Large shelving systems along a wall are great for storage, but there's not always space for such a system. In these situations, a smaller wall-mounted shelf can still be helpful to hold books, display a collection, and much more.

The Agnes wall-mounted shelves, designed by Sarah Kay and Andrea Stemmer, allow the user to display items of varying depths. However, there’s no flexibility to adjust the height of the shelves; they either work for the user as-is, or not.

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Insert Coin, designed by Neuland Industriedesign for Nils Holger Moormann, provides the user with some flexibility. The shelves can be slotted in where they are wanted, and the whole unit can be hung either horizontally or vertically. With this design, the shelves can accommodate items of varying heights, but the shelves themselves are pretty short—so that’s going to limit their use.

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Mark Righter at Cambium Studio created these slippery shelves which take care of the “tall items” problem by allowing the users to slide the shelves as far to each side as they like; the shelves slide through a dovetail in the back. Ecologically minded users will be glad to know the shelves are made from bamboo, FSC hardwoods or reclaimed timber.

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Users who are concerned about things falling off the shelf might appreciate the Perch Shelf from Dino Sanchez, with the lip around the edge. However, the lip does hide the bottom part of what’s being stored, so it wouldn’t work well for displaying items where the entire item needs to be visible.

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Book Bound by Jennifer Delonge is a shelf with a higher edge, designed specifically for storing children’s picture books with the cover facing out—the best way to store such books.

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Wall-mounted cubes, such as these from Soapbox, don’t have a lip—but they do have sides, which would make them especially useful for storing books. Items could also be places along the top of the Soapbox if more storage/display space is needed.

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I’ve seen many shelf designs that move away from the basic flat surface—and while those designs are often eye-catching, they aren’t as practical. The Tubola shelf from AK47 looks cool, but it certainly limits what can be stored inside it. (Some of that book storage makes me cringe.) However, the Tubola could work nicely to display certain collections or to hold things like a knitter’s yarn collection.

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Designers can certainly get creative with a shelf’s looks while still maintaining the flat surfaces. The Transistor glass shelves from Tonelli, designed by Barberini & Gunnell, are just one example.

Thinking about glass shelves in general: Such shelves can create a lighter look than wood or metal shelves, which is especially helpful in smaller spaces. But they aren’t going to work in every home or office. Fingerprints are an issue on many glass shelves. And since some users will have safety concerns, designers of glass shelves may want to consider offering safety glass or Lexan as an option.

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The modular Fläpps shelving system from Ambivalenz has shelves that fold and unfold, as needed. For example, lower shelves could be closed (and anything on them moved elsewhere) when small children came to visit. This is another design allowing for taller items; if there are multiple shelves one above the other, the user could simply not unfold the shelf above the taller item.

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Rivelli shelving, designed by Mark Kinsley, takes the folding shelf idea to a new level—ensuring the shelves are a work of art when they are closed. Shelves can be finished with laser etching or with custom printed magnetic artwork. Since the images are magnetic, users can change them out as their decors and their tastes change over time.

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The Floyd Shelf, as provided, is a set of brackets; the users provide the flat surface. This gives users a lot of design choices, and allows them to change out the surface as their needs (or tastes) change. Another nice feature: The vertical lip of the bracket acts as a bookend.