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    Learn More About Shelving

    Whether you’re looking for a place to stow your favorite books, games, tools, or your treasured figurine collection, the shops on Etsy sell a variety of shelves to keep it all organized. Here are a few popular types of shelves.


    Floating shelves: Floating shelves are affixed to a wall with hidden hardware to make it appear as if they are floating on the wall. A floating shelf can be an attractive place to display objects that are not terribly heavy.


    Wire shelves: Because they have less surface area, wire shelves are fairly easy to keep clean. They’re commonly used in kitchens, pantries, closets, and garages.


    Wooden shelves: Your favorite books will look very smart displayed on wooden shelves in your living room or bedroom. Wooden shelves can be free-standing or built into a larger bookcase or ladder shelves.


    Metal shelves: Metal shelves are often used for commercial storage or warehouses but can give a modern industrial edge to your interior design.

    Want some inspiration for where to place shelves around the house for extra storage? Here are some handy spots to add shelves.


    Kitchen: Kitchen shelves are some of the most important storage in your home. Use the strongest, sturdiest wooden shelving for dishes and glassware to give your dishes the beautiful support they deserve. Wire shelves work well for pantry shelves, which need to be sturdy enough to hold canned goods and glass jars while allowing airflow and easy access to your items.


    Garage: Garage shelving can be made of metal, wire, or wood shelving. You want strong, sturdy, easy-to-clean storage shelves for your tools, like a metal wall shelf.


    Bathroom: Bathroom storage can be tricky. You don't want all your lotions and potions out on display for guests, but you want them in easy reach, so shelving with doors works well for bathroom shelving. Bathroom floating shelves can also be useful above a sink or toilet—or tucked into an unused corner. Use white shelving or plastic shelving to organize items underneath the sink.


    Closet: Wire rack shelving systems make for perfect closet shelves. Some Etsy sellers even make custom options for any size space.


    Office: Use wood or metal office shelving to free up your desk and stash your business books, files, office supplies, and larger items like printers and scanners.

    These terms are often used interchangeably, but shelves typically refer to slabs that are either attached to a wall or fixed in a vertical or horizontal bookcase, and designed to display objects. Racks are typically larger and more utilitarian, used to store things like large boxes.