Books, photos, gemstones, crystal animal collections, scented candles – you can accumulate a lot of stuff over the years, but there comes a point in your life where you feel you have to stop cramming it all into your closet or leaving it scattered across whatever surface is available. You can get away with a lot when you’re young, but life after 25 means turning your apartment (or your home) into a beautiful, curated space that you love to return to after a long day at work. It’s time to conquer your clutter and make your home beautiful.

When it comes to seasonal things like blankets, clothes, coats, and footwear, you need a storage solution that keeps things neatly out of sight. But for things like your collections, photos, books, and knick-knacks, floating shelves turn storage into display. Floating shelves are flexible, take advantage of wall space, function as shelving above pieces of furniture, and make the most of odd corners and niches in your home. You also have a lot of freedom in arranging them the way you want. You can set them in vertical rows for storing books, staggering them to create a visually attractive effect, or creating a free-floating arrangement on any wall. Floating shelves add something dynamic to otherwise bare walls and they come in so many different styles and shapes that they will match any interior design theme.

From the classic to the unorthodox, these are just some great ideas that will help you transform your home with floating shelves:

1. No More Kitchen Cabinets

You’re going to need some strong floating shelves for this one, but can you imagine a kitchen without any overhead cabinets? You can keep your dishes and glassware on floating shelves above your kitchen counter. This open concept shelf design is a stroke of rustic genius that will make your kitchen feel cozy. If you want your space to feel loved and lived in, floating shelves in the kitchen are a great idea.

2. Fill Wall Niches

Does your living room or hallway feature a niche in the walls? These niches can feel like a hassle when you discover your bookshelves or cabinets don’t fit them, but you can use these spaces effectively with floating shelves. Floating shelves let you create multiple rows for storing your books, utilizing space that would otherwise go to waste.

3. Staggered Shelves

Have a combination of books, photos, and home accents you want to put on display? You can display an eye-catching medley on staggered floating shelves, alternating between books and photos with tastefully placed accents like bowls, candle holders, and vases.

4. Above the Desk Floating Shelves

Need a place above your desk where you can stash books you regularly use when you work from home? A simple free-floating shelf above your desk puts everything you need in easy reach from your office chair.

The best thing about floating shelves is that you can put them wherever you want. Anywhere you need something to add visual interest to your walls or somewhere convenient you need to store books, you can install a floating shelf. Add some personal touches to your living space with the help of floating shelves.