Floating Shelf with Hidden Storage! 2026

Floating Shelf with Hidden Storage, a gift from a friend of eight drawer fronts from worn-out vintage catalogs inspired this project. Another friend suggested we make shelves out of them, so that's what we did!

The floating shelves were not initially designed to have a secret storage space, but towards the end of the build we realized we had the perfect opportunity to build in a secret compartment.

Ours will have a secret stash of candy!

Step 1: Gather Materials

Materials:

• 8 Vintage Drawer Fronts
• .5″x5.5″x3′ poplar plate
• .5″x3.5″x3′ poplar board
• .25″x1.5″x3′ poplar board
• .75″ x 2.5″ poplar board cut to 17″
• Wood finish
• Magnets
• E6000 glue
• French cord
• Wood glue

Step 2: Cut and dye

All cuts were made on a miter saw.

After all the cuts were made, everything was lightly sanded with 220 grit sandpaper.

The shelf can be stained or painted.

We used this red oak stain that complemented the vintage drawer fronts.

All parts were stained before assembly.

Step 3: Attach the fronts and French clip

To hold the four drawer fronts together, a 1.5″ wide piece of poplar was glued to the back of the drawer fronts.

The finished shelf will be hung on the wall with a French clip.

A French staple has two parts: one part goes on the shelf and the other on the wall.

Step 4: Glue

Assembly began with the sides attached to the bottom and top of the shelf.

Wood glue was used on all edges, fixed in place and then nailed down to hold it all together.

We wanted the finished shelf to sit perfectly flat against the wall.

To do that, we inserted into the back the amount that the French cleat extended from the back, which was about 1/4″.

Step 5: Add Magnets

It was at this point that we realized we could make a hidden compartment in the shelf.

We brainstormed how to attach the front and decided to use rare earth magnets attached to both the shelf frame and the front as a way to securely open and close the case.

To ensure that all the holes were the same depth, a piece of tape was placed on the Forstner drill bit as a guide.

We placed e6000 in a craft syringe so we could control the amount of glue that went into each hole.

After gluing the magnets to the shelf frame, we marked the location of the corresponding magnets on the drawer front backs.

Be sure to watch the video to see how we place the magnets in the holes.

Step 6: Attach to the wall

These little rustic floating shelves turned out so well. They are such a perfect addition to your living room decor that they look like they should have always been there.

We debated cleaning the drawer fronts with sanding and stain, but decided to clean them aesthetically and embrace their time-worn character.

Get more information at perfectionidea.com and on our Facebook for more Floating Shelf with Hidden Storage.

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