How to Decorate a Large Wall With Wall Shelves

Designate the space on the wall you want to fill with shelves. Use your imagination. Fill the entire wall with shelves if you have lots of books or movies to place on them. Make sections of floor-to-ceiling shelves mixed with sections of shelves about 4 feet high to leave space for a painting or a tall sculpture. Measure the space where you will be adding shelving so you know how much shelving to purchase.

Purchase the type of shelving you want for your wall. Buy a built-in shelving kit to install the shelves on the wall. Purchase free-standing bookcases if you want two or three sets of shelves with wall space showing in between. Purchase floating shelves if you want to make a pattern of shelving to decorate the walls and only have a few items to place on the shelves. Shelving comes in many colors and types of wood. Choose the one that best suits your room's decor.

Follow the instructions in the shelf kit to construct or install the shelves. Materials needed will most likely include a hammer and nails to secure the shelves to the wall, and a level to check that the shelves are straight before placing the nail in the wall. When hanging floating shelves, for example, it is best to hold the shelf against the wall slightly below where you wish to hang it. Check the shelf with the level and mark the wall above the shelf where the nails will go. Place the nails where you marked, and you will avoid extra holes in your wall.