DIY Mid-Century Modern Shelving

Display treasured reading material on your DIY shelving unit.

Modern mid-century design is known for its clean lines and interesting combinations of materials. Working on the design principle of “less is more,” mid-century designers created visual interest by combining metal and wooden materials. A quick trip to a home improvement store will provide you with all the materials you need to create a modern mid-century shelving unit. Combine a wall shelving unit with display shelving to create a beautiful, functional piece.

Things You'll Need

• Stud finder
• 3/4-inch plywood or renewable alternative
• Table saw
• Latex paint (Optional)
• Foam paintbrush (Optional)
• Self-adhesive shelf paper
• Scissors
• Floor flanges (16)
• 2-foot threaded pipes (8)
• 2-inch galvanized screws
• Cordless drill or electric screwdriver
• Screwdriver bit
• Wooden crates (4)
• Metal towel rack with mounting hardware

Instructions

1. Use a stud finder to locate the studs in the ceiling. Mark the studs in the area you want the shelving unit to be on the ceiling with a pencil.

2. Cut 3/4-inch plywood into four planks. Each plank should measure 10 inches wide by 4 feet in length. If desired, paint the plywood boards with latex paint. Use a foam brush to apply long, even strokes, moving in the same direction as the wood grain.

3. Take two of the floor flanges and place them on the floor spaced 4 feet apart and directly under the ceiling studs you marked in Step 1. Screw the flanges in place with 2-inch screws. Screw a threaded pipe into each floor flange.

4. Thread two more floor flanges on top of the pipes so each bottom flat piece faces up. Set one of the plywood boards on top of the flange. From underneath, secure the board by putting screws through the flange into the board.

5. Add two additional flanges on top of the board. Again, secure the flanges by screwing them into the board. Add a piece of threaded pipe to the flanges. Place two more flanges on top of the board. Place the second board on top of the flanges and screw it in place.

6. Repeat Step 5 until the shelving unit has four shelves and reaches the ceiling. Screw the final layer of flanges into the marked areas on the ceiling.

7. Use the stud finder to locate the stud in the wall on the left side of the shelving unit. On the studs, measure 4-1/2 feet up from the floor. Mark the studs on the wall.

8. Hoist a wooden crate up to one of the marked areas on the wall. Place the crate so one of its bottom boards is centered on the mark and the open end faces out. Secure the crate in place with three screws through the bottom board into the stud.

9. Repeat Step 8 for the other wooden crates. Create display, boxed shelving alongside your other shelving unit by spacing wooden crates along the wall every 2 feet.

Tips & Warnings

• It may be necessary to adjust the lengths of the pipes and the number of boards to fit the shelving unit into your space.

References

• Apartment Therapy: Stag Hair Parlor -- DIY Design and Style
• ManMade: How-to -- Build a Mod, Floating Shelf
• Shelterness: Quick DIY Shelving with Mid-Century Modern Design
• Ready Made: Home Organization 101 -- Floating Box Shelf