When my daughter moved into her new home, she asked me to make a simple wall shelf to hide her modem and messy wires. The modem was mounted in the centre of the wall, with wires trailing down to a small table, which was always in the way. She didn’t want anything fancy—just a basic wall-mounted shelf. Of course, I had to add a few personal touches, like hooks and vinyl dog decals, to give it some personality while keeping the function she needed.

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Simple DIY Wall Shelf with Hooks and Personalised Touches

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Materials Needed

• Recycled pallet wood or timber offcuts
• Wood glue
• Screws or a nail gun
• Power drill and drill bits
• Cricut or vinyl cutter
• Orbital sander & discs
• wood planer
• Jigsaw or handsaw
• Measuring tape and pencil
• Wall mounting hardware
• Hooks for dog leads or keys

Step 1: Choose and Clean the Wood

I had leftover timber from a wall-mounted spa bar I built, so I repurposed it for this shelf. Pallet wood is great, but often rough. If you’re using pallets, clean the wood thoroughly. I used a wood planer for quick results, but sanding works just as well.

Step 2: Cut and Prepare the Timber

Use a jigsaw or saw to cut your timber to size. A table saw works well to square off rough edges. Pallet wood tends to split if it has been outside in the weather, so it’s best to pre-drill all holes before adding screws.

Step 3: Assemble the Shelf

Start by attaching the back to the shelf base using wood glue and screws. Repeat for both the top and bottom shelves.

Add the side panels using glue and either nails or screws.

For extra support, attach the front lip to the bottom shelf to prevent the modem from sliding off.

Drill from underneath and secure with screws and glue.

Step 4: Add Hooks and Personalised Decals

To evenly space your hooks, divide the shelf length by the number of hooks. Mine was 410 mm, divided by 3 equals 136.66 mm. To find the centre points, divide that again by 2.

I used my Cricut to cut vinyl dog decals with each dog’s name. These little graphics were applied above each hook to hang their leads—adding function and charm.

Step 5: Mount the Shelf

Use suitable wall anchors or keyhole picture hangers for a strong hold. This version was hung temporarily using a screw in the wall just for photos, but it must be properly secured for everyday use.

A Multi-Purpose Shelf

While this shelf was designed to hide a modem and organise dog leads, it’s also perfect as a key rack, hat shelf, mail organiser, or even a mini display shelf. With a little creativity, the possibilities are endless.

More DIY shelf project ideas

I built this shelf as an alternative to a traditional Christmas tree. After the holidays, I simply switch it back into a practical corner shelf.

I made this fun koala-themed shelf for my new grandson’s room, which is decorated with an Australian animal theme.

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