Large Living Room Wall Shelves for All Your Treasures

A living room is often the heart of a home - a welcoming space for relaxation, entertainment, and spending quality time with loved ones. However, living rooms can easily become cluttered with books, decor items, media components, and more. Large wall shelves provide the perfect solution to stash all your living room treasures while opening up floor space and enhancing your room's style.

Wall shelves free up room to move around and make your space appear larger and airier. They also provide plenty of flexible storage options that can be arranged and rearranged to suit your needs and aesthetic. Read on to discover the manifold benefits of large living room wall shelves and tips for choosing and styling the ideal shelves for your home.

Benefits of Large Wall Shelves in Living Rooms

From a practical and visual standpoint, oversized wall shelves offer many advantages for living room storage and decor:

• Increased storage capacity: Big wall shelves provide abundant storage real estate to organize books, collectibles, media, decorative items, and more. Declutter your living room by keeping less-used items on shelves rather than out.
• Versatility: Shelves can hold anything from vases and succulents to trophies and souvenirs. Mix, match, and rearrange items to create varied shelfscape displays.
• Aesthetic appeal: As a focal point, large statement shelves lend visual character. Floating shelves make walls pop with depth and textures.
• Functionality: Keep everyday living room items like TV remotes, coasters, and candles close at hand on wall shelves for convenience.
• Cost-effective: Compared to built-ins, free-standing shelves are an affordable and non-permanent solution for expanding storage.

Now that we've covered the vital benefits of wall shelves, let's explore considerations for selecting and installing shelves to maximize your living room layout and storage needs.

Choosing the Right Large Wall Shelves

With myriad shapes, sizes, and styles of shelves to browse, narrowing your choice comes down to assessing your space, storage requirements, and decor goals.

Consider Available Wall Space and Room Size

First, determine the best wall area(s) to mount shelves. Measure to find the largest, uninterrupted spans of wall space. Also gauge ceiling height to decide how many shelf tiers or tall bookcase units your room can accommodate.

The scale of shelves should suit the room proportions. For example, a small living room calls for narrow or short shelving so as not to overwhelm. A spacious loft-style living room can handle a monumental wall-length shelving unit as a defining architectural element.

Material Options for Large Living Room Wall Shelves

Wall shelves come in a spectrum of materials like wood, metal, glass, and acrylic. Choose materials aligned with your room's existing decor and furniture:

• Wood shelves in finishes like walnut or whitewash match most color schemes from traditional to modern. They bring natural warmth and texture.
• Industrial metal piping shelves or steel brackets paired with reclaimed wood planks complement urban and rustic living rooms.
• Acrylic or glass lend a light, airy quality and transparency to display treasured belongings.

Also factor in durability and weight-bearing capacity based on which items will live on your shelves.

Stylish and Functional Large Shelf Designs

Hone in on the exact shelving structures suited to storing your living room items. Look for style and functionality in tandem.

• Bookcases: Classic wood bookcases spanning from floor to ceiling provide copious storage for books, framed photos, accessories, and collections. Enclosed cabinet shelves stow clutter out of sight.
• Ladder shelves: Leaning ladder-style shelves act as a room divider and display for art objects at varying heights.
• Corner shelves: Fitting snug into room corners, triangular shelves maximize awkward space for plants, candles, and knickknacks.
• Floating shelves: Mounted directly on the wall without visible brackets, floating shelves create modern breathable displays for vases, sculptures, and other showcase pieces.

Now that you've selected dream shelves, it's time to mount them properly to ensure they function as sturdy, long-lasting storage solutions.

Hanging and Installing Oversized Living Room Wall Shelves

Proper installation is paramount for shelves carrying substantial weight. Follow these tips when mounting large living room wall units:

Ensure Proper Mounting to Hold Heavy Items

Securely anchor into wall studs, not just drywall. For floating shelves, use specialized floating wall anchors and brackets to bear weight. When in doubt, consult a professional installer for assistance.

Large Shelf Layouts for Living Rooms

Plan shelf placement meticulously before drilling. Map out arrangements accounting for existing furniture, pathways, windows and doorways, seating areas, etc. Measure carefully to align rows of shelving for a cohesive built-in look.

Aesthetic Lighting Ideas for Big Wall Shelves

Work lighting into your shelf plans to highlight treasured items. Install sconces or track lighting above. You can also incorporate discreet LED strip lights along shelf edges. Whatever illumination you choose, adjust lighting angles to prevent glare.

When shelves are up, it's time for the fun part--decorating! Use these tips for styling and organizing wall units for an inviting, clutter-free living room oasis.

Decorating and Organizing Hefty Wall Shelving

Filling vast wall shelves can feel daunting. Follow these guidelines to merchandise and arrange your display:

Displays for Collections and Treasures

Show off cherished collections like seashells, vintage cameras, or music boxes. Aim for visible order by grouping like items together. Intersperse decor accents like trays, candles, or draping vines to tie collections together.

Bookcase Shelving with Additional Storage

Maximize bookcase space with baskets and bins for storing clutter out of sight. Sort books by color, subject, or height variation. Tuck in framed photos, art objects, or potted succulents between book rows.

Unclutter with Roll-Out Baskets and Drawers

Incorporate modular cubbies, baskets on casters, or cabinets with shelves that slide out to neatly corral electronics, controllers, DVDs and video games. Conceal kids toys, blankets, or other visual clutter.

Your shelves may serve practical storage needs, but they equally impact your living room's overall aesthetic and vibe.

Large Wall Shelves to Unify the Living Room Decor

Tying your shelving into the living room design results in visual harmony. Consider these decorative techniques:

Complementary Colors and Textures

Choose shelves in wood tones and colors that coordinate with your existing furniture and palette. Accent with baskets, boxes and accessories in compatible hues and materials. Play with varied textures like nubby wicker paired with sleek lacquered boxes for depth.

Repurpose and Reuse Old Furniture

Give forgotten furniture new life as wall shelves. Refinish an old ladder, door, or tabletop as shelves infused with nostalgia. Salvaging and refashioning materials adds budget-friendly personality.

Factor your living room's current design motif into shelf styles and accessories. For boho spaces, macrame hangings and woven baskets suit. Industrial lofts call for galvanized metal shelves and exposed Edison bulbs. Capture your room's vision from corner to corner.