In many cases, the first option that comes to mind when you want to install shelves is using metal brackets and horizontal racks. The latter can be made of plastic, metal, or wood. When chosen correctly and installed right, these shelves could last you decades worth of your storage needs.
Still, as much as they serve their purpose well, they’ve become so common—too common. If you desire to freshen up the look of your business or accessorize your home, consider these five alternatives to traditional shelving solutions.
Contents
5 alternative shelving solutions
1 Steel Shelving Mezzanines
These are self-supporting types of industrial shelving. They come in standard units which you can assemble to your desired height and length. As they’re made of high-quality stainless steel, you can stack them to considerably high levels. Thus, this shelving solution can fully make use of the height of a building, therefore saving you in precious space.
Moreover, as you can stack these as high as your ceiling goes, they occupy very little horizontal space. This fact makes them very useful for businesses with limited floor area. If you have, say, four levels of these shelves, you’ve actually quadrupled your floor space.
You can use steel shelving mezzanines in distribution centers, warehouses, installations, and other similar establishments. Their sturdy nature allows you to store virtually any item, even the very heavy ones. More so, you can accessorize them with stairs, catwalks, and handrails. These additions allow you to easily reach goods stacked high up and arrange them on pallets to await transportation.
2 Floating Shelves
As the name suggests, these shelves look as if they’re floating. You can achieve this effect by using invisible mounts or brackets and solid shelves. These shelves are readily available in most local home improvement stores. If you’re wired for DIY, you can go ahead and mount them on the wall. Otherwise, consider hiring an expert to do the installation for you.
Once complete, you can place artistic items like flower vases, books, and art picture frames on them. Homebodies will certainly love this aesthetic. Another advantage of floating shelves is that they create an illusion of a bigger space left in the room. In contrast, traditional shelves may look bulky because of vertical supports.
3 Shelves Held Up By Chains
For this type of shelving, you can hang the shelves right from the ceiling or from a wall. In both options, the shelves rest lightly against a wall. Feel free to choose any length and design of chain you like, as long as they can adequately support the shelf and live load. And for safety purposes, ensure the chains are secured properly to framing studs or the ceiling. This way, you avoid shelves and items accidental falling on you.
If you have several shelves, you may want to connect them together using chains. Shelves held up by chains have several merits. First, they give a room a usually rustic (for suburban homes) and oftentimes industrial (for urban apartments) feel. Second, the absence of stands that rest on the floor leaves more floor space for cabinets below. Thus, they’re suitable for non-spacious rooms. After finishing the job, arrange items like pictures, small plants, and knickknacks on the shelves.
4 Slanted Wire Shelving With Bins
You may have items that are too tiny to occupy traditional shelves. Think about things like cello tapes, biro pens, nails, hammers, spanners, and the like. If you place them on a flat rack, you’ll look a bit disorganized. So you may want to store smaller items in bins. Further, place the bins on slanted wire shelving.
The slant makes it easy for you to store each item. Additionally, slanted shelves make locating specific items easier since you can clearly see the contents of the bins.
5 Wire Shelving
Wire shelving is made of wire platforms and a steel or aluminum frame. For this reason, they’re super light. Therefore, you want to place light items that won’t send the shelves crumbling down. Think about kitchen items such as pots, plates, and bowls. However, they’re not suitable for slim and tiny objects. The wire grid has gaps, and thus such items may slip through.
For mobility purposes, go for those designs with wheels. You can easily move the shelves to where they’re needed. One advantage of this type of shelves is the minimalist design. In other words, they’re characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity. Such items resonate with modern, sustainable living.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, don’t feel limited by traditional shelving solutions. There are incredible alternatives from which you can choose. What you need to do first is think about the weight and size of the items you want to store. After that, choose a shelving solution that can safely hold these items. Additionally, consider the shelf design. You want to pick a type that matches the interior of your home or your business, else you’ll need to rethink your design.