DIY Shelves for Nurseries and Kids' Rooms

By
Kitty Lascurain
Kitty Lascurain Bio Photo
Kitty Lascurain
Kitty Lascurain has been writing about home design and home lifestyle topics for over 10 years. She has written for multiple publications in the U.S. and U.K, including Real Simple, Military Spouse Magazine, and Cambridge Style. A parent of two, she's covered everything from designing nurseries, kids' rooms, and treehouses to effective ways to organize children's clothing for The Spruce.
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Updated on 06/08/20
What will make the room feel more cosy? Wooden furniture!
KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

Shelves are an essential decorating tool. Whether you’re looking for beautiful wall decor for your nursery or additional storage for all your teen’s stuff, a pretty and practical wall shelf is the perfect solution. That said, attractive shelving can be expensive and hard to find. If you want something with some personality (and a reasonable price tag), you’ll need to get creative.

Need a little inspiration? These DIY shelves are nothing short of genius. Best of all, many of them can be made from things you already have lying around the house! Turn a 5-gallon bucket into a contemporary storage cubby. Have some scrap wood and an old leather belt? Boom! You’ve got a chic, hanging shelf. The possibilities are endless!

Feeling crafty? Here are 12 DIY shelf ideas for kids' rooms.

  • 01 of 12

    Skateboard Shelf

    DIY Skateboard Shelves
    The Crafted Sparrow

    Add some boyish charm to your son’s room with these easy skateboard shelves. All you need is a couple of heavy-duty “L” brackets.

  • 02 of 12

    Repurposed Drawer Shelf

    Book Cubbies Made From Repurposed Drawers
    Addison Meadows Lane

    Transform old drawers into beautiful, shabby-chic bookshelves using a simple tutorial.

  • 03 of 12

    Box Frame Shelves

    DIY Box-Frame Shelves
    Shanty2Chic

    Use old picture frames to dress up a simply constructed box shelf.

  • 04 of 12

    Tree Slice Shelf

    Wood Slice Shelf
    Girl Loves Glam

    Add a little woodland whimsy to your little one’s nursery or bedroom with these easy-to-make accent shelves. Simply cut a large, wooden tree slice in half, and mount with small “L” brackets.

    Continue to 5 of 12 below.
  • 05 of 12

    Stacked-Crate Bookshelves

    DIY Stacked Crates Book Shelf
    Calm Cradle Photo and Design

    Stack some pretty, wooden apple crates for a beautiful and budget-friendly bookcase. Total cost? Less than $50!

  • 06 of 12

    Rain-Gutter Book Ledge

    DIY Book Ledges Made from Repurposed Rain Gutters
    Diply

    Mount rain gutters to the wall for an instant reading corner.

  • 07 of 12

    Bucket Shelves

    Modern Storage Cubbies Made from 5-Gallon Buckets
    Oh Oh Blog

    What can you do with a 5-gallon bucket and a little imagination? Make cute, contemporary wall shelves of course!

  • 08 of 12

    DIY Industrial Shelving

    DIY Industrial-Style Shelving
    Beneath My Heart

    Create a DIY industrial-inspired, wall-to-wall shelving unit for less.

    Continue to 9 of 12 below.
  • 09 of 12

    Easy Pallet Book Shelves

    Pallet Bookshelf
    My Life and Kids

     Turn an old, wooden pallet into beautiful, rustic book ledges. Just cut, sand, and stain.

  • 10 of 12

    Wall-Mounted Crates

    Wall-Mounted Crate Shelves
    Decoideas

    Wooden boxes or crates offer lots of storage space and look fabulous mounted on the wall. Paint the inside of each box for a pop of added color.

  • 11 of 12

    Rustic Strap Shelves

    DIY Shelves Made from Repurposed Belts
    Blue I Style

    Create a rustic, wooden shelf using reclaimed wood and old belt straps.

  • 12 of 12

    Dreamy Cloud Shelf

    DIY Cloud Shelves
    Cute DIY Projects

    Working with a cloud motif? Dress up a simple floating shelf by painting a fluffy cloud behind it. It couldn’t be easier!

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