It Can Be Done: 8 Spaces that Make Track Shelving Look Good

Track shelving might be the most common in a pantry, office or garage, but if you know how to style it right, it can be beautiful enough to sit front and center right in the living room. Just check out these eight rooms, which each put their own spin on the track shelf thing.

Above: Mounting art to the wall between the shelf standards gives this wall unit from Old Brand New a more upscale look.

Layering with piece of furniture that’s the same width as the shelves, like here on Design Sponge, makes the whole thing look like a built-in.

A corner unit, like this one from A Beautiful Mess, has the same bespoke effect.

If it’s within the budget, skip the laminate shelves in the aisle with the shelf hardware and get some real wood planks, like here on Almost Makes Perfect.

Upgrading materials is the simplest way to elevate the look. Here in Nexus & Delila’s Relaxed Organic Modern San Francisco Rental, they combine Rakks hardware with teak wood planks.

If you want to have the shelves visually disappear, match the planks and the hardware to the color of the walls, like here in Joanna Goddard‘s apartment, designed by Emily Henderson.

It’s also nice to use the color of the hardware or shelves as an accent color, like with how the black and natural wood mirror the other materials in this kitchen from Milk Magazine.

Track shelving is even great in the place of a traditional standing bookshelf, like here from Manhattan Nest. The wall-mounted shelves offer two huge advantages: They can often get closer to the ceiling (more storage!), and don’t take up any visual floor space (to make your place feel bigger).