Retire Your Old Bookcase: This Alternative From Lowe's Maximizes Corner Space

Bookcases are great space-savers in a room, maximizing vertical storage options for whatever you'd like to stack or display, but they tend to be very one-size-fits-all: a tall rectangle with shelves. If you've got a small space, placing a bookshelf in a corner renders one wall useless. One alternate option is a corner shelf, like the Tribesigns 7-shelf Brown and Black Corner Bookcase from Lowe's –– its corner-fit design maximizes space and utilizes the area your old bookcase was wasting.

The bookcase's open-shelving style "feels" lighter than a standard style. Its mix of reinforced wood shelves and x-shaped metal cross-frames fits the welcoming rustic home design trend. The metal adds to the load-bearing capacity and sturdiness of the piece. The manufacturer states that each shelf can hold up to 40 pounds. Most customers who have purchased the piece comment that it's "fairly easy to put together" alone, though the provided wall anchor screws may not tighten enough, so that's something to keep an eye on. A few had issues with missing assembly parts. The shelves are not adjustable, so check dimensions if you have something especially tall that you're planning to store upon it. There are certainly many items beyond books that can be stored. While fitting a bookcase into your small living room or bedroom is helpful, this space-saving piece can lend a helping hand in other areas of your home, too.

Aside from the living room, the bedroom, office, and kitchen are some additional areas where you should consider which unused corners represent an opportunity for maximized storage. If you've got a walk-in closet, the six tiers of this shelf would make a great shoe storage solution worth trying, whether in bins, boxes, or shoe bags. Sweaters, bulky blue jeans, purses, bed linens, or bath towels, will also stack nicely on the shelves and the end brackets will keep them from slipping off the ends.

Just off your kitchen, you may have a pantry with a corner that can store baking staples, extra appliances and entertaining items. Those platters and the mixer you only bring out at the holidays don't need to live in your main kitchen cabinets full-time. You could even convert a small closet with a pair of these shelves to DIY a stunning butler's pantry for extra storage. Arrange everything and clean up pantry clutter with inexpensive bins and baskets for a streamlined look.

The garage is another spot that can really use clearly compartmentalized storage –– and using every square inch of space you can. A few inspiring garage storage ideas using this corner shelf include bins of sporting equipment –– helmets, knee and elbow pads for biking and skateboarding, shin guards and a soccer ball, or corralling all your pickleball or tennis supplies into their own space makes them easier to grab and go when it's time to play. Similarly, storing tools, paint cans or holiday decorations are all great uses for this sturdy piece (keeping weight limits in mind –– total should not exceed 350 pounds. Just be certain to observe garage storage safety tips like securing the shelf with wall anchors.