12 Hanging Wall Bookshelves That Maximize Space In Your Rooms Without Compromising Style

Hanging wall bookshelves mean you don't have to choose between a chic storage option and extra space in your bedroom. Shop our editor-approved round-up now.

wall shelves on a colorful background
(Image credit: Urban Outfitters, Burke Decor, Arhaus)

When you're out of floor space, hanging wall bookshelves are your perfect storage solution. They're every bit as chic and decorative of a freestanding option, but take advantage of underutilized wall area, so that you don't have to figure out how to get all your favorite decor onto your desk.

And as far as bookshelves go, they're also some of the very best bookshelves to buy right now. The selection is great, and I've spent a good bit of my afternoon investigating across some of the best home decor brands to find the top 12 options available. Below you'll find a wide range of hanging wall bookshelves in a variety of colors and styles, and at a variety of price points. Because I'm not doing my sacred style editor duty if I'm not delivering you options. 

Let's get shopping!

12 hanging wall bookshelves to buy now

Livingetc knows design. We spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, bringing only our edit of the very best to you. Find out more about how we review.

For more bookshelf-focused edits, check out my round-ups of the best low bookshelves, the best ladder bookshelves, the best green bookshelves, the best red bookshelves, and the best large bookshelves.

When should I consider a hanging wall bookshelf?

Interior designer Grey Joyner, founder of Grey Joyner Interiors, has used hanging wall bookshelves and floating shelves in 'two different areas,' she told me: 'on either side of a fireplace in a den and also in a kitchen.' With the fireplace, she chose a wall bookshelf to 'cozy up' the surrounding areas with something 'minimal.'

In the kitchen scenario, Grey was hoping to maximize a 'spot beside the refrigerator that we felt could be a fun place to display some artwork and decorative dishes and glasses,' she said. 'I wanted to add interest and color and what better way than with a bookshelf.' And the hanging/floating design means the 'items on the shelves [...] do the talking, not the self of cabinet itself.' 

Either of these scenarios sound like you? Then I think you know which option to choose!

Brigid Kennedy
Writer

Brigid Kennedy is a freelance writer and former style editor for Livingetc.com, where she scoured the internet for the best and most stylish deals on home decor and more. She also served as the website's in-house sofa expert, completely revamping and reworking Livingetc's expansive sofa buying guide by interviewing a total of 17 interior designers and sofa experts at top brands like Article and Benchmade Modern; sitting on upwards of 50 sofas across both Pittsburgh and New York City; extensively polling her friends and family for their own sofa-buying anecdotes and product recommendations; and traveling to Dallas, Texas, to tour the floor of a couch factory. In total, she estimates she has spent 40+ hours (and counting!) reading, writing, and talking about couches with accredited sofa connoisseurs o then pass that knowledge on to you. She describes her personal design style as colorful and clean, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching movies, and curating impossibly niche playlists on Spotify. She recently relocated from Manhattan to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she's decorating and DIYing a new home downtown.