This $25 Floating Shelf Transformed My Space in 5 Minutes

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Six months ago, I agreed to sublease an apartment under the assumption that I'd be there for a short time. But in true pandemic fashion, I'm still here, and I don't plan to leave any time soon. Spending this long in someone else's space (with their appliances, their furniture) has left me desperately searching for impermanent ways to renovate.

When I found this renter-friendly floating shelf on Amazon, I thought it was exactly what my bedroom-slash-home office needed. Turns out, I was right: It took under five minutes to install and required no tools, yet it looks like it required hours of preparation.

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The High & Mighty 18-Inch Beveled Floating Shelf has a 15-pound capacity thanks to two metal hangers, whose sharp teeth push into drywall and leave nothing more than pin-sized holes. Frankly, filling them with spackle will probably take less time than the wildly brief installation.

An included adhesive level makes the shelf easy to put up, and it even has markings for where to place the hangers.

To mount the shelf, I placed the level on my wall, pressed the hangers into their designated spots, and hooked its corresponding metal slots onto the hangers. Boom—I'd hung up a perfectly straight floating shelf in minutes. After installing, I placed two hardcover books, a small lamp, and a vase of dried lavender on top, and it remained completely stable. The shelf is the perfect addition to my bare bedroom walls, and it even freed up space on my perpetually crowded desk.

Amazon shoppers love the High & Mighty shelf as much as I do. They have so much faith in its sturdy, space-saving design, they're installing them in multiples. "I was looking for a way to clear off my bathroom sink area. As it turns out, these shelves were the solution," one wrote. "I had three installed in less than 20 minutes."

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You can buy the High & Mighty 18-Inch Beveled Floating Shelf for just $25 on Amazon. It's currently in stock in white and black, and both will pair seamlessly with just about any wall.

To buy: $25; amazon.com.