A shelf (pl.: shelves) is a flat, horizontal or sloping plane used for items that are displayed or stored in a home, business, store, or elsewhere. It is raised off the floor and often anchored to a wall, supported on its shorter length sides by brackets, or otherwise anchored to cabinetry by brackets, dowels, screws, or nails. It can also be held up by columns or pillars. A shelf is also known as a counter, ledge, mantel, or rack. Tables designed to be placed against a wall, possibly mounted, are known as console tables, and are similar to individual shelves.
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👉 Shelf (storage) in the context of Furniture
Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furniture is also used to hold objects at a convenient height for work (as horizontal surfaces above the ground, such as tables and desks), or to store things (e.g., cupboards, shelves, and drawers). Furniture can be a product of design and can be considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. It can be made from a vast multitude of materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Furniture can be made using a variety of woodworking joints which often reflects the local culture.
People have been using natural objects, such as tree stumps, rocks and moss, as furniture since the beginning of human civilization and continues today in some households/campsites. Archaeological research shows that from around 30,000 years ago, people started to construct and carve their own furniture, using wood, stone, and animal bones. Early furniture from this period is known from artwork such as a Venus figurine found in Russia, depicting the goddess on a throne. The first surviving extant furniture is in the homes of Skara Brae in Scotland, and includes cupboards, dressers and beds all constructed from stone. Complex construction techniques such as joinery began in the early dynastic period of ancient Egypt. This era saw constructed wooden pieces, including stools and tables, sometimes decorated with valuable metals or ivory. The evolution of furniture design continued in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, with thrones being commonplace as well as the klinai, multipurpose couches used for relaxing, eating, and sleeping. The furniture of the Middle Ages was usually heavy, oak, and ornamented. Furniture design expanded during the Italian Renaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The seventeenth century, in both Southern and Northern Europe, was characterized by opulent, often gilded Baroque designs. The nineteenth century is usually defined by revival styles. The first three-quarters of the twentieth century are often seen as the march towards Modernism. One unique outgrowth of post-modern furniture design is a return to natural shapes and textures.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Shelf (storage)
- 👉 Shelf (storage) in the context of Furniture
- Shelf (storage) in the context of Plank (wood)
- Shelf (storage) in the context of Cabinet (furniture)
- Shelf (storage) in the context of Bookshelf
- Shelf (storage) in the context of Dexion
- Shelf (storage) in the context of Slotted angle
Shelf (storage) in the context of Plank (wood)
A plank is timber that is flat, elongated, and rectangular with parallel faces that are higher and longer than wide. Used primarily in carpentry, planks are critical in the construction of ships, houses, bridges, and many other structures. Planks also serve as supports to form shelves and tables.
Usually made from timber, sawed so that the grain runs along the length, planks are usually more than 1+1⁄2 in (38 mm) thick, and are generally wider than 2+1⁄2 in (64 mm). Planks are often used as a work surface on elevated scaffolding, and need to be thick enough to provide strength without breaking when walked on. In the United States, planks can be any length and are generally a minimum of 2×8 (1+1⁄2 in × 7+1⁄4 in or 38 mm × 184 mm), but planks that are 2×10 (1+1⁄2 in × 9+1⁄4 in or 38 mm × 235 mm) and 2×12 (1+1⁄2 in × 11+1⁄4 in or 38 mm × 286 mm) are more commonly stocked by lumber retailers. Timber is categorized as a board if its width is less than 2+1⁄2 in (64 mm), and its thickness is less than 1+1⁄2 in (38 mm). In Germany, the national norm (DIN 68252) stipulates that the thickness of a plank (termed Bohle) must be 40 mm minimum.
Shelf (storage) in the context of Cabinet (furniture)
A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (solid or with veneers or artificial surfaces), coated steel (common for medicine cabinets), or synthetic materials. Commercial grade cabinets usually have a melamine-particleboard substrate and are covered in a high-pressure decorative laminate commonly referred to as Wilsonart or Formica.
Cabinets sometimes have one or more doors on the front, which are mounted with door hardware, and occasionally a lock. Cabinets may have one or more doors, drawers, or shelves. Short cabinets often have a finished surface on top that can be used for display, or as a working surface, such as the countertops found in kitchens.
Shelf (storage) in the context of Bookshelf
A bookcase also called a bookshelf, is a piece of furniture with horizontal shelves, often in a cabinet, used to store books or other printed materials. Bookcases are used in private homes, public and university libraries, offices, schools, and bookstores. Bookcases range from small, low models the height of a table to high models reaching up to ceiling height. Shelves may be fixed or adjustable to different positions in the case. In rooms entirely devoted to the storage of books, such as libraries, they may be permanently fixed to the walls and/or floor.
A bookcase may be fitted with glass doors that can be closed to protect the books from dust or moisture. Bookcase doors are almost always glazed with glass, so as to allow the spines of the books to be read. Especially valuable rare books may be kept in locked cases with wooden or glazed doors. A small bookshelf may also stand on some other piece of furniture, such as a desk or chest. Larger books are more likely to be kept in horizontal piles and very large books flat on wide shelves or on coffee tables.
Shelf (storage) in the context of Dexion
Dexion is a company name and brand particularly associated with the development of the "Dexion" slotted angle steel strip construction system, widely used since the 1950s for domestic and commercial shelving, storage racking, exhibition stands and accommodation purposes.
The original UK-based Dexion Ltd manufacturing company spawned several subsidiaries before eventually ceasing trading in 2003. Its bankruptcy saw the start of a long-running pension dispute with former workers.
Shelf (storage) in the context of Slotted angle
Slotted angle (also sometimes referred to as slotted angle iron) is a system of reusable metal strips used to construct shelving, frames, work benches, equipment stands and other structures. The name derives, first, from the use of elongated slots punched into the metal at uniform intervals to enable assembly of structures fixed with nuts and bolts, and second, from the longitudinal folding of the metal strips to form a right angle.