Are Floating Shelves Dated? What Modern Homes Really Use Instead

When people ask if floating shelves, wall-mounted storage units that appear to hover without visible brackets. Also known as open shelving, they are a staple in modern home design for their clean lines and space-saving function. are dated, they’re really asking if they still work in today’s homes. The answer isn’t yes or no—it’s about how you use them. Floating shelves aren’t gone. They’ve just evolved. You won’t see them stacked with mismatched trinkets and dusty knick-knacks like in the 2010s. Today, they’re used with intention: one or two well-placed shelves holding a plant, a single book, or a ceramic vase. That’s not outdated—that’s minimalist design done right.

What’s changing isn’t the shelf itself, but the wall storage, strategies that turn unused vertical space into functional areas without bulky furniture. around it. Modern homes are moving toward hidden storage—cabinets with no handles, built-in niches, and furniture that doubles as storage. But that doesn’t mean floating shelves are obsolete. They’re just one tool in a bigger toolbox. If you’re tight on floor space, like in a small apartment or a narrow hallway, floating shelves still make perfect sense. They don’t block light. They don’t crowd the room. And they’re way cheaper than custom cabinetry. The key is restraint. A single shelf above a toilet in a bathroom? Still smart. Three shelves crammed with random stuff in your living room? That’s where they start to look tired.

Related to this is the rise of minimalist decor, a design style focused on simplicity, open space, and purposeful objects.. People now care more about what’s missing than what’s present. A clean wall feels calmer than a wall full of shelves. That’s why you’ll see more homes using one floating shelf as an accent—not as a catch-all. And when they do use multiple shelves, they match the wall color, keep items sparse, and align everything perfectly. It’s not about removing shelves. It’s about removing clutter from them.

You’ll find plenty of examples in the posts below. Some show how to turn dead space into smart storage without adding bulk. Others explain how to style open shelving so it looks intentional, not messy. There are even guides on replacing old shelves with hidden cabinets or using under-bed and wall-mounted solutions for tiny spaces. The trend isn’t killing floating shelves. It’s teaching people how to use them better. If you’ve got shelves up now and they feel cluttered, it’s not the shelves’ fault. It’s how they’re filled. Fix that, and they’ll still look fresh in five years.