coated with birch, oak, ash veneer or painted with white or black-brown acrylic paint. If the Kallax series consists only of open cells, sometimes closed by a door, then the Billy series includes doors for individual cells or for the entire height of the structure.
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Doors can be:
- framed glass;
- glass without frame;
- combination of glass and fiberboard insert;
- frame with fiberboard insert.
Due to the high doors, elements of the Billy series can look not like a shelving unit, but like a full-fledged closet. Another feature of the series is the ability to adjust the height and width of the shelves at will within the dimensions of standard cells. For this purpose, Ikea offers customers additional shelves. From sections of the Billy series you can create any desired structure, including corner ones. Furniture from Ikea Billy series is appropriate in the interior of a living room, office or home library in a classic style. Also, the Billy series is suitable for zoning a room.
Albert
For fans of natural wood and country style, Ikea offers the Albert shelving unit, made of untreated solid pine and spruce. You can use it to complement the interior of a living room or kitchen made of wood, painting it with varnish of a suitable shade. The Albert rack can be used as a separate piece of furniture. To give completeness, its surface must be covered with oil, wax, varnish or stain.
Colors
A traditional and universal color scheme is considered to be shelving in white, milky, gray or beige shades, which harmoniously combine with both bright and muted interior decoration. To create a more graphic design, choose products in rich yellow, green, blue, red colors, prefer classic black, dark brown models or wenge-colored designs, which are distinguished by a special natural appearance and high cost.
The photo shows a yellow shelf in the interior design of the guest room.
When using a variety of colored products, it is possible to bring a positive mood into the atmosphere of the room and make the atmosphere colorful.
Location
An excellent solution is to place shelving around the window or between window openings. Thus, it is possible to wisely use the space and organize comfortable storage of things.
Due to the versatility of these products, they can also be easily placed in a corner or niche. Another common option is to install the structure along the wall. Similar models can consist of two parts, combined with a cabinet. A full-fledged storage system or a modest decorative corner can be created using shelving located under the stairs.
Varieties
Designers offer a wide selection of bedroom shelving. They come in different shapes, sizes, materials, and colors.
Typically, shelving is used to display vases and flowers, photographs, books or souvenirs.
When choosing a rack, you should decide not only in which room it will be located, but also what things and objects will be located in it:
- Corner models are ideal for saving space. This option occupies only one corner of the bedroom, while providing a large number of shelves for organizing things. A corner shelving unit can consist of two narrow options that are attached at right angles.
- The wall version can be used to decorate the room. To embody modern styles, models in the form of a “lattice” are perfect, which include horizontal shelves and vertical supports. The option in the form of a Christmas tree or a house of cards, which consists of diagonal shelves and rhombuses, looks elegant.
- A shelving unit in the form of a “slide” is usually used to zone a spacious square-shaped bedroom or studio apartment. An elegant model will help separate the living room from the bedroom. It divides the room crosswise and is usually attached to the side of the wall. There is a free passage on the opposite side. This option is lightweight, allows light to pass through and does not interfere with air circulation in the room.
- If you like unusual furniture, then you should pay attention to rotating models. They are usually placed in the corner of the room, but remember that they take up more space than corner options.
Photos of shelving in the interior of rooms
Examples of designs in the design of different rooms.
Shelves in the children's room
Basically, for children's rooms, designs are selected in bright, rich, attention-grabbing shades, which can be designed in the form of a car, a house, a hut, or another interesting configuration that can make the product a playful element of the room.
It is also important for the child that the rack is particularly safe, stable and firmly fixed. In the design of a teenage room, they prefer models that combine style and texture with other furniture items in the interior. Such, most often open, storage systems can be filled with a variety of books, educational supplies, and more.
The photo shows the interior of a teenager’s room with a high gray shelving unit.
Living room interior ideas
For the hall, it is appropriate to use more spacious, voluminous and functional shelving structures, which are decorated with printed publications, art objects, porcelain, crystal, memorabilia or family photographs.
Also, quite often this product is used as a stand for a TV device, home theater or audio system. Models can be open, closed, combined, equipped with all kinds of bedside tables, lightweight side cabinets, or even equipped with spotlights.
The photo shows a light shelving unit with a TV stand in the living room interior.
Photo in the kitchen
In a small kitchen space, the most appropriate are wall-mounted models or compact options, which can be a mobile structure on wheels for storing dishes. In a spacious kitchen, you can install a wine rack or a product that serves as a delimiter between the working and dining areas.
The photo shows a kitchen interior with shelving made of metal.
In the hallway and corridor
Compact, shallow, open models are perfect for decorating a hallway. Such products are equipped with a bar for clothes, shelves of different sizes, pull-out containers, sections for hats, or combined with a small shoe rack.
To the bedroom
The traditional solution for a bedroom is to equip a shelving structure at the head of the bed or install the product in the letter p. These models provide convenient storage for magazines, books, alarm clocks and other small items, which makes them an alternative replacement for bedside tables.
To the balcony
On a loggia, these structures are used as a storage system for various items or as a decorative addition to the interior. In the summer, the shelves are decorated with flowerpots, and in the winter, things that are not afraid of temperature changes are placed on them. If the insulated balcony is converted into a work office, the rack will become an indispensable furniture element.
Rack partition
The interior of a one-room apartment sometimes, and a studio always, requires a physical rather than visual division of space into zones. Billy's partition rack is a way to solve the zoning problem that is worth considering first.
In the interior of a studio apartment, a shelving unit will especially successfully help separate the hallway from the living room. In the lower closed part you can place a shoe rack and drawers for small items, and the upper open part can be used to store decorative items - vases, figurines, etc.
If part of the room is used as an office, then a shelving unit will come in handy. It can become a place for convenient storage of documents, books, stationery, and office equipment. At the same time, such a partition will harmoniously emphasize the office style of this part of the apartment.
To separate the sleeping area, you can use a small wardrobe, and install a Billy bookcase next to it. This method of zoning will help avoid the feeling of cramping, save space and create additional space for storing bedding. On the shelf you can place a TV on a rotating stand, which you can watch while lying in bed or sitting on the sofa in the living room.
To separate the dining area, you can install a semi-closed shelving unit. In the closed part you can store pots, cutlery, and in the open part you can store beautiful dishes for special occasions. A seating area can be successfully designated by a shelving unit of an unusual shape, such as a corner one. You can store books on it, and one of the shelves can also be used for a TV.
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When you need an option not for simple zoning of space, but to completely separate one part of the room from another, you will need a space partition. A bookcase will do the job perfectly. For this purpose, you can use a model with a blank back wall, a semi-closed or completely open shelving. The shelves, however, can be almost completely filled with large items or boxes. A double-sided shelving model with a partition in the center is also suitable.
ADVICE! A rack mounted on a rotating structure will be very convenient. If the need arises to free up space, the partition can be rotated 90 degrees. If the shelving cabinet has large dimensions, then in addition to the rotating support, additional height-adjustable legs will be needed. You can make any model, including a rotary one, with your own hands.
What does shelving look like in different styles?
In the loft style, products with shelves made of wood in combination with a frame made of metal or profile iron pipes are appropriate. The base is often complemented with original steel rivets, which allows you to give the furniture a truly exclusive and bold look.
An interior in the Provence style involves the use of elegant designs that have external simplicity and coziness. Such models are distinguished by traditional shapes, simple contours, light wear and sometimes additions in the form of forged parts.
The photo shows a living room in a modern style, decorated with a wooden bookcase.
Scandinavian design is decorated with furniture made in natural tones, painted in light colors with dark splashes or products with glossy and wooden facades. One of the requirements of the Nordic direction is simple forms, the absence of excessive decor, ergonomics and functionality of structures.
Modern style is mainly characterized by more original models, characterized by a light and uncluttered appearance. Modular monochromatic shelving with a glossy, matte surface or elements made of glass and metal fits especially organically into the minimalist style, and complements the classic interior or neoclassicism with elegant products with a laconic form and at the same time chic execution.
The photo shows a white matte shelving unit in a minimalist dining room interior.
Fitment
For those who do not like to clutter up the space with massive furniture, a shelving unit can successfully replace a closet or a classic wall in the living room. This piece of furniture will be useful on the balcony, in the home library, in the nursery, in the pantry, in the garage and in the office. It can act as an accent in the interior if it has an unusual design and color. A standard shelving complements the existing furnishings and emphasizes the overall style.
In the living room
A shelving unit in the living room can be used to place a TV, books, and small interior details. A back wall made of mirror will visually increase the space if the shelves are not fully occupied. A wall-mounted model would be appropriate for the living room if heavy objects are not intended to be placed on the shelves. If there is a niche, you can use it to install a built-in shelving unit.
In the nursery
If the area of the children's room allows, then shelving can be used to zone it. When it comes to the interior of a room for a school-age child, it is convenient if the room is divided into zones: playroom, bedroom and study areas. A shelving closet between the play and sleeping parts of the room can be used to store toys, and next to the desk it is convenient to place shelves on which writing instruments and textbooks will be stored. Children's furniture can be bright colors or decorated with drawings.
There is no need to block off a small children's room. It is better to place a cabinet for books, toys and school supplies against the wall.
In the kitchen
There is no need to install a wall-mounted shelving unit in a small kitchen. It will only eat up space. In a large kitchen, it is better to put a closed cabinet instead. However, some housewives love an abundance of open shelves, which “lighten” the interior and serve as a location for a large number of items that can be stored open. It makes the most sense to install a shelving partition instead of a wall between the kitchen and the dining room or living room.
The material for the shelving in the kitchen must match the material from which the kitchen set is made. For wooden kitchen furniture, the option made of wood or MDF with wood imitation is suitable. For a kitchen made of plastic, you can choose a model made of glass, metal or chipboard in plastic. The height of the rack should not be greater than the height of the furniture, with the exception of ceiling-height structures.
Related article: Studio apartment: design and zoning features (+50 photos)
ADVICE! Often, after installing a custom-made kitchen set, scraps of countertops or chipboard parts remain. From these you can make a small rack with your own hands.
Shelving design examples
You can add special charm and sophistication to the environment with the help of lighting. Muted diffused light will complement the design in the evening and make the room cozier and more comfortable. Forged products have a truly solid and self-sufficient appearance, which is a non-trivial solution that allows you to add variety to the interior and create a free and airy atmosphere.
The photo shows the interior of an attic room with shelving decorated with lighting.
No less popular are models with doors that have a solid design; such facades can be decorated with carvings, various patterns, and a matte or glossy finish. Products with mirrored or glass doors will look especially attractive, which will undoubtedly contribute to the visual expansion and lightening of the space.
The photo shows a white shelving unit with hinged doors with a matte finish in the interior.
