Floating shelves are super-practical and offer so many interior design opportunities where you can display beautiful objects and really stamp some personality into a room scheme.

But while they look great, they can bring a host of problems – from making sure the wall is strong enough to avoiding drilling through cables.

So how do you achieve this super-chic look without having a DIY disaster?

We asked Kel Harmer, the founder of award-winning Oh So Kel, the source of unique chic homeware and inspiration for beautiful living blog.

She loves DIY and has recently put up floating shelves in her kitchen.

Kel has written an ebook called The Art Of The Shelfie and her collection of unique chic homeware is full of beautiful decorative accessories for creating the perfect ‘shelfie’.

Here’s Kel’s simple how-to guide to putting up floating shelves:

Before committing to floating shelves (or any other shelves for that matter), check the construction of the wall to ensure you have the right tools to fix a secure shelf and that it’s safe or strong enough to put one up at all.

Brick walls will need different plugs to plasterboard or drywall and if there are cables and pipes you won’t be able to drill there.

Once you’ve established that it’s possible to fix a shelf there and what type of wall you’re drilling into, measure the space and buy the correct length of shelving.

There’s nothing worse than a wonky shelf. A spirit level will be your friend here to make sure it’s straight. Hold up the mount bracket at the height you want and then mark out where the fixing holes are with a pencil.

Once you’re sure they’re in the correct place, make a small dent there first and drill the holes where they need to be.

Wires tend to run either up and down the side of a stud as they tend to be there to reach ceiling lights etc, so once you’ve established where the studs are it’s easier to know which part to avoid – particularly around a light switch.

Wall scanners are also available from around £30 in hardware stores. If in doubt, make sure to bring in an electrician for advice.

Drill or tap your mount bracket into place using the correct plugs according to the type of wall you have.

Once you’re absolutely sure the bracket is tight and secure to the wall, you can now slide the shelf onto the bracket and fix into place.

Now comes my favourite part – you can now make a start with creating the perfect shelfie. Before overloading your shelves with your beautiful books and home accessories, take note – just make sure that you go easy to begin with as all shelves will have a weight limit.

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