Category: Storage & organization

Why use a leaning ladder shelf rather than a normal bookcase? The answer is style. Both do the same thing, but a leaning shelf brings in some diagonal lines to your decor. It’s a way of breaking from the horizontal and vertical lines that are dominant in most furniture. Ladder shelves also tend to be be more narrow than other shelving units, and not very tall. In the end they are shelves for displaying, more than for storing, like a regular bookshelf would be. You may not want to put heavy items on these kinds of shelves, because they are not always the most sturdy.

The two examples below are very similar and I like them both:

White leaning ladder shelves pictured:
Left: Nexxt Hadfield 5-Tier Leaning Wall Shelf, White by Nexxt by Linea
Right: White 5-tier Leaning Ladder Book Shelf by eHomeProducts

White furniture can be appealing for several reasons. It has a clean bright look, it reflects light and thus tends to brighten a room, and it is neutral and not imposing, so it fits in just about anywhere. Of course, anything white tends to get dirty relatively quickly, compared to other colors. So be prepared to dust your shelves more often than your other furniture.

When space is at a premium and you need a hamper, pantry or cabinet, sometimes the only solution is narrow furniture. To truly maximize the space available in a small room, the furniture you choose should also be tall, providing more total storage space. Unfortunately, narrowness means that you can’t store anything too wide in these cabinets, but for small items they will be more than adequate.

Here are three examples – the one on the left is kind of nice, but the other two are rather dull, I think:

Tall cabinets for small spaces pictured:
Left: Mission Single Door Pantry Cabinet by Ameriwood
Middle: Sauder Homeplus Storage Cabinet in Dakota Oak
Right: Prepac Elite Collection 16-Inch Broom Cabinet

When buying a tall cabinet, make sure to check how many shelves are in it, and whether this number suits your needs. In some cases, some of the shelves are placed far apart. The idea there is that it leaves space for storing taller items. If this is not something that you need, and the extra space between the shelves goes unused, then it is just a waste of storage space. In other cases, the shelves can be moved to different heights. This is the most practical option, since it allows you to space them at distances that are best suited to your needs.

Two more examples – rather boring – but at least the fact that they’re white makes them less noticeable:

Pictured above:
Left: 4D Concepts Storage Tower, White
Right: Ameriwood 16-Inch Cabinet

Since these cabinets are often placed in cramped spaces, you should make sure that any doors or drawers can be opened fully when placed in the room, and not hampered by a sink, a toilet tank or even a towel bar. You may also want to look carefully at the materials the unit is made of. In a bathroom, the floor can easily get wet, be it from the shower or an occasional leak. Press-board absorbs water like a sponge. It expands, and in the process deforms the unit. So much so that if it absorbs a lot of water, the press-board will expand to the point where it will actually crack the laminate finish. The marring is purely aesthetic, but if it’s there, there is pretty much nothing you can do to fix it. As a preventive measure, if need be, you could put some furniture risers on the cabinet’s feet. This will keep the feet off the floor, but of course, it may affect the overall aesthetic appeal of the unit.