New Ideas for Space–Creating Shelves

Many apartment dwellers struggle with finding enough space in their apartments. Putting up standard shelves can help — but there are only so many walls in your apartment that you can easily cover with bookcases or shelving units. Thankfully, a standard set of shelves isn’t the only way to create more space in your apartment (although it’s easy to drop by Container Store or Target to see what they have). However, there are more than a few other shelving options. Here are just a few:

Hanging Sweater Shelves: While these shelves won’t hold a stack of books, they can be useful for light-weight storage. They can hang from any closet rod, and many can be used with secure hooks outside of the closet. They’re typically referred to as sweater shelves, or sweater organizers, but these shelves can be used for a wide variety of storage, from shoes to towels.

Corner Shelves: Shoving most shelving units in a corner can be a problem; there’s not always enough room, and you may not actually be able to access whatever you place in the corner. With a corner shelf, however, you can still make use of a corner. There are corner shelves that you can mount to the wall (frowned on by many landlords), but there are also a wide variety of stand-alone units available.

Floating Book Shelves: If you need a home for a handful of books, a floating book shelf can be mounted just about anywhere. These shelves aren’t just for storage, however — the shelf is entirely concealed by the books, making it more of a decorative piece. A floating book shelf can also make for a great DIY project, but consult your lease before mounting this sort of shelf.

No matter what type of shelves will fit in your apartment, there are a few factors worth considering.

First, are you going to need to modify your apartment in any way to guarantee that your shelves are solid? If you have to screw a shelving unit to the wall or place anchors in order to be sure that your shelves can support whatever you intend to store on them, you may want to consider other options. Many rental agreements do not allow for such modifications, and if you go ahead with an installation anyhow, you may wind up owing some money to your landlord for repairs.

Second, will you be able to take your shelves with you when you leave? While there are many firms that will install absolutely magnificent shelves, those installations are expensive as well as permanent. If you pay for a new shelving unit in your apartment, you want to take it with you when you leave to ensure you get full use from it.

Have some shelving advice? Feel free to share your stories or links to other unique shelves below!