Picture frame ledge shelf

A picture frame ledge shelf is a perfect way to show paintings, photos and other decor. It the perfect solution to display items are hard to hang because they have no built-in hangers or other decor which are odd sized. A floating shelve will hold the decor secure and it looks great. Some picture ledges even comes with a special groove to keep smaller frames at the perfect viewing angle so that they will not slide off.

The paintings in this photo by Annie are all mounted on a thin floating shelf. This this example the paintings are all the same height but that is not necessary.  Add this over your living room sofa for a main focal point giving visual interest to your living room.

Floating picture shelf - Photo by Annie Spratt

A picture shelve is an another great way to turn a large space in your living room into a centerpiece or focal point for art or any other kind of decor. The advantage of using a shelf is that you can put many items on a shelf that otherwise you would be able to actually hang on the wall. There are some items that simply have no way to be mounted on the wall or at least not easily but will fit on a small shelf.

Pre-made frame ledge shelf options

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 1 - Ikea Mosslanda picture ledge - $14.99 each
Fig. 2 - Nexxt Design Edge 12 piece floating shelf set in Black - $68.99 set
Fig. 3 - Belham living foster ledge wall shelf set of 3 - $59.99 set

There are many pre-made shelves that can be bought almost anywhere but there is one style that I personally like much better than the rest. The style I recommend is the shelf that is free floating. In other words they have no supporting structures underneath that are visible. They appear to be floating on the wall. This style to me just looks better, more elegant. Plus they can be painted and blend into the wall which is a big plus. I want the focus and attention on the artwork and not the shelf. By painting the shelf or matching the shelf color to the wall it blends in. The focus is now on the art.

Floating shelve above sofa

A floating shelve is a great way to decorate space above your living sofa. You can use one long shelf or you can stagger two or more smaller shelves on the wall above your sofa. Art of various sizes can be placed on the shelf. You do not have to use same size art. Actually it looks better and more interesting if your artwork is at different heights. In addition, depending on the width of your shelves you can place other artwork like ceramics or clay artwork next to framed art make for a huge visual impact.

Floating shelf with no edge

Floating shelf with no edge

If you have a floating shelf with no lip to keep your pictures from slipping off then this is a big problem and your framed art may not stay on the shelf. It will tend to slide off. There are two solutions I can recommend and have used that will solve this problem. The first is to line the top of the shelf with a rubber mat. The rubber mat will grab the framed art and keep it from sliding off the shelf. You can buy rubber mats most anywhere for cheap. Just cut using a pair of scissors and either use double sided tape or hot glue to bond it to the top of the shelf. In some cases the rubber may be sticky enough on its own and will not need to be glued to the shelf.

The second method is to cut a small piece of trim and mount it to the top edge of the shelf. Trim can be found at any hardware store in almost any style. Just cut the trim to length and paint it to match your shelf. Then hot glue it to the top of the shelve. You framed art work can now rest against the trim without sliding off.

DIY floating shelf the easy way

This simple DIY shelf project offers huge versatility. It's a great place to store your photos, artwork work and other home decor. The simple DIY picture frame ledges works great to fill fill odd wall space under the stairs, over the sofa or just about anywhere. All you need is 3 pieces of wood. A 1x2, 1x3 and a 1x4. Choose the length for your particular project. They can be nailed, screwed or glued together. If you use glue you will also need a clamp to hold the boards together while the glue dries.

If you choose the glue option there are many glues that work really well but I use I use is Loctite PL Premium 3X. I have have great success using this glue plus it's paint-able if you need to paint it.