Corner shelves can be an excellent addition to a kitchen or office, and make the most of the corners in your home. Custom corner floating shelves naturally lead the eye around a space giving your room a larger, more open feel while adding additional storage.
How do you add corner shelves to a kitchen though?
The process of installing corner shelves is actually easier than it may sound. All you need is a tape measure and a calculator to get started.
When you’re measuring for corner shelves, first determine how far along each wall you would like the shelves to extend.
For example, if you have a corner where you want to install shelves in your kitchen, start by marking where you want the shelves to end on each wall. Then, measure from each mark to the corner.
Say you want the shelves to extend 20 inches down one wall and 40 inches down the opposite wall. This will be the first measurement you need.
Then, determine how deep you would like the shelves to be. Look at the two length measurements you have collected and subtract the depth of the shelf from the longer of the two lengths.
So in our scenario, say we want our shelves to be 10 inches deep. We would subtract ten inches from the 40-inch shelf and get 30 inches. That means that we would order two separate shelves, one that’s 20 inches long and one that is 30 inches long.
How to Install Corner Shelves
When it comes time to install your corner shelves you’re going to install the shorter shelf first. When installing the shorter shelf you're going to want to take it all the way to the corner to the corner.
Place your bracket on the wall so that the shelf hits the corner. Your bracket will not go all the way to the corner. Place your bracket on the shelf and measure from the edge of the shelf to the edge of the bracket (usually less than a few inches). Take that measurement and place your bracket that distance from the corner at the desired height. Once the bracket has been placed on the wall, find and mark the studs.
Attach your bracket to the studs on the wall, screwing into the keyhole on the top of the bracket first. Then attach the bottom of the bracket.
Once the bracket has been attached, you can slide your shelf on and makes sure that it sits all the way in the corner. If the shelf is in the right position, you can place your second bracket on the wall.
Measure for the placement of the second bracket the same way you measured for the first. Then attach the second bracket to the wall in the same way that you attached the first.
Slide your shelf onto the bracket and it should sit flush with the first shelf installed.
After a little measuring and drilling, you should have a set of corner shelves ready for all of your decor.
Installing Corner Shelves on Tile
If you want to install corner shelves on tile, you’re going to need the right drill bit. We recommend using a masonry drill bit. These bits can be purchased at most hardware stores and online.
Once you have the right bit, the trick is being patient and going slow.
Get your brackets ready to mount and find the studs. Sometimes studs are harder to find under tile, but your wall should be full of studs — generally 16” to 24” apart on center. There are tons of different stud finders on the market, and we do recommend using a stud finder to locate studs behind the tile because you can’t use the knock-on-the-wall method with tile installed.
After you have your studs marked it’s time to drill.
Drilling should be a slow process or you can crack the tile and end up with a large repair. We also recommend having a helper squeeze a damp sponge over the tile while you drill to help prevent cracking as well.
Go slow, use the right bit, and add a little dampness. These things will help the process move smoothly.
You can use this same process to drill into a number of other finishes, like brick or stone. As long as you go slow and use the right drill bit, you should be able to easily attach your bracket to a number of surfaces.
Corner Shelves In the Kitchen
If you’re looking to add corner floating shelves to your kitchen the process is exactly the same. The kitchen is a very popular place for corner shelves and it’s a great way to add extra storage and visual interest in a home.
Sometimes kitchens end up with something referred to as “dead corners”. These corners occur when countertops and lower cabinets meet in a corner and create a very deep corner. A lot of times dead corners have a lazy susan in the lower cabinet because the cabinet space is so deep.
Because the countertops in these corners are so deep, this area of the kitchen sometimes becomes a dark, unused corner. Adding corner shelves in this corner breathes new life into the area and creates extra, functional storage, and gives you a place to decorate and add some fun personal touches to your space.
Setting up corner shelves with all of your glasses and barware is a fun way to store and display all of your favorite kitchen items. It’s a look we’ve really grown to love in a kitchen because it blends function with beautiful drink glasses and accessories.
We also love seeing people display collections of oils, herbs, and spices on their kitchen corner floating shelves. Not only does it give you an excuse to buy some of your favorite kitchen essentials in pretty bottles, but it puts the kitchen corner shelves to good work.
