Floating shelves have become a current market demand, and their widespread presence in various spaces is a testament to their popularity and worldwide use. Naturally, this rise in popularity has led to doubts about the future longevity of floating shelves. DIYers and designers alike have questions on their minds: should I use floating shelves on my next project? Why are floating shelves so popular? What is the right floating shelf for me? 

Here at Federal Brace, we firmly believe that floating shelves are still an integral part of any well-designed home due to their style, functionality, and versatility. In this article we will explore all the reasons that floating shelves have become a staple in home design, as well as the future outlook of their popularity.

Here are 6 reasons that YOU need floating shelves in 2024.

Style 

A primary reason fueling floating shelves' widespread popularity is their aesthetic appeal. They are simple and elegant with no visible support brackets, which allows the photos, art, plants, or other collectibles on the shelf to be the star of the show. Want to know a Federal Brace interior design tip? Floating shelves look best when they're at eye level. Positioning shelves at eye level immediately draws attention to the items on display, making them a natural focal point of the room! Even more, because of the streamline design of floating shelves, they are a perfect fit for virtually any and every design style. The simplicity of the composition lends a timeless quality to floating shelves that is sure to last in your home. When using quality materials, these shelves can be stunning additions to your living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, or more!

The Federal Brace choice for a traditional style: Classic Floating Shelf System in Coffee Brown

The Federal Brace choice for a luxurious style: Porcelain Floating Shelves

Compactness

One of the best features of floating shelves is their practical and compact nature. The trend of incorporating floating shelves in kitchens as an alternative to traditional cabinets has been steadily gaining popularity over the past decade, and only continues to grow. Full cabinets, which are bulky and projecting, can make a space feel smaller; floating shelves, on the other hand, provide equivalent storage capability without the bulk. This strategy, which works particularly well with open concept styles, is sure to make your kitchen feel and look larger and more open! It also allows you to use items such as cooking utensils, cookbooks, and dishware as decorative pieces in your kitchen. Floating shelves also outperform standard stand-alone shelves due to their lack of visible supporting brackets. Without chunky, stocky, and heavy brackets taking up space beneath the shelves, there is a much cleaner and freer space to store items when your shelves are stacked vertically (you would obviously never find those types of brackets at Federal Brace, but you know what we mean…). This compactness can be helpful in your entire home, and can help you store pictures, decorative items, books and more in a way that maximizes a minimal space. 

The Federal Brace choice for compactness: Low Profile Floating Shelf System

Versatility

The widespread appeal of floating shelves stems from their versatile design, offering aesthetic and utilitarian benefits in various indoor spaces, while also being multifaceted enough to add great value to outdoor spaces such as gardens, tool benches, and outdoor kitchens. In living rooms, they can showcase decor items or hold framed photos, while in kitchens, they provide an open and accessible display for cookware or spices. Floating shelves offer practical solutions in bedrooms, where they can serve as bedside tables or display shelves for books, and would even look great acting as toiletry storage in bathrooms without compromising visual appeal. All in all, the clean, minimalist form of floating shelves makes them ideal for adding decorative touches to your living spaces. Whether used for decorative displays or functional storage, the adaptability of floating shelves makes them a popular choice for maximizing both style and utility in any room.

Looking for creative ways to use floating shelves in every room in your home? Check out this resource: https://www.federalbrace.com/media/blog/332-creative-ways-to-use-floating-shelves-in-every-room-in-your-house.html. 

The Federal Brace choice for versatility: Teak Floating Shelf 

Wall focus

Unlike cabinets or other shelving styles, floating shelves have the unique ability to bring attention and focus to the exposed walls behind them. This is perfect for walls painted with interesting or contrasting colors, walls featuring a backsplash or tile pattern, or walls with decorative wallpaper. The extra components of traditional shelves and cabinets such as sides, backs, or visible support brackets can obscure a large portion of the wall that they are mounted on. With floating shelves, your walls come to the forefront and join the party as a key design feature in your home! This approach can help give your home a minimalist feel as well as a more balanced color palette.

The Federal Brace choice for wall focus: Classic Floating Shelf System

Contrast

Floating shelves have a unique ability to introduce contrast and visual interest to a room's overall design, and when mounted on a wall, provide a dynamic element that draws the eye. Contrast between shelves and the wall or wall color add depth to the space and when items are displayed, further contribute to the overall visual impact. Floating shelves can also be useful when you are looking to add a subtle amount of wood to an area without wood features, which can add contrast to your walls. This is a more understated way to add contrast to your room than by using a bulky bookshelf, armoire, or cabinet. For this reason, floating shelves are a great option if you are looking for a minimalist style, but can also be used to accomplish a rustic style. Simply swap out the straight-edged floating shelves for a live edge shelf, and your home will have a beautiful splash of rustic character on the walls!

The Federal Brace choice for contrast: Hickory Live Edge Floating Shelf 

For maximum contrast, pair it with our Accent Floating Shelf Bracket

Adaptability

Unlike traditional shelving units, floating shelves are easy to customize! Floating shelves can be purchased and designed to be a variety of lengths, which helps give you the freedom to outfit your walls as precisely as you wish. The shelves can also be staggered to increase aesthetic appeal and fill more empty space on your walls without being unnecessarily long and monotonous. For smaller areas, they can be stacked vertically at whatever spacing intervals you desire! In addition to size customization, floating shelves can be easily moved or replaced with different styles and materials. At Federal Brace, we offer several finishes, including teak, maple, pine, elm, walnut, sycamore, and hickory wood, as well as stainless steel and Medium Density Fiberwood (MDF). Choosing the right material for your floating shelves can be very important, so make sure to do your research ahead of time! For a full breakdown of floating shelf material options, visit https://www.federalbrace.com/media/blog/331-what-is-the-best-material-for-floating-shelves.html. 

The Federal Brace choice for adaptability: Floating Shelf Clamp System

These are just a few of the reasons that floating shelves are, and continue to be, one of the most popular design choices in modern homes. Whether used to decorate the walls of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, or outdoor spaces, their aesthetic appeal combines perfectly with their function, providing a visually appealing method to display valued items while maximizing space efficiency. As we continue to traverse the ever-changing environment of interior design, we believe that floating shelves will be a staple in homes for years to come.

To get started on your floating shelf journey, visit https://www.federalbrace.com/floating-shelves-946.