The glass shelves seem to defy gravity, allowing everything on them to appear to float in mid-air. While glass shelves can’t hold much, they beautifully enhance anything displayed on them.

Glass shelving is often associated with bathrooms, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but why not consider it for other rooms in your home as well? Glass shelves in the kitchen with jars of beans or candied fruit are a great way to spruce up a corner or unused area above the door. Similarly, a set of glass shelves with family photos in the den gives you additional display space without making the room feel too cramped.

To maximize the beauty of glass shelves, be sure to use proper supports for them. Glass shelf brackets are specifically designed for this purpose, enhancing the elegance of the shelves. Do not use glass shelf supports for other types of shelves unless their use is clearly specified in the mounting instructions.

Approved glass shelf brackets tend to be lighter, more delicate, and in some cases deliberately smaller than other types of brackets. A large metal bracket can completely overshadow and weigh down a glass shelf, making it look unbalanced and unnecessarily heavy. It’s also wasted on a glass shelf, since larger brackets are designed to hold more weight, which is generally not an issue with shelves designed for display rather than storage.

The smallest glass shelf supports are rails or clips. These brackets barely protrude from the wall, and many of them are made of chrome, so they shine like glass and blend in naturally with the shelving they support. They are first mounted on the wall, and then the shelves are placed on them. Instead of screws that go through the glass shelf to hold it in place, they have specially designed screws with a blunt end that push down and hold the shelf in place. They are also rated by weight and by the thickness of the glass they are designed for. Rails and clips are really only good for glass shelves that hold lighter items. They are not designed to support any kind of significant weight.

There are entire pages devoted to brackets, shelving accessories, shelving of all kinds, and more in The Home Shelving Guide. Come and take a look at all the information we have compiled for you.

If you’re interested in placing heavier items on glass shelves and are concerned about them sagging, you’d be better off using standard glass brackets. These are more traditionally designed brackets that extend all the way from the wall to support the shelf. They differ from regular wooden shelf brackets in that they are usually longer than the width of the shelf. They are constructed with a raised foot at the end or an extended lip that holds the glass shelf in place. Since glass slides easily over metal, this is important so the shelf doesn’t slide.

The variety of glass shelf brackets available on the market is vast. Choose brackets that match your decor, your budget, and most importantly, the support needs of your glass shelves.