DIY Triangle Shelves

One of my favorite parts of my new home office/lounge space are my DIY triangle shelves. I knew I wanted some storage space above my desk to display trinkets and treasures, so I decided to DIY something a little out of the norm for some visual interest! And guess what? These are actually surprisingly easy to put together! I’m not so good with the power tools, but these shelves came together quickly and easily and I got to keep all my fingers! 😉

I’m going to apologize for the lack of pictures – this was a quickly put together project so I could finish off my room makeover!

My inspiration and main instructions came from Petite Modern Life’s post on how to build a triangle shelf. Her instructions  and diagrams are super clear and helpful. I wanted my shelves to be a little thinner and not stick out so far from the wall, so I used just regular 1x4s instead of the wider pieces she used.

Hubby and I used a miter saw to cut each piece into a 2 foot section. But the slightly tricky part is you have to cut each end at a 30 degree angle so the triangle’s corners will all be an equal 60 degrees. But you need to do each end the same direction so all the pieces fit together nicely when you place them together. So essentially, each board will look like a /.

Once all the pieces were cut, I sanded down each piece briefly with my 220 grit sanding block. We then used our Ryobi Airstrike nail gun  to nail the pieces together.

Take note how each of the joints fit together, with one end of each board fitting inside the next. The edges over lap to make nice sharp pointed corners. I then stained the shelves with Rustoleum’s Early American stain and put a clear coat over the top for durability.

We then brought them into the office and attached them to the wall using little ‘L’ brackets. Make sure you find a stud or two for maximum stability!

Though, don’t be like me and actually measure where you put your brackets so they are evenly spaced! Oops. I used 6 brackets per shelf – 4 on the inside and then 2 on the bottom piece. After that, I just styled them with some of my favorite things and they’re good to go! 🙂

They look so fantastic above my desk area and match perfectly with my DIY dresser update. I love the warm rich wood tones that play off of the cooler gray of the wall color.

The first shelf is styled with a potted succulent, my cacti watercolor artwork, a bracelet and watch, and my DIY wood round ring holder. I love the modern look of these shelves combined with my decor elements. Doesn’t it just go so well with my DIY modern mobile, too?

The other shelves houses some pretty gold trinkets and my newly made watercolor succulent art. I just love the pop of color the art piece brings amidst all the neutrals and wood tones! It just makes me smile 🙂

To see how these lovelies fit in with the rest of my new office/lounge click HERE for loads and loads of glamor shots and links to all sorts of fun DIY tutorials! While I was intimidated to make these triangle shelves and put them off for a loooonggg time, they ended up being so worth it and not that hard at all! With some help from my hubby, we just made a few quick cutes, a few quick nails, and few quick swipes of stain for some fun and modern shelves that we will have for years to come!

What would you put on your own triangle shelves?