Built in shelf ideas for living room
20 Beautiful Living Rooms With Built-In Shelving
Introduction
By
Lauren Flanagan
Lauren Flanagan
Lauren Flanagan is an interior design expert with over 15 years of experience writing, editing, and producing articles for renowned Canadian publications and shows for HGTV on home decor. She worked in high-end home decor retail before discovering her passion was to share what she knew in publications and on television.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
and
Lacey Ramburger
Lacey Ramburger
Lacey Ramburger is a personality assessment expert based in Kansas City, Missouri, with more than five years of experience. Her areas of expertise include Zodiac, Myers-Briggs, and the Enneagram. She is the author of the book "Being Whole" and dozens of articles on personality assessments and relationships.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 01/11/22
The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto
Living room built-ins can add style and personality as well as storage. And because built-ins can be designed to cater to your household's specific needs, the options are virtually endless. If you want to create closed storage, an open display area, or call attention to specific details custom built-ins can offer the perfect solution.
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01 of 20
Maximize Space
Morse Design
A-frame houses can pose certain complications when trying to decorate and maximize space. The angle of the walls can make it difficult to use prefab cabinets without causing a visual break.
In this case, custom living room built-ins can provide an excellent solution. We love how these built-ins create a stunning book collection but aren't so tall that they block the gorgeous half circle windows—everything works together. -
02 of 20
Built In Bar
Design: Marie Flanigan Interiors/Photography: Julie Soefer
Entertainment centers aren't the only built-ins to continue to gain popularity—home bars are quickly catching up. While they used to be relegated to dining rooms, basements, and less populated areas of the home, they can now often be found front and center in the living room, as seen in this example by Marie Flanigan Interiors.
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03 of 20
Keep it Classic
Kendall Wilkinson Design
Traditional white built-ins with open shelving are so versatile that they can fit into just about any style of living room. Choosing a simple cabinet style will ensure that if your tastes change and you decide to redecorate, the built-ins will always fit in.
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04 of 20
Customize Your Own Size
LeClair Decor
When it comes to living room built-ins, there's no need to always build from floor to ceiling. In this case, designed by LeClair Decor, built-in cabinets were installed about halfway up the wall, on either side of a mantel. They manage to maximize the available space while framing the focal point and not blocking any light.
Creative Ways to Showcase a Vintage Collection
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05 of 20
Tall and Narrow
Light and Dwell
Sometimes less is more, especially in rooms where there isn't a lot of wall space. As demonstrated by Light and Dwell, tall, narrow built-ins can help frame a fireplace and reinforce a focal point while still providing some display or storage space. Accent lighting or deep contrast helps draw the eye to where it's supposed to go.
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06 of 20
Go Bold
Kendall Wilkinson Design
Bring some life to your built-ins by painting them a bright or bold color, such as this design by Kendall Wilkinson Design.
While the style of these units is fairly straightforward and traditional, the vibrant blue color gives them a sense of playfulness. -
07 of 20
Entertainment Center
Maite Granda
Add drama to a living room with sleek and modern built-ins designed around entertaining. Media centers have been popular for quite a while, so transforming a simple stand into a built-in with plenty of shelving makes perfect sense. The matte black color of this version in a living room by Maite Granda provides a sophisticated setup that does the trick.
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08 of 20
Make Artwork the Focal Point
Design: Marie Flanigan Interiors/Photography: Julie Soefer
This living room from Marie Flanigan Interiors is a stunning example of how to make art the focal point by using built-ins. Floor to ceiling tan units frames either side of a large portrait, with matching blue scones coming out the side of each shelving structure to add extra light.
The result is a calm, inviting living room that holds plenty of storage without being a huge distraction. -
09 of 20
Wrap Around
Kendall Wilkinson Design
The beauty of built-ins is that they can be customized to suit a home's or homeowner's specific needs. In this room from Kendall Wilkinson Design, the shelves wrap around the corner, providing plenty of storage and display space. The contrasting color manages to create a focal point in the midst of all the shelves. Additionally, a blank area was left above the desk to create a simple workspace—further proof of how customizable installed shelving can be.
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10 of 20
Get Colorful
LeClair Decor
You don't have to stick with neutral colors when working with a built-in. This living room by LeClair Decor implements a fun tertiary color scheme, and the shelving is painted the exact same shade of purple as walls to match. The light mounted above the shelving allows for a small spotlight for moments you want the display to shine—the entire setup is easily customizable to suit whatever you're feeling that day.
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11 of 20
Keep It Neutral
Mary Patton Design
Create a contemporary look with a classic neutral color scheme. The lack of hardware and decorative embellishments keep the look clean, and the combo of floating shelves and closed lower cabinets painted white leaves the area feeling spacious and full of possibility.
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12 of 20
Architectural Detail
Whittney Parkinson
Don't be afraid to add a little decorative detail to the living room built-ins. The back of this unit has a shiplap detail that adds a subtle rustic vibe. In this case by Whitney Parkinson, the detail is architectural, but things like paint and wallpaper can also be used to great effect.
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13 of 20
Wall to Wall
LeClair Decor
Honestly, is there really such a thing as too much storage? These customized built-ins stretch across the entire back wall, though the crisp white color makes the room feel refreshing rather than cramped.
The simple style with open shelving at the top and closed cabinets at the bottom provide plenty of space to store or display whatever you'd like—and with plenty of room to do so. -
14 of 20
Two Tone
Kendall Wilkinson Design
Customization of built-in shelves doesn't have to stop with the measurements. Painting built-ins so that they contrast or compliment other colors in the room is a great way to add interest to a room and create a focal wall.
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15 of 20
A Warm Embrace
Whittney Parkinson
Traditional built-in cabinets in a warm chestnut color help give this living room a comforting and comfortable atmosphere. To create a look like this, make sure that the built-in cabinets are a solid extension of the room. They act like an embrace, framing the seating arrangement and creating a sense of warmth.
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16 of 20
Small Arches
Morse Design
Not everything has to be big to be useful.
This set of small arched built-ins add the perfect amount of shelf space on either side of the fireplace. The matching color for both the lower cabinets, mantle, and shelving creates a cohesive feel. -
17 of 20
Floating Shelves
Ashley Montgomery Design
Floating shelves make the built-in process that much simpler. Pieces of wood can be custom cut to fit a variety of spaces regardless of height or width. This living room designed by Ashley Montgomery combines a white-painted brick fireplace with wooden floating shelves and deep blue lower cabinets—a modern dream.
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18 of 20
Customize Your Shelf Size
Amy Lefernik at Interior Impressions
When we think of shelving, we often picture having the exact same style and size happening on each level—but that doesn't have to be the case. This built-in has a range of sizes to fit different types of decor, rather than having the same size and shape throughout.
This subtle shift creates visual interest and is ultimately more convenient to ensure the things you want on display can actually fit. -
19 of 20
Built-In Seating
Jessica Nelson Design
The term"built-in" doesn't just refer to shelving. Seating can also be a component. This gorgeous nook (with storage underneath) creates a picturesque view to sit and read by the window. The two arched built-in shelves on either side complete the look.
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20 of 20
Short and Sweet
Amy Lefernik at Interior Impressions
Ultimately, built-ins should be created to fit the preferences and needs of the homeowner. While for some, that may mean floor-to-ceiling options, for others with smaller living rooms, something short and sweet does the trick. This small built-in is nestled right on top of the fireplace, almost serving as its own vertical extension (rather than keeping the shelving on the sides for a wider appearance). A few books, some small decor items, and the television are all right at home.
12 DIY Floating Shelves
20 Beautiful Living Room Built-In Ideas
Reena Sotropa
The living room is where you spend the bulk of your time with friends, family, and even alone with a good book or Netflix binge, so it's important it boasts both form and function. If there's one addition that adds drama and visual interest, plus storage and hidden organization, it's a custom built-in.
Ahead are 20 examples of living room built-ins that prove you really can have it all.
01 of 20
Whittney Parkinson Design
While stonework is often requested of exterior designers, it can actually bring an old-world charm inside your home as well. We love how these living room built-ins look framed in a light, warm stone. This simple addition adds tons of charm to any modern setup.
02 of 20
Whittney Parkinson Design
When designing your built-ins, it's the tiniest details that separate a nice build from a spectacular one.
Installing a simple gallery light above can make an IKEA bookshelf look expensive.
03 of 20
Whittney Parkinson Design
If you're looking to make your mantel the focal point of your living room, a bold shade of paint is just the way to do it. And why stop with just the mantel? Instead, extend the same shade through your built-ins for a custom look.
04 of 20
Rikki Snyder
While we like the idea of blending in a living-room built-in, making it stand out with a high-contrast paint job looks like a million bucks too. We love how this chalky blue shade pops off the white walls and neutral accents.
05 of 20
White Sands Design/Build
A subtly contrasted paint job looks sophisticated without feeling boring. This ecru and white color scheme adds tons of dimension (even more than your recessed built-ins boast on their own), while still looking bright and airy.
06 of 20
White Sands Design/Build
Although paint is top of mind when styling living room built-ins, a roll of wallpaper takes any design up another notch.
Use a patterned or textured wallpaper on the backs of your shelving units to add tons of personality and design interest.
07 of 20
White Sands Design/Build
Living room built-ins either feature open shelving, cabinets and drawers, or, like in this case, a combination of all three. We love the idea of shelves on top and drawers and cabinets below because it gives you space to display your favorite design elements and hide away clutter you can't seem to part with.
08 of 20
Rikki Snyder
Think of your built-in paint color as the first hue on your blank canvas. Rows of shelves will act as the backdrop for your favorite books and collectibles, so choose the color accordingly. We love how this pastel green unit makes the neutrals in this room pop.
09 of 20
Rikki Snyder
Whether you're working with an existing built-in or you're adding one solely for storage, don't feel pressured to make it the focal point. The painting in this room takes center stage while the built-in on the left acts as a supporting character.
It works just fine—and looks so cool.
10 of 20
Reena Sotropa
Once you've gotten through the painstaking building, the fun part comes: curating the shelves on your built-in. Dress them with framed art, photographs, fashion books, plants, and textured knick-knacks.
11 of 20
Reena Sotropa
The idea of adding a custom built-in to your living room just sounds expensive. However, with a little improvisation, careful configuration of even the most affordable Ikea shelves can look glam. Look for wood tones and dress them up with luxe additions throughout the room.
12 of 20
Reena Sotropa
If you're working with low-vaulted ceilings or windows overhead, you can still enjoy the visual and practical benefits of a living-room built-in. This space is proof you can call the contractor, even if your space is vertically challenged.
13 of 20
Reena Sotropa
Never underestimate the power a single color can have. This stunning living room utilizes the same shade of deep teal on the walls, built-ins, and ceilings to create a seriously show-stopping look.
14 of 20
Tyler Karu Design
If you're building a unit from scratch, be sure to consider your needs as you design the display-to-storage ratio. If you have a big collection of items to display, use shelves and cubes to show them off. On the other hand, if you're looking to hide more unsightly items, like board games, seasonal décor, or arts and crafts supplies, tuck them away behind cabinet doors and pull-out drawers.
15 of 20
Tina Ramchandani
A common misconception is that black paint makes a room appear smaller. The truth is, it can actually open up a space and boasts glamorous undertones. This black built-in is proof.
16 of 20
Tara Kantor Interiors
If you value symmetry, this grid-like built-in design looks clean and beautiful. This is about as close to an art gallery as your living room can get.
17 of 20
Sire Design
Just because it's a built-in doesn't mean you need to add rows of shelves and cubes and cabinets and drawers.
Sometimes a minimal setup, like this clean cabinet look, is all your living room needs.
18 of 20
Pure Salt Interiors
If your home comes complete with empty alcoves—extra points if they boast arched tops like these—don't let that empty space go to waste. Add some floating shelves in the empty area to create a custom built-in with minimal effort.
19 of 20
Pure Salt Interiors
If you have higher ceilings, take advantage of the vertical space and create a built-in that climbs all the way up your walls. We love how this space incorporated a sliding ladder as a point of access for those hard-to-reach areas.
20 of 20
Pure Salt Interiors
Generic entertainment centers do a great job at framing your TV, but if you want something that fits your space as well as your electronics, a custom built-in is the way to go. You can still use your TV as the anchor, but at least the rest of your area will be filled in nicely.
10 Decorating Tips to Cozy Up Any Large Living Room
Shelves in the living room - 85 photos of ideas on how to choose and decorate in the interior
A shelf in the living room is a familiar attribute, practical, convenient, sometimes indispensable.
These shelves often store a home library, some little things, accessories and decorative items. Shelves make a big difference in the look of a room.
Content of the article:
- Racks and shelves
- Corner shelf
- Modular shelves
- How to decorate a shelf with your own hands?
- Tips for choosing
- Photos of ideas for placing shelves in the living room
Varieties of racks and shelves
There are so many types of shelves that sometimes it is not easy to make a choice.
By design, shelves are often used to store small items, but this is a bit wrong, because the shelf, oddly enough, transforms the space.
The shelf can be made by hand, with built-in seats, from a designer, with a mirror, open type, like a partition, floating. nine0003
There are actually a lot of varieties. There are also modular shelves, there are transformer shelves, hanging shelves in the living room - it's all on sale!
Of course, book attributes are the most sought after, and they are chosen according to personal preferences.
Corner shelf
For the living room, the so-called transformer shelf is often purchased, which changes its size and shape. Its disadvantage is that it can withstand a small weight, but despite this, it is often attached to the wall. nine0003
Another popular variety is shelving, which will perfectly complement any design, especially if the room is in a high-tech country style. Places are occupied by such a rack is minimal.
Construction types:
- The cylinder rotates around the axis, and therefore it is easy to have access to all the items that are placed there.
- Built-in shelves in the living room in a specially created niche make it possible to use every centimeter. nine0015
- Stepped shelving - sections, shelves. For numerous books, this is the best option, as well as for dishes, for decoration. Used for room zoning.
- Lattice - a combination of shelves diagonally, vertically and horizontally.
Such shelves in the living room on the wall look chic in a room decorated in a modern high-tech style.
Modular shelves
It is most appropriate to use glass-covered shelves in the living room. Such shelves in the modern living room allow you to store some luxurious items. nine0003
Interestingly, the glass does not catch the eye at all, and therefore this option is applicable in small rooms, for example, in a living room in Khrushchev.
At the window, open attributes are used, because they can miraculously be combined with a coffee table. Hanging shelves - saving space.
In a classic interior, it is acceptable to use objects made of wood of the correct form, which are decorated with carvings and forging.
In country style, it is reasonable to use untreated, aged items. In high-tech style, glass shelves or metal shelves are used. Their shape is often wrong.
How to decorate a shelf with your own hands?
The apartment is most often decorated with their own hands, and the shelves are no exception.
To get the job done, you need to buy a regular shelf, no frills. Most often it is a piece of wood, plastic.
Decor is made using materials such as leather, natural wood additions, forging, dyeing. nine0003
It is not difficult at all to complete the design of a unique shelf, the main thing is to think over a work plan. It is best to make basic outlines on paper, and then draw up the product.
There are many options for how to arrange a shelf, and there are a lot of ideas on the Internet that are worth reading. There are so many ideas that it is not difficult at all to create beautiful decorative TV shelves in the living room without designers.
Selection tips
The furniture matches the style of the room, and matches the style, color, material. It is best that one of the elements is selected for the type of furniture. nine0003
When choosing, it is important to understand that the shelf must be stable, durable, reliable, and hold the normal weight of items.
Shelves in the interior of the living room are the main attribute, because they are used both as storage for small things and as decor. The shelf does not take up much space, but at the same time it is an addition to the interior.
If you have to choose a shelf, then you should make a choice according to the further purpose.
Of course, the appearance of the shelf is of no small importance, and therefore you can look through the photos of the shelves in the living room, see what varieties there are, maybe you will like something and it will become easier to make a choice.
Photo of the Ideas for the Regulations in the living room
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Shelves are not only convenient and practical, but also aesthetic, because with the help of these simple structures and their content, you can completely transform the room space. Most often, hinged and corner shelves, racks and sections built into furniture are found in the living room, where they harmoniously and effectively fit into the overall design.
Contents of the article:
Design options
The time of standard places to store books and small knick-knacks is long gone, and now designers present dozens of options for using shelves in the interior of the living room. Several groups can be distinguished: nine0003
- Standard shelves in various sizes and configurations;
- Partition shelves;
- High open variants or "slides";
- Curly modules;
- "Floating" or built-in models;
- Shelves built under furniture: armchairs, sofas;
- Corner structures;
- Arched compositions;
- Original handicrafts.
The classic hanging shelves in the living room are a familiar product made of fastened boards or lattice panels. nine0003
For zoning the interior space in studio apartments, partitions are used, made in the form of shelving in the entire height of the wall.
"Slides" differ from fences by the presence of uneven edges or steps, due to which the design is unusual.
Multi-colored modules suggest a kind of constructor game when whole compositions are assembled from squares, rectangles or triangles. Their main advantages: mobility, non-standard and fast assembly, disassembly. nine0003
Built-in and corner shelves are made to order and use "dead" room areas: wall joints, narrow niches and openings.
An interesting solution could be furniture, the armrests and the base of which can be allocated for open sections to accommodate various items.
Arched compositions are often included in original products, as they are made in the form of a U-shaped shelf above a sofa, armchair or TV.
Like other handmade models, they are non-standard, unusual and unique. nine0003
How to choose
In some cases, shelves come with a wardrobe, TV stand or dressing table, united by a common style and color.
If you decide to complement an existing interior, then you need to act on a similar principle - look for the most suitable model in terms of style, texture, color and shape.
Separately, the weight and strength of the shelf is taken into account, which is selected depending on the intended content. Unusually shaped glass or plasterboard products are chosen for light loads, but thick wooden sections with a separation depth of at least 50 cm and a wall thickness of at least 5 cm are needed to store heavy books or valuable vases. The configuration is also significant: spiral, rounded models for light accessories only . nine0003
In addition to the maximum weight, attention is paid to the reliability of the fastenings, the strength of the material, and the stability of the structure.
It is also important to carefully inspect the purchase, as the coating should not have chips, scratches, scuffs or other defects.
Playing in the interior
Even an ordinary square shelf can become a full-fledged "highlight" in the interior, for this it is enough to beat it, showing imagination and ingenuity. So, the trend of this season is the uneven placement of simple square structures of various shades and configurations on the wall. nine0003
The distance between them can vary from 20 cm to opposite ends of the room. It is important that the number of such modules be more than three or four.
The following technique is also popular: painting the deep walls of the adjacent rack compartments in bright contrasting colors. Mirrors inserted instead of backdrops also look luxurious.
Modern shelves are made in the most unusual configurations: specially curved, spiral, figured and disproportionate products.
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Designers often use the method of visual expansion of space by deliberately leaving some sections empty. A free shelf, illuminated by a built-in lamp or a framed LED wire, also looks interesting.
Original self-made shelves are always in fashion, while the artificial aging of the material, negligence, massiveness and carelessness give them charm and originality.
You can also decorate the product yourself, which will require leather or leatherette, metal elements, textiles, paper, stencil, tree branches or log cabins, paints, brushes, glue. nine0003
The first step is to think over the algorithm on paper, look at photos of the shelves designed by designers for the living room, look for ideas on the Internet, prepare the surface and get down to business.
Tips and tricks
When choosing any, even the most modest shelf in terms of dimensions, certain points must be taken into account:
- For classic and minimalist styles, simple structures of the correct form and neutral shades are considered optimal; nine0015
- Instead of a standard TV cabinet shelf, you can make a more original design: place two boards in parallel under the panel at a distance of 20-30 cm, and put two more short ones on both sides;
- If a door or window opening occupies a large part of the wall, then around it you can make, order a U-shaped or L-shaped rack;
- You can separate one zone in a room from another using a high vertical or figured shelf;
- It is better to choose the alternation of open and closed sections in order to have storage spaces hidden from prying eyes; nine0015
- Beautifully look on the wall two parallel boards located side by side, but only 20-30 cm "setting" on top of each other;
- Universal color - white, cream and woody light brown shades.
