For more than ten years, one of our renovation mantras has been “the middle makes no sense.” In other words: don’t stress if your home is mid-renovation, half-furnished, or in transition. Live with an idea for a while, try things out, and course-correct as you go. See what you actually use and what feels right. The expectation of an instantly finished, perfect house will only lead to frustration—most homes evolve over years. Let spaces develop in ways that work for your family and make you happy. Over time, that approach usually results in something you love and find genuinely useful.
This awkward bedroom corner is a great example of that philosophy—especially because it got pretty strange in the middle of the process.
If you’re hunting for shelving ideas, we’ve also compiled a post with 16 DIY shelving projects—pantry shelves, heavy-duty storage, and more—worth checking out for inspiration.
Let’s rewind. This corner has changed a lot since we moved in three years ago. Initially we were “working with what we had,” and we even considered building a closet in that spot. Plans shifted and a larger closet ended up elsewhere, which is a perfect illustration of living with an idea, reassessing, and pivoting when necessary.
To orient you, the left side of the photo above is the same wall with our bedroom fireplace. That awkward angle—where the walls don’t meet at 90 degrees—made designing this nook a challenge. It’s also plainly visible from our kitchen and sitting area, so we wanted it to feel intentional and not simply like a bedroom space seen from the living room.
For a while we hesitated to make permanent changes because we considered converting the corner into a second bathroom someday. That possibility kept us from fully committing when we added built-ins around the fireplace, stopping short of going wall-to-wall on the right side. Over time the bathroom plan became less likely, so we focused on making the space useful now while keeping changes reversible.
For a long time the corner kept looking like a disconnected “moment” in the room. The blue dresser looked fine up close, but awkward next to the built-in cabinet when viewed from the sitting area. We lived with that for about a year while the bathroom idea lingered, but when that plan became less probable we started exploring permanent-but-reversible solutions that would both look better from the kitchen and add useful storage.
We landed on a solution we really like because it checks three boxes: it looks tidy and non-bedroom-like from the kitchen, it provides lots of concealed storage, and it adds open shelving for display. The changes included:
- Extending Ikea Besta cabinets to be wall-to-wall
- Adding trim and butcher-block countertops for a built-in look
- Installing three long Ikea Lack floating shelves above the cabinets
We considered more elaborate built-ins, but the clean, modern approach felt right and will remain useful for years. Fortunately, Besta cabinet sizes fit this wall almost perfectly, which was a small miracle given the acute angled corner. By adding three cabinets and repeating our previous method—baseboard, gap-filling, and a butcher-block top—we gained roughly 70 inches of additional storage.
Extending the countertop into that pinched corner visually resolved the awkward angle and made the whole wall feel cohesive. The end cabinet still opens fully, so functionality wasn’t sacrificed. In fact, one of the new cabinets now stores everything that had been in the blue dresser, giving us two extra cabinet-equivalents plus vertical storage from the three shelves.
Choosing the shelving layout involved a bit of trial and error: we bought three 72-inch floating shelves, mocked up placements with painter’s tape, and tested proportions visually until the spacing felt right. Three shelves provided balance—enough vertical room without crowding each shelf—perfect for a mix of books, plants, art, and cherished objects.
If you plan a similar install, aim to anchor shelves into studs when possible. For spots where studs aren’t available, we like 75 lb EZAncor anchors for their ease of use and reliability. We used them here and they’ve been solid.
Our goal was straightforward: more concealed storage, pretty displays, and a view from the doorway that doesn’t scream “bedroom.” The result accomplishes all of that. And yes—Sherry loves styling shelves; it’s one of her favorite pastimes. Practical note: she can easily reach the bottom two shelves, while I reach the top shelf (or we use a step stool).
Six months later, Sherry updated the styling and it became one of her favorite spots. She leaned into a pastel, iridescent “mermaid-core” vibe with crystals, handmade pottery, and family art. The shelves now feel lively and personal while the fireplace area remains calm and sculptural. From the sitting area, the view feels like a cozy library or family nook rather than a peek into a bedroom, which was exactly the intent.
In short, this project took an awkward, limbo corner and turned it into a functional, attractive moment that feels intentional from both inside the bedroom and from the main living area. We gained two full cabinets of concealed storage plus three shelves for display, and because the install is reversible and budget-friendly, we’re free to change it again down the road if we want.
More Floating Shelving Projects
If you want more floating shelf ideas, we’ve added several DIY projects over the years that might spark solutions for your own space, from non-bulky wood shelves to simple closet and laundry storage options.
- DIY Non-Chunky Floating Shelves in our old Bonus Room
- DIY Floating Wood Shelves on the kitchen backsplash
- Easy “Faux” Floating Shelves in our Beach House Office Nook
- Floating Storage Shelves in our Laundry Closet
- Simple Floating Closet Shelves in our son’s room
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