The right height to mount shelves at? Each room has different "rules"
Shelves remain a popular furnishing accessory due to how useful they can be in homes - both aesthetically and functionally. Even the smallest room can benefit greatly from having some shelves to store/display a whole range of items, from plants to photos.
Of course, how and where to put up shelving depends on a number of factors, including the type of room, the function being served and the ideal height to mount them for the intended users.
So what is the ideal height to mount shelves at? We'll outline this for you, room-by-room.
1. Kitchen shelves
Shelves are often used instead of traditional cabinets in the kitchen as they look less "bulky" and ensure the utensils used frequently are readily to hand. Given this, it goes without saying that kitchen shelves must be easily accessible for anyone using the kitchen.
Designers recommend kitchen shelves being at least 140 cm from the floor and at least 30 cm from each other (when putting up multiple shelves). Obviously, the highest shelf must also be easily reachable.
And what about shelves above the worktops? In this case, the recommended height is 45 cm above the worktop, again with 30 cm gaps where multiple shelves are installed as a stack.
2. Shelves in the living room
The living room can also benefit from having shelving installed, both for decorative purposes and for storing/displaying items like books, plants and ornaments. In the living room, the height of the shelves will depend on the wall you want to mount them on.
If you have one, completely empty wall, for example, you can position your shelves to form a stack, starting with the lowest shelf at least 60 cm from the floor and spacing the shelves above it at least 40 cm apart. You can then load the shelves with objects based on their use: on the lowest shelves, place the things you will use most frequently; on the highest shelves, place your ornaments and infrequently used items. Designers recommend that the highest shelf in a stack be at least 70 cm from the ceiling.
If, on the other hand, you want to put up a shelf above your sofa to display paintings, photographs, candles or books, the right height is 45-50 cm above the backrest. Mount the shelf in a central position with respect to the back of the sofa for a harmonious and balanced look.
3. Shelves in the bedroom
There are several reasons why you might want to install shelves in your bedroom, and these reasons will determine the right height at which to mount them:
- shelves used as wall-mounted bedside tables should be positioned at a height based on the height of the bed, so that they are always easily reachable;
- shelves mounted on the wall behind a bed (without a headboard), should be positioned at least 40 cm above the bed; if the bed does have a headboard, the shelf should be at least 60 cm above the bed;
- for general purpose shelving, ensure that you maintain a minimum height from the floor of 60 cm and 70 cm from the ceiling.
In children's bedrooms, you can mount the shelves based on the ages of your children:
- for newborns, the shelves should be 40 cm high;
- for small children, the shelves should be 60-80 cm high;
- for children aged 6 and older, the shelves should be 80-100 cm high.
4. Shelves above desks
Whether it's the desk where your children study at or the one where you've set up your home office, shelves can be a very handy for storing books, file, stationery items and more; in this case, it is very important that the shelves are easily accessible, taking into account the depth of the desktop.
It's recommended that shelves be mounted at least 40 cm above the desktop, and no higher than 120 cm above it. If, however, the shelves have a purely decorative purpose, they can be mounted higher.
It's also important not to "crowd out" your desktop: use shelves with a depth equal to or less than 25 cm.
Thanks to these tips, your shelves will always be perfectly positioned!
