How To Exploit Corner Shelves?

November 6th, 2011

It’s too well known that the major function of shelves is to offer a safe means of storing valuables. Additionally, they help organizing your different items at home, thus eliminating all the clutter in any room where these are fixed. So, there’s little doubt that you need to have shelves for better organizing of your belongings. But having shelf is difficult if you are already short of space at home. With the ever shrinking size of homes, that’s problem that most of us are faced with. You may be living in a studio apartment or a student dormitory. Under such circumstances you may not like to further shrink the available space by installing a shelf.

Under above circumstances, you can ideally go for corner shelves that make a very viable proposition for storing your items. These shelves allow you to make better utilization of space in case of homes with limited space. However, to make the most of your corner shelves, you should carefully make your choice to make the best of available circumstances. Here are certain things you would do well to take care of while finalizing your choice of corner shelves.

Practicality

We know that the purpose of installing corner shelves is to hold items without wasting any space. So, there is no point in looking for shelf with fantastic design that fails to take care of your clutter. Certain design of corner shelves are quite impractical and can’t be used to their optimum capacity. For instance, I recall having seen a shelf offered by Rubbermaid. This is multi-tiered shelf wherein the size of each tray reduces as it goes up vertically. It’s not too big a shelf and by the time you are at the top shelf, there’s hardly any space to keep any useful item.

Purpose

It helps to know beforehand the items that you intend storing in your corner shelf. In case you are going to store lightweight and small items like decoration pieces, collectibles and photo frames, you will find inexpensive corner shelves made using soft wood to be adequate for the purpose. On the other hand, if you like to use corner shelf for holding heavier items like say TV or books, you should be looking for something sturdier. It’ll be worth considering having TV corner shelf or corner book shelf made from oak.
Another factor that you need to consider is the number of items that the shelf is going to contain. You get corner shelves with single or multiple tiers and some design come with adjustable height.

Location

You also need to decide the placing of shelf. In case it’ going to be in the living room that has small floor area where nothing else could be fitted, you should prefer having a freestanding corner shelf. A shelf designed with many trays allows you to better utilize the vertical space.

Alternatively, if you intend having shelving for the bathroom or kitchen which has practically no space, it will be good to opt for floating or hanging corner selves that get mounted on the wall.

Assembly

Take note that there are two kinds of corner shelves; one variety requires to be assembled while the other is preassembled. Unless you are handy person or can depend upon getting help from a friend for its assembly and installation, you would better buy the assembled design.
Further, installation and assembly of certain designs necessitates use of special purpose tools, requiring you to make assessment beforehand.

Looks

Though the shelf is primarily meant for storing item, you can’t really ignore its overall looks. It should go along well with the surrounding of the room where it’s going to be fixed. For instance, you wouldn’t like to have shelf made from oak for your bathroom. It would be very appropriate to have glass corner shelf with mounting of Silverstone metal alloy for being installed in the bathroom.

Corner shelves are available in a large range of designs, colors, materials and finishes. You may choose to have one made from plastic, metal, glass or wood. If you are looking for plain and simple shelves go for black or white colored shelving. Else, you may have them in cherry or chrome finish. Some are designed to have a straight edge while others come with a curved edge.

General

Organizing Kitchen Floating Shelves

January 26th, 2011

In many homes kitchen is the most central place that attracts a lot of traffic also. Members of the family assemble there for having a nice time at meals time and even some the good friends are at times asked to join for breakfast or dinner. This part of the house becomes all the more occupied during holidays. Children move over to kitchen table in the evenings to finish their homework. It is a nice warm place especially during winters for the family get-togethers and for celebrating events like the birthdays of children.
With the kitchen attracting so much of traffic, it’s quite challenging for the householder to keep it organized and neat and clean. To facilitate its organizing we have some simple solutions of which having kitchen shelving system is the one most often adopted by modern families.

The older design of cabinets featured stationary shelves which could not be adjusted. It’s but natural that the items not so frequently used would get pushed back and at times the householder may not really know if a particular food item is already available at home and may buy the same, thus adding to the stock. There is another limitation of using such fixed shelves, it becomes very inconvenient to reach for items at the back, all the more so in case of pans and pots of large size.

Some of the above said problems are taken care of by installing pull out shelves. Such shelves may be totally flat or they could have a depth of about six inches to prevent taller objects from falling over. These are also available in varying finishes enabling you to choose one that matches the present style and color scheme in the kitchen. These shelves can be mounted on top of any permanent shelf or on the floor of the cabinet. It makes a good addition to any prevailing shelf system.

Organizing you pots and pans and cookie sheet becomes very convenient with pull out shelves. However, keeping smaller items, like bottles of spices, organized is another challenge.

Having a spice rack is almost necessary for any family that often likes to cook at home. Such racks are made from different materials though wood is the most common due it looks and durability. Some of these racks are designed to be expandable, meaning that as your collection of containers of condiments increases, you can adjust the racks to accommodate more jars without having to replace the present one or buying a new one. Spice racks can be used at different points in the kitchen. Some are designed to sit on the countertop, while others neatly fit into the drawers. You get them in varying sizes, from small to extra large, designed to fit a large pantry.

Irrespective of the kind or design of shelving in the kitchen, for keeping the items organized one necessarily needs to group the items by the frequency of their use and the purpose. To further facilitate working in the kitchen the items should be segregated to particular cabinets.

General

Plastic Storage Shelves – How Can YOU Use Them

December 19th, 2010

Every household has its own specific storing requirements and the choice of storage is governed by those specifics. In general, the choice of storage is further decided by personal tastes, available funds and the positioning of the storage system in the house. Plastic storage shelves that are available in a variety of designs and sizes are very practical for being employed in the garage. The advantage of having shelving is that it keeps the area organized and good looking and saves you from a lot of bother in locating for the desired item at any moment.

Plastic shelves for use in the garage come in many designs and shapes and remain functional in storing the items that you may usually have in the garage. Moreover, the plastic shelves are very affordable and can be used for storing items having different shapes. Their cleaning is perhaps the easiest and they last for long. They also offer the flexibility of storage as they are usually available in stackable format that can be shifted from one point to another as per storage requirements.

One can’t overlook the fact that storage equipment in the garage need not necessarily be very pleasing to the eye. That makes it all the more desirable to have plastic shelves as they are very economical. While buying a shelving arrangement for any other part of the house, your decision is influenced by other factors to ensure that the arrangement complements the present décor of that particular room. For garage storage all that you need is something sturdy that remains functional for long time and is easy to clean and maintain. That makes plastic the best option. It gets cleaned easily, needs no painting like wood nor would it rot over any length of time.

Procurement of plastic shelves is very easy and their installation is equally simple. You may fix them at any convenient point in the garage. You may even fix these at a couple of convenient points on the walls. Though the best and easiest way to use such shelves is keep them standing on the floor, you may fix them on the wall or attach them to the floor, depending upon the kind of weight they are going to contain. Once you get them in the garage you’ll realize that there are an amazing number of items which could be stored in plastic storage shelves, leaving the rest of the place tidy and organized.

Considering that the garage is an extension of your home, you certainly like to keep it clean and organized to facilitate convenience of locating any of the items contained therein. Plastic storage wall shelves answer all your requirements and offer an easy means of creating additional space within the garage. Before you go out to buy these shelves or decide to order them online, you should have a fairly good idea of the space available in the garage for their installation. So, if you are not parking your car in the garage, you could certainly have more number of plastic storage shelves, but if you are going to have your car therein, you would better take measurement of the space available for installation

General

Wall Mount Shelves Enhance The Entire Room

May 20th, 2010

Wall mount shelves prove to be a great helpful accessory for adding design and space to any room, thus better utilizing the space available on walls and high corners. The most important feature of wall mounted shelves that people often tend to overlook is that they leave floor space completely free, giving more spacious looks to your room, and creating ample opportunity for decorating the place by suitably displaying items therein.

Wall mount shelves make a neat and practical substitute for customary bookcases or upright shelves. The use of modern materials makes it possible to make light weight, yet long lasting shelves. Shelves mounted on the wall offer space for storing anything you like, varying from books to porcelain collections to family photos and even purses.

You just need to ensure that the thickness of the chosen frame is enough to bear the weight of items you intend storing therein. The most favored material for shelves continues to be wood, and you get these in any color of your choice like wood finish, black paint or bright colors. These can be made from pure hardwood or a combination of plywood and solid wood. The material for most shelves is still primarily wood. Some shelves are made of pure hardwood and some are made from a combination of solid wood and plywood. Some shelves have decorative features made of glass, metal, and even plastic that add to their looks and improve utility, depending on the design.

Wall mount shelves are made in very lively and attractive designs. Apart from the customary oft seen, horizontal rows of shelves, these flexible and modern spaces can be designed in asymmetrical dimensions to include curves and uneven surfaces. Whatever is the design and looks of your living room, a mounted shelf can be designed to perfectly match your interiors. A simple, single-tier shelf is an impressive accessory to display your figurine, or may be some family heirlooms. Your visitors will have something nice to talk and appreciate your assets. These could be suitably designed and included in your bedroom or dining area. Alternatively, you could have bigger shelves that seem to add depth to the room. These full bodied wall sized mounts can hold many books and photos or paintings on top.

Provision of a shelf on the wall allows you to do away with any additional drawer, or even an extra table for displaying pictures or lamps. It also works out more economical than having in a standalone bookcase or shelf. Having free space in your room gives you more options for decorating and arranging. And, there is none denying the fact that shelf storage makes it convenient to store and retrieve items, thereby considerably reducing clutter around the room. Wall mount shelves offer a great opportunity to display anything from your prized collection to your favorite knickknacks.

Advantages Of Shelving

Floating Shelves – Choosing The Best Solution

April 17th, 2010

While considering inclusion of shelves in any part of your home, you need to take care of a couple of things. First of all you should be clear of the intended propose of the shelf, meaning it’s going to be just for storing or is that for displaying some of your possessions. Then you have to assess the weight and size of the items you like to store there, as well the kind of items. And finally, where do you like to get it installed, that is the area available for its installation.

Should you be considering a shelf for housing your TV, it will be nice to have it especially designed with tasteful decoration. The TV is rather a heavy device and care should be taken to ensure that is strong enough to bear the weight of a television set.
The same logic is applicable for any shelf to be mounted on the wall. A major factor that needs attention is the weight of the object that you like to keep in the shelf. Moreover, it is important to ensure that its supports are fixed securely to the wall.

While opting for a bookshelf for storage of books, you should take care that it is well supported to hold the weight of many books. Again, you should ensure that it is properly secured to the wall. While using a shelf made of concrete or cinder blocks, it becomes imperative to use only mortar screws.

Glass shelves need very typical supports due nature of the material. Care should be taken that the supports don’t crack or break the glass, yet provide the needed support. There is no doubt that most often we use shelves as a means of storage but it helps if they have appealing looks, particularly when being installed in the living room.

Perhaps you would like to explore the possibility of having a wire shelf. Shelves made of wire are exceptionally strong and once you have installed them properly, there is no cause of worry. In fact, wire shelving is not difficult to install and proves very functional as it can accommodate a lot of things even in small spaces. For decorative value you should surely look into the possibility of including glass or plastic shelves. Floating shelves certainly add to the décor of any room because of their sheer design and elegant looks.

The positive helpful features of shelves include their versatility and convenience of installation. They can almost be fixed at any suitably available place, as long as you ensure that they are adequately secured. They come in innumerable designs, and materials, and that feature may add to your confusion at the time of purchase and you could end up buying an inappropriate one. It will be good to take help of a professional or read a guide to understand different aspects of this useful accessory that perhaps can’t be avoided forever in any home.

While considering shelves, you have the option of buying a custom-made shelf or going for one that you can assemble yourself. It will also be desirable to decide its location in your home before buying one. It will be god to measure the available space and buy something that sits in there comfortably and doesn’t look out of place. And, of course as already mentioned the weight and size of the items you intend storing in the proposed shelf should not escape your mind.

Uncategorized

We Need Shelf Brackets For Our Floating Shelves

February 2nd, 2010

I believe that every householder feels how limited his floor area really is when it comes to movement of certain items and their storage. We could all use more of free space, and an easy and practical way of having it is by installing shelf brackets. These are simply boards that are fixed to the wall. The two main advantages are that you create additional storing place while they add to the beauty of the area surrounding them. They are good as having a big closet or a dresser on the wall. These are designed to offer additional storage while adding to the décor of the room.

The mounts incorporated to support the shelf brackets are rather unsightly. That’s what prompts most of the people to go for floating wall shelving as it hides all the paraphernalia of supporting structure. You get them in many sizes with different styles. While they make the room look nicer, you can store a number of items therein and thus reduce clutter in the house.

floating shelf brackets

Installation of a floating wall shelf is somewhat difficult and you may consider having a professional to do it for you. However, you may venture into its installation if you really want to learn the technique. It will need good amount of patience and a little hard work. The trick here is to learn how to conceal the brackets and mounts without disturbing the equilibrium of the shelving unit. A novice would do well to get a shelving kit that has all the needed hardware.

First of all you should mark the place where you intend keeping the unit. Check and crosscheck you measurements and markings. As usual, the first one will be the most difficult, but more often the benefits outweigh the effort. Don’t forget to check its alignment before going ahead with the drilling of holes.

shelf brackets

Having done with that makes you ready for drilling of holes. As long as you follow the right steps, it’s a very easy job. If you will in this part of the job, your project goes down the drain. Handling of power drills needs caution and you should be familiar with the machine. Do not overlook any of the operating instructions for sake of your personal safety.

Having drilled the needed number of holes on either side put in place the wall anchors and bolt the brackets. Satisfy yourself that it is firmly secured. Now it’s time to start using this shelf bracket. Here’s an item that you will find useful and good-looking.

Tips And Tricks ,

Using Glass Corner Shelves For Decoration

January 20th, 2010

Having corner glass shelves in your office or home has advantages. Glass shelves easily jell with any theme or style of a room. They offer an ideal medium for you to display your collection of miniatures and other decorative items or family heirlooms.

Characteristically glass is a delicate material that breaks easily. Apart from the loss of breaking, one fears broken glass hurting those in its vicinity, particularly children and pets. But, should that dissuade you from using corner glass shelving. No, certainly not, because these when installed properly eliminate any chance of their falling down to crash unexpectedly. And. fixing them on the walls is not too difficult a job when you use proper tools and observe the needed precautions. The most important precaution is to use the right hardware for fixing them. Then, you need to ensure that the accessory employed for hanging it is strong enough o bear its weight along with the contents you plan to keep therein.

glass corner shelves

There is a wide diversification of the glasses used for shelving, and per unit weight of one quality varies from another. You would be playing safe in assuming a higher weight of the glass used for making the shelf to be installed. Another important precaution to be observed is the use of quality hardware in the wall studs. Don’t ever experiment with installing the required hardware into drywall, without sufficient support behind the drywall, else the whole thing is bound to come crashing down one day.

Once the shelf is there up the wall, you will realize that all the trouble and precautions were worth taking. As you keep all your expensive decoration pieces in the shelves, you will be surprised to note that the whole scenario surpasses your original expectations. Positioning of the glass shelf and its color can give the impression of having suspended you decorations mid-air. That’s a very eye-catching way of displaying your decorations and gives an impression of vastness to your room. One of very popular solutions is a black glass shelf, so you can check it out yourself when you have the chance.

glass shelving

Installation of a glass shelving demands patience and time. Don’t rush it up. That’s one sure way of keeping them from crashing down along with your valuable possessions. Once you have successful installed one, having exercised patience and restrain, you’ll be amazed by the change it brings to your room and will be prompted to undertake a similar project for one of the other rooms in your home.

Decoration , ,

Do It Yourself Shelving

December 22nd, 2009

Despite the availability of floating wall shelves in many materials and designs, I find it an interesting DIY project to make shelving for my home.

I made most of the shelves in my home, with little trouble and time invested. I find it interesting to make them on my own for many reasons, three of which I mention here.

Reason 1: Custom Designs

Nearly every shelf that I made finally acquires a unique design of its own as it conforms to the specific needs of storing particular items. For instance, one of the girls wished to have a shelf above her bed that could house her Barbie dolls in a particular fashion. Finally, she got one in the exactly required size with just the right combination of cubes and open space. I really wonder if such a shelf would have been readily available in the market!

Reason 2: Cost Reductions

Believe me, it works out economical to make your own shelving. While designing an ordinary bookcase, for instance, I take care to adjust the design to suit the normal dimensions of a standard-sized wood board, taking care to cut wood in such a manner that the left over pieces would fit into making of some other item. I realized that for buying a similar sized bookcase I would have spent more.

And let me tell you that I don’t go out to buy fresh wood for all the projects. These days I have taken a project to make a storage unit that sits and fits over the toilet of children’s bedroom. The wood for this project was gifted by one of my neighbors who would have thrown it anyway. Of course, I plan to buy new hardware, handles included. Yet I estimate the total expenditure to be about $13. And, mind you, this is not a standard sized item of the kind that one could buy in a store. I save money but over and above made an optimum use of the available space.

Reason 3: Enjoyment

In the process of saving money, I saved a few trees also! It really gives you a high, designing and making something for the loved ones is an extraordinary experience. In the garden shed I developed a reasonably big place for working on wood. Spending an hour or two out there and being creative really keeps me relaxed. That apart there is another big advantage of spending time with kids who are always more than eager to help designing the item to suit their ideas. In the process get to learn certain aspects of working with wood, home décor and how to plan things before hand. I expect these skills to help them in future as they find out how to design things as per the available means and materials. But, that’s not the end of it all. It’s really quality time with kids getting a thrill of having actually used a real tool rather than a toy. They also learn about safety and responsibility. Both the parties gain in this process.

So, that’s how it is. Even if you aren’t too sure of getting started with a DIY project on shelving, have the courage to take a chance and you won’t regret that decision. It’s not a matter of money, imagine the thrill of creating something on your own and the pleasure it brings!

Tips And Tricks ,

Fresh Kitchen Shelving Ideas

December 8th, 2009

The ever-increasing number of domestic appliances that provide comfortable living with the corresponding shrinking sizes of modern houses, makes it necessary to look for additional storage of items. Industrial units too face the scarcity of space. Of the various options for storing of items that include closets and cabinets, shelving offers more advantages. Shelving forms a very flexible means of storing. Apart from being economical, it’s light also and that facilitates its movement and shifting. Such characteristics make them a favorite of consumers, both domestic and industrial. Shelving, while helping to organize varied items of use, make retrieval of the items very convenient and quick, whenever needed.

Talking of households, kitchen is one place that easily gets laden with variety of items. You have to store cooking ingredients and a host of edibles like fruits and vegetables that are needed daily. Add to that your cutlery and crockery. Then we have cooking pots and pans followed by quite many accessories and equipments that include a dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, a toaster plus many more. To keep the kitchen in order, you are essentially required to keep all the materials and machine organized, else there will be a big mess in the kitchen.

kitchen shelves

Kitchen shelving is an excellent option for keeping items organized, lest your kitchen gets chaotic. Yes, it has all the advantages of traditional shelving with a few more thrown in that makes it all the more useful for any kitchen.

There are some householders who feel that having kitchen shelving gives it the looks of factory, thus making kitchen devoid of its normal looks. They may be right if they saw or purchased a shelf meant for factories or industries. There is a different between the two as shelving for industrial applications is designed for a different purpose with different priorities. It is designed to hold heavier and bulkier items and containers that may contain dangerous chemicals.

Kitchen shelving, on the other hand is designed to be more functional and styled to look beautiful, manufacturers realizing that a kitchen form a very personal part of the house. There are many designs available in attractive colors to suit your taste and interiors

kitchen shelving

The large variety of designs and styles for kitchen shelves nearly confuses average homeowners to choose the most suitable. Should you have any inclination towards interior designing, you would love to browse thru the catalogues of different manufacturers to compare the designs and prices.

The large variety of the product necessarily results to a wide variation in prices also. It’s not easy finding good things at economical prices, more so when we talk of kitchen floating shelving. Come to think of it, you are spending a good part of your time and energy in the kitchen to turn out things for the family to enjoy. Why deprive yourself of the pleasure of working in a well-organized good-looking place! And, this is not a recurring expense. The shelving lasts for many years. Go out to buy a design that pleases you, while keeping in mind that primarily you are buying it to keep your kitchen items and machines in an organized manner to facilitate your working there.

Kitchen ,

Wood Wall Shelf – Stylish And Convenient

November 28th, 2009

One of these days spare a few moments to visit the Internet for art shelving units under the head “ wood wall shelf ”. You’ll find an amazing collection of wall shelves created by artists. These are made from the finest wood, hand crafted with a certificate of authenticity. Now comes the most interesting or shall I say the depressing part, and that’s their pricing. You’ll hardly find any of these objects of art under $8000.00, in a size that is 35” wide by 12” deep.

I’m quite sure there are many like me around here that would like to have these pretty pieces of art in their home but not at the prices quoted above. So, here is a short description of some of the items at prices that you won’t mind:

To start with, let me describe to you what has come to be known as the Box Collection. It comprises of three box shaped wall shelves. The smallest one is 6.125″h x 6.125″w x 5.625″d; the medium sized one measures 6.125″h x 14″w x 5.625″d, while the largest one is 6.125″h x 18″w x 5.625″d. You can mount these box-shelving units on the wall in a pattern of your choice. You may have these in finishes like Black, Chocolate, Dark Cherry, Honey, Mahogany, Natural, and White. You’ll find them ideally suited for small walls.

wooden wall shelves

Now, let me explain what are popularly called Display Ledges, made of high quality birch. To ensure that the items are held on the ledge, there is an outer raised edge to each ledge. These are very beautiful shelves that provide style and functionality to any room of your home. Though all have the common dimension of 1.5”Hx2.5”D, you get them in lengths of two to five feet. Also available in honey colored finish that is sure to enhance the décor of any room.

Here’s my description of the Four Level Floating Wall Shelf. This is made from northern hardwoods in simple straight-line designs that add to the beauty and available storage space in your room. Adjustable floating shelves present an excellent medium for displaying your books, family photos and even knick-knacks. These are available unfinished or finished in like Black, Chocolate, Dark Cherry, Honey, Mahogany, Natural, Walnut, and White.

Next in line is the Classic Wall Shelf Kit that comes in a set of two and ushers in style to you room, while providing you with storage space. There are two support corbels for each shelf. The set of two comes in two different lengths of 8”x24” and 8”x36”. These are beautifully crafted from solid pine with a tooled edge to give you years of dependable service. This is a classic design in rich honey oak finish that will enhance the ambience of your room.

My next choice for description of wooden wall shelves is the Verona Scroll Shelf Kit, the most homogeneous combination of wood and wrought iron one could ever imagine. The wall mounting brackets are made from wrought iron in a beautiful scroll design in white and black. The white one holds the white wood shelf whereas the black supports the English Oak finished wood shelf. Here’s your opportunity to include another classic to your interiors with a striking piece of wall shelving. These are the dimensions that include the supporting wrought iron brackets: 11.25″H x 24″W x 9″D.

It’s about time to introduce you to the Crown Moulding Wood Shelf. This is another hand crafted classic creation of solid wood that you’ll be delighted to have in your room. It has beautiful eye-catching edge details that add to its personality. Being made of solid wood, you can depend on its strength and durability. It’s available in finishes of whit or honey. Further, you can either of these two sizes: 4″H x 60″W x 5″D or 4″H x 48″W x 5″D.

floating wood shelf

Now that you have had some exposure to different styles of wood wall shelving and how they can transform your interiors, while offering the opportunity of added storage, it’s for you let your creative juices flow for selecting a few for your rooms. Take pride in displaying framed photos or family heirlooms, or get started with books and other small objects of art.

There is no better way to add style and have convenient means of additional storage in any or all of your rooms at such an affordable expense of less that $50. Here’s your chance to demonstrate your creative abilities and surprise your loved ones.

Wood Shelves , ,