If the Hello Room proved anything, it's that shelves are quite the unexpected hero of a well-designed room! These were the impact-fully functional element that completed our new style set in the Mr. Kate studios!
Enamored as I am with shelves that are not only 1) floating, but 2) pink, I similarly couldn't not include them in a DIY video to share the home decor magic with all of you!
What's really great about this design is that you and really determine the height and depth of the shelves, customizing them to your needs in every way. You could even use one board, hang it low, and use this tutorial to make a floating bedside or accent table!
Check out the video tutorial above and the full how-to below!
Prep It:
5 11"x48" plywood boards Pink paint - or whatever color or wood stain you like for your space Foam brush Rope Power drill Screw hooks Triangle Scissors Sandpaper Duct tape Paper Pencil
Do It!:
- The most important part of these shelves is balance, which means the holes must be evenly measured and drilled. To ensure this symmetry, measure a 3" by 3" square onto a piece of paper, cut it out, and use it as your template for where to make the holes.
- Place the paper in each corner of each board you use and mark the opposite corner, 3 inches in from each side. Then, selecting a larger drill bit (so the hole is big enough for your rope to fit through), drill the 4 holes in each board!
- Before you get to painting the boards, sand them down around the holes and over the tops and sides. Make sure to use a rag or cloth to get rid of any small particles to prep your boards for painting.
- Depending on the type of stroke or effect you'd like, use a paintbrush, foam brush, or rag to paint your wood boards pink (or whatever color you choose!) I used a brush, but then went over with a rag, which gave a smooth finish to the shelves.
- Once your boards have dried, take them to where they'll be hung. Start by screwing the hooks into the ceiling or surface the shelves will be hanging from, making sure the hooks are measured exactly to the width of the holes — in my case, 42 inches apart.
- Find the center point of each piece of rope. You'll want generous lengths of rope for this project since tying the knots under each shelf will take up more rope than you suspect. You don't want to be caught with two shelves to go and only a few inches of rope left! Once you've found the center point, fold the rope in 2 even lengths. Use a little bit of duct tape to seal the fraying ends of the rope, taping them into a point if you can so they're easier to pull through the holes in the boards.
- Starting with the top shelf, pull the rope through the holes, leaving a few feet up top to hang it from. Tie a knot in the two pieces, then string the two ends through the next shelf, and make another knot. This step can be hard to measure, but I tried to leave about 2 feet of space between each shelf. Depending on what you need or want to display on your shelves, you can adjust this.
- When you've gotten to the bottom, you can either let the rope hang (after removing the tape from the ends) or trim it under the knot for a more floaty appearance.
- Repeat steps 6-8 for the other side of the boards, keeping your knots loose throughout so you can tighten them as needed to make sure your boards hang straight and even.
- When you're finished constructing the shelves, hang them from the hooks, stack them with goodies, and enjoy your new decor, you DIY maven, you!
