There is so much advice about how to put up a shelf, but far less consideration about where and why you should place it in the first place.

To a degree, this is understandable; whilst we have 15 years of experience working with scaffolding and the inherently complex design, construction and joinery projects that come with it, putting a shelf up is often the very first DIY project people ever try.

It is the fixture equivalent of boiling an egg; whilst the actual process of installing the shelf is relatively simple, there are some remarkable nuances you need to consider in order to make sure the shelf is fitted evenly, can hold everything you need it to and looks great.

We can help with this with our range of scaffold board shelving kits, each coming with the brackets you need, the finish you want and the size that works best for your rustic industrial setting.

To help you fit the right shelves in the right place, here is a room-by-room guide of where shelving works best in a room, what steps to consider, and what to ask yourself before installing a new shelf.

To continue the egg analogy, a shelf can, when planned and prepared correctly, fit almost anywhere and into any room, but you cannot simply reach for the drill and start fitting brackets to your wall.

You need to consider both the technical elements of the wall you are drilling into, as well as ensure that you have the right shelf for its purpose. 

A chunky scaff board shelf is remarkably versatile, but its ability to hold heavy items will be limited if it is installed into the weak part of the plasterboard.

With that in mind, here are three questions to ask yourself before you start.

What Are You Going To Use Your Shelf For?

We will explore the most common reasons why people install shelves in different rooms and how that shapes where they need to go, but purpose is key to ensuring that you have not only the right shelf and the right brackets, but also that you are putting it in the right place.

If you are planning on placing something fragile or heavy onto it, it is important to place the shelf in a location where it is not in the way of other parts of the room and thus will not be easily knocked off.

If you will be regularly using it, it should be at eye level so you can reach its contents without having to stretch or bend over.

What Type Of Wall Are You Installing Into?

Not every wall in your home or loft is built the same way, and not only will this mean they all make different noises when you knock on them, but it will also affect the types of shelves you can install. 

Walls are made from lots of different materials, but they can usually be categorised as either internal or supporting walls:

• Internal walls are typically made from materials such as plasterboard. Not only can they support less weight and sound hollow when you knock on it, but you will typically need to use a tool such as a stud detector to find the more solid parts of the frame.
• Supporting walls are usually solid external walls made of masonry, brick, concrete, or any solid material that your home is built from. They will hold a lot of weight and are perfectly suited to your heavy-duty shelving.

What Type Of Shelf Are You Installing?

Whilst there are countless shelf designs, from heavy-duty chunky shelves to practical picture shelves, each of which is designed around a particular type of wall and purpose, these can usually be separated into three distinct types:

• Bracketed Shelves - The strongest, easiest to install and most functional, these shelves are supported by a set of strong brackets designed for the type of wall and a certain weight capacity.
• Floating Shelves - These shelves are directly screwed into the wall without the use of additional supports. They are weaker, but look great if you are eschewing an industrial look and only want to hold a few trinkets.
• Built-In Shelves - These shelves are built into a nook, cubby hole or walk-in cupboard, where they can be screwed not only into the back wall but also into the walls on each side.

Everyone’s home will be different, and not every shelf layout will suit every home design, but here are some top tips and design ideas for installing shelves in every room of your house.

Kitchen

Every kitchen layout is slightly different, and many kitchens will opt for cupboards rather than shelves to store the vast majority of their cutlery, crockery, utensils, and dry foods, but a set of well-placed shelves is perfect for storing items you will regularly need.

The main design rule to follow is to avoid placing them too close to the sink, the hobs, or the backsplash wall to avoid them getting inadvertently damaged.

Bathroom

The best place to put bathroom shelves will depend entirely on the size of your bathroom and how much space you have for open shelving.

In general, you should have a shelf within easy reach of the sink with all of the items you need for your morning routine, as well as some particularly beautiful perfumes, aftershaves and beauty products.

Living Room

Living rooms often have varying purposes, which range from a cosy social space to a de facto media room, and these changing purposes will shape the shelving solutions which work best for you.

However, living rooms are often the part of the house that reflects us the most, and so picture shelves with art and images of ourselves, our friends, and our family members are often important to showcase, typically parallel to the mantelpiece.

If you have a shelf for remotes and controllers, it is best to ensure it is close to your seats and within easy reach.

Dining Room

Dining rooms do not always have extra shelving, but when they do, they tend to be focused on decoration. The best way to choose a shelf is to look for designs which fit the style of your dining table, as this is the centrepiece that will shape the rest of your home.

Ready to bring authentic industrial character and storage to your home? Explore our collection of scaffold board shelves, each one a powerful symbol of timeless industrial design and robust enough for any purpose.