Before You Splurge on Expensive Built-Ins, Consider This Designer-Loved Mini Shelf Trend That "Elevates the Ordinary"

Be it a bedside, bathroom, or bar these mini shelves offer a stylish solution for any area that needs a little extra room for all your favorite things

Image of a gray stone wall with a stand alone sink. Beside the sink are three blue, mini floating shelves with glasses on them
(Image credit: Tom Blachford. Design: Anouska Milstein Interiors)

If there's one place I can always do with a little extra room, it's on my nightstand. Add a lamp and a book, and suddenly you're out of space. Where do you put your glass of water, or the beautiful antique dish to hold your rings? By installing a mini floating shelf on the wall above it, of course.

The beauty of a mini floating shelf is that you can stylishly hang one wherever it is needed. Above a side table in the living room? By your bathroom vanity for extra counter space? Or perhaps next to your kitchen sink to hold a bar of soap? Plus, this clever shelving idea lends a helping hand without looking like an obvious storage trick — which is always a win in my book.

Australia-based interior designer and founder of A.mi, Anouska Milstein, says, "Visually, a mini floating shelf can provide a poetic way to create a moment of pause for one's eye moving across a space." Like art or lighting, it brings visual dynamics to a room.

Anouska adds, "We most often use them in our projects when we feel there is a particular activity we would like to encourage in the experience of that exact spot, as a way to elevate the ordinary, and to give a special sense of 'everything in its right place'."

Interior design is always better when the details are well-considered. So if you need a bit more room somewhere in your home, this is the interior design trend to have on your radar. To get you there, find six of my favorite styles to shop below.

Image of a woman sitting on a light blue velvet bench seat with a round, white stone table in front.
Anouska Milstein

Anouska Milstein is an Italian interior designer who is based in Australia. She founded A.mi, or Anouska Milstein Interiors, where she pursues her passion of creating interiors that tell stories and challenge expectations.

Image of a baby blue bathroom with a white marble sink and brash plumbing. There is a mirror hanging above the sink and a mini floating shelf on the wall.

The mini floating shelf in this blue bathroom gives a neat and orderly space for the towels to live that still feel a touch whimsical.

(Image credit: Tom Blachford. Design: Anouska Milstein Interiors)

Image of a white limewash wall with a marble mini floating shelf that have a wine glass on it.

There is some fun that can be had with the idea of a mini floating shelf, it doesn't always have to be incredibly purposeful. Sometimes it is more about curating a moment, like with this beverage shelf.

(Image credit: Tom Blachford. Design: Anouska Milstein Interiors)

A custom perfume shelf to add to bathroom vanity ideas, or an extra bit of space for your living room side table — mini floating shelves are the perfect marriage of form and function.

Olivia Wolfe
Design Writer

Olivia Wolfe is a Design Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated from University of the Arts London, London College of Communication with a Masters Degree in Arts and Lifestyle Journalism. In her previous experience, she has worked with multiple multimedia publications in both London and the United States covering a range of culture-related topics, with an expertise in art and design. At the weekends she can be found working on her oil paintings, reading, or antique shopping at one of London's many vintage markets.