Dry January distractions: plan your oak floating shelf display

If you need a distraction from Dry January that doesn’t involve a nice, stiff drink, creating an oak-floating-shelf display could be just the ticket. OK, so it’s not quite as fun as a few gin and tonics on a Friday night, but oak floating shelves could be just what you need to give your living space a bit of a lift.

When it comes to oak floating shelves, more is definitely more…

One oak floating shelf on its own on a wall can make a lovely statement piece. Add another 2 or 4 shelves and you’ve got yourself a stunning display.

As a general interior-design rule of thumb, always stick to odd numbers. We’re not sure why, but odd numbers are always more pleasing to the eye.

If you prefer straight, tidy edges, install your shelves in line with each other. If you want to give your display a more playful feel, place each piece of oak so that the shelves are ‘overlapping’ (obviously with a gap in between).

Where to put your oak floating shelves

Floating shelves look smart in every room. Create more space in a tiny downstairs toilet by adding oak floating shelves behind the toilet, where you can neatly roll up and put your towels and baskets of spare soaps.

They’re also great in a living room and make useful extra surface space to display family photos and treasured trinkets.

You can also use oak floating shelves in your kitchen to store your most-used plates and glasses. They will then be in easy reach when you need them.

If you have alcoves in your home, oak floating shelves are a smart way to make use of this wasted space. Instead of lining them all up, consider getting smaller shelves and installing them alternately at each side of the alcove creating a stepped effect.

What to display on an oak floating shelf

Oak floating shelves can be both practical and beautiful. Declutter your coffee table and store your favourite books and magazines on the shelves.

Alternatively, you could create a display to make your oak floating shelves a focal point in your room.

There are three key things to remember when creating oak-floating-shelf displays: colour, height and balance.

Choose a colour theme that goes well with your room and find items to match it. Fake flowers, vases and almost any kind of ornament, are all great items to put on an oak floating shelf.

Opt for items with a variety of different heights in order to create a feeling of depth and contrast.

Finally, if you are creating a display with more than one oak floating shelf, ensure that the height and size of the items on the different shelves complement each other. So put at least one tall item on each shelf and at least one small item on each shelf – and so on.

Have we inspired you to create your own oak-floating-shelf display? As always, we’d love to see your photos!