It is very convenient to place wall shelves in the interior of any apartment. They do not take up much space, while being a highly functional part. Wall shelves are especially common as stands for TVs or other equipment. Such a shelf will help to install equipment without additional wall cutting and wiring to a specific place, and will provide the most convenient connection.
Features of wall structures
A wall shelf for equipment is a console-shaped structure, which, due to its appearance and mounting method, allows you to save free space in the house. Almost every shelf model of this type comes with a cable duct, which allows you to visually hide all the wires going to the devices.
A wall shelf is an excellent solution for placing various types of equipment; it allows you to place other interior details in the saved space without compromising functionality.
Now manufacturers are ready to offer a lot of different wall shelves, both in design and material. They are made from wood, glass, plastic and even metal. For example, glass shelves are produced on a chrome-plated metal frame, while the surfaces themselves are made of tempered glass. Such products look incredibly stylish in the interior.
Some products are equipped with brackets that provide remote-type consoles and clamps so that the equipment is protected from falling. You can choose a shelf of this type to hang equipment of any size on the wall.
Styling options
It is very important when decorating the interior to choose the right style:
- Classic. If you're not very design-savvy, then this is just what the doctor ordered. Correct shapes, slightly rounded corners, straight silhouettes. It is almost impossible to spoil the overall appearance of this austere furniture. The decor is used strictly in moderation;
- Neo Baroque. A combination of pretentious palace styles with modern materials and technologies. The result is high-quality furniture with unusual rounded silhouettes;
- High tech. The futuristic and airy nature of the designs comes first. Lots of glass, chromed steel, bright plastic;
- Modern. Strict cubic shapes. Minimum decor and simplicity. Bright hues. Expensive and pretentious design is not used;
- Country styles. The common thread can be called country music. A large amount of natural wood with a minimum of processing. The decor is simple, as are the silhouettes. Direct, but very memorable style. Artificially aged furniture will do.
Types of wall shelves
The designs under consideration are distinguished by their original appearance, convenience and ergonomics. They occupy a minimal amount of usable space and are very popular among buyers. Due to the variety of appearance, a wall shelf for TV and equipment becomes not only a functional piece of furniture, but also a stylish part of the interior.
The shelves are suitable for any room; they will be the best choice for those who do not want to clutter up the free space with cabinets and tables. Such shelves are made only from high-quality materials, with a thickness of at least 15 mm, which allows you to install things on top with a total weight of about 15 kg.
To install the TV, wide and narrow shelves are offered, which are equipped with brackets and specialized plugs to ensure that the TV screen is in the correct position. The shelf width in each case is selected individually in accordance with the width of the TV. So, deep shelves are suitable for older models, and products with a width of about 15 cm are suitable for modern plasma ones.
There are currently two types of wall shelves. These are: simple and rotary. The first option is performed only to support the device; such a shelf can be made with your own hands. The second type is more functional, as it not only supports the TV, but also allows you to direct the image in the required direction. Most often, such shelves are installed in the kitchen so that the housewife can watch programs from anywhere in the room.
Design ideas
Illuminated designs are distinguished by an interesting design, undoubtedly attracting attention and creating an aesthetic design, or products with glass doors, which can be transparent, matte or have different designs and patterns. To highlight the beauty of your interior and add the perfect finishing touch, you can use a floating TV model that combines engineering, aesthetics and ergonomics.
In the photo, the TV stand is white, complemented by internal blue lighting.
Products with a glossy shiny surface will refresh the appearance of the room and give it additional light and air, while the matte finish, due to the softness effect, will create a very gentle and calm design.
The photo shows a hanging floating TV stand in black in the living room interior.
Particularly sophisticated solutions are mirrored products, which add impeccable style and visual appeal to the environment, or models with patina, characterized by a special weathered effect. For a multifunctional design, they prefer stands for two TVs, which are equipped with wheels, shelves, and a hidden system for wires, which means they can be placed even in the center of the room.
The photo shows the interior of the room with a wooden floor TV stand equipped with shelves.
Shelf material
Nowadays, equipment is usually made with small dimensions, so it can easily be placed on the wall using a shelf. There will be no need to strain your eyes or turn your neck; the shelf can be installed in a place convenient for viewing and using the equipment.
Manufacturers, as already mentioned, make such products from different materials. For a better understanding and ease of choice, we will consider everything.
What to put on the cabinet?
Free space on the nightstand can be filled with CDs, magazines, small figurines, candles, photo frames, paintings or small sculptures. An exquisite background can be created by decorative or living plants, flowers in vases or other decor that attracts the eye with its interestingness.
Wooden wall shelves
Nowadays, companies are increasingly moving away from the trend of creating furniture walls with niches for TV, as modern people try not to clutter up the space with unnecessary furniture, freeing it up. A large amount of furniture in the room constricts the space, which causes psychological discomfort for those living in the apartment. Therefore, a small shelf on the wall will look much more advantageous.
Wood has many advantages, thanks to which it is constantly used for furniture production. This material is easy to process, so you can create any shape, and is also affordable. In addition, to save your budget, you can try to make a shelf for a TV or other equipment yourself.
Glass shelves
Modern interiors are decorated with practical furniture pieces that include glass and metal. All wall shelves are made of tempered glass, which, due to its properties, perfectly withstands technology and is not as fragile as ordinary glass. The most popular glass shelves are wall-mounted straight or corner models.
Against the general background, such structures look airy and weightless, in some cases they can simply not be noticed. The glass surface can be transparent, tinted or colored, which allows you to choose the design to suit any interior.
Wall shelves made of plasterboard
Such products have more advantages than conventional wooden or glass structures. The creation of a shelf depends on the wishes of the owner and the dimensions that need to be given to it. Also, during the installation process, the owner can think about ways to hide wiring and other communications.
Important! Shelves made of plasterboard look especially decorative in combination with LED lighting.
It is also convenient that such a shelf can be given any shade so that it fits perfectly into the room or can be completely hidden by simulating the same external finish as in the main interior. The cost of such shelves is low, if, of course, only the price of materials is taken into account, since any home craftsman can design and install such a shelf at home.
A plasterboard shelf will become a reliable place to place the TV. Shelves for accessories and related equipment can be placed around the main surface. Thus, you can get an original, custom-made product that will delight you with its functionality.
Places in the house for mounting shelves
The shelf can be mounted anywhere in the house where there is a TV or other equipment. For example, to place it in the bedroom, you can use designer shelves, which with their appearance will attract attention to the wall with the TV. To maintain and create greater aesthetics, they can be supplemented with small shelves with various little things. You can also go the other way and use wall shelves as a wall frame, and hang the TV itself on a bracket. In this case, you get the feeling that a separate niche has been allocated for the technology.
TV stand shapes
There are long designs that are perfect for placing large-diagonal TV devices, as well as acoustics with speakers and a player. Most often, these models are used in more spacious rooms, where they can differ in both stationary and hanging locations. Such elongated cabinets are also equipped with various drawers and shelves, complemented with furniture in the form of side cases, shelving, hanging cabinets or slides.
The photo shows a room with a long floor-mounted TV stand, made in white.
There are also corner products, which are a very practical option that provides the opportunity to effectively save space, both in large and small rooms. Such models most often have shelves and sections, which makes them quite spacious. The TV stand can have any very intricate configuration, for example, triangular, polygonal, oval, semicircular or any other shape that allows you to achieve a designer interior.
The photo shows a compact corner TV stand in the interior.
The nuances of placing a wall shelf
The correct placement of a wall shelf should take into account the physiological characteristics of a person so that watching TV is as comfortable as possible. So, the distance to the screen should be equal to 4 diagonals of the screen. This is the only way to achieve the absence of tension in the eyes. If a plasma is installed in the apartment, then this nuance becomes extremely important.
A person should be positioned at an angle of 30 degrees from the TV, so it is worth maintaining this figure when placing a shelf. The height of the TV is also important. The correct value would be a height of 1 m from the floor or equal to the height of a person. All of the listed placement features are calculated taking into account the height and location of the seating areas from which a person will watch TV shows.
Important! Only a TV that is used in rare cases can be placed too high and the style of the interior implies this.
In order to correctly determine the level of placement of a shelf on the wall, you should perform a few simple steps:
- Sit on the sofa, keeping your eyes closed.
- When you open your eyes, immediately look at the intended location of the TV.
- Mark the area where your gaze first fell. This will be the top point of the screen location.
In the case of planning the location of the TV in the bedroom, all the same actions are repeated only in a lying position.
How to determine the optimal TV mounting height
The height of the TV receiver does not depend on the room, but on the furniture and the size of the device. If it has a large diagonal, then it should be placed at a short distance from the floor. Therefore, with a small diagonal - higher.
In any case, there are no ideal parameters; the cabinet will be high or low, only you choose. Since, in addition to height, it is necessary to take into account individual viewing comfort and parameters such as the design and area of the room.
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Places where it is prohibited to place a shelf under equipment
There are places in the apartment where placing a TV is strictly prohibited. This is, for example, the place above the stove in the kitchen, the area above the fireplace in the living room. It is also not recommended to place any equipment in niches in such a way that air cannot flow to the rear of them. This can ruin any device. In particular, this arrangement is prohibited for plasma panels, which tend to heat up quickly.
When planning a place to install a shelf, you should not rely only on aesthetics, especially if it contradicts safety rules. If you need to place the TV in a niche, then you should ensure that it is large and the distance between the wall and the equipment is approximately 20 cm.
You should not hang shelves, especially if heavy objects will be placed on them in the future, on walls that are not very strong. This primarily applies to drywall. If such a need exists, then the wall surface is first strengthened with plywood.
Making your own wall shelf
If you have the desire and free time, then a wall shelf for equipment can be made with your own hands. You don't need any specialized tools for this. You will need: a saw, a drill, a construction level, fasteners, a ruler, a marker, a tape measure and the manufacturing material itself. Most often, shelves are made from MDF, so we will consider this option. It is very convenient to use leftover material after repairs that have no use.
To begin with, it is worth creating a drawing of the future structure on paper indicating all the joints and dimensions. In this case, the dimensions of the room and the equipment that is planned to be installed must be taken into account.
Next comes the main installation in accordance with the previously completed project. To obtain a high-quality design, the elements are connected in stages, resulting in a finished product. If there are unprocessed sections left, they can always be decorated with decorative ribbons using an iron.
