DIY Custom Brass Bar Shelving

Original Concept of Brass Bar Shelving

The original concept of brass bar shelving project, involved that industrial, brass pipe and L bracket look. I thought that’s what I wanted because I was seeing it done by many others.

Then we moved to brass L brackets as seen here.

But as time went along, I realized that that look was a little overdone (my opinion, of course) a little too industrial and little too intrusive for a delicate wallpaper.

I would still use it when it’s time to redo my kitchen. Anyways, I digress.

The 3/8″ Brass U channel Design

As my vision started refining I started loving the minimalist look of thin metal and let the wallpaper be the superstar of the look.

The vision became clear: clean lines, a floating effect, and just enough brass showing to let the wallpaper take center stage. I wanted something functional but subtle—something that wouldn’t compete with the beautiful pattern behind it.

Luckily I stumbled across the brass U channels online thanks to good old Google. I wanted thicker glass so it feels substantial and not delicate.

We could’ve easily gotten away with 1/4″ thick glass and matching sized brass channels.

We purchased 3 X 8 ft brass channels meant for 3/8″ thick glass from TDI brass — just enough for what my project needed.

Quality Of Brass Channels

The quality was fantastic, the finish was polished and ready to go. Not all brass sources sell finished brass. Sometimes you have to pour 8+ hours of work into it get it to shine.

TDI brass was shiny out of the box, the finish had that warm, polished golden glow I was after. The material was easy to work with too—solid brass is a soft metal, so it cuts cleanly with the right blade. I was worried that it might be an alloy and be a pain to cut.

Cutting The Brass

We used metal cutting blade to cut the brass. Honestly, that part of the project went too smoothly. I was getting worried that things were going to go sideways fast. Haha!

We cut the brass at a 45 degree angle so it could form an L in the corners. This is not essential and our corners are not perfect.

We used non- ferrous metal cutting blade. It has more teeth than a wood cutting blade. It’s meant to cut brass, aluminum or other soft metals. Not steel or heavy duty metals like that.

Brass shavings are very cool.

Installing the Back brass Channels

We started by securing the back U channel directly into a stud, making sure it was perfectly level. This was the easy part — drill holes in the brass and attach to the wall.

The brass drilling leaves this brass dust that I find also, very cool.

Using Wall anchors for The Sides

For the sides, there weren’t any studs to anchor into since our shelves are only 12 inches deep, so we used heavy-duty wall anchors.

The 3 channels form a perfect U together and the back U channel is doing the most of the heavy lifting.

Dealing with the Arch Curve

Our top shelf sits on a slight curve, so we had to shim the brass. The angel had to be perfect for the side support to be level like the other two shelves.

It is supremely important that all 3 U channels are perfectly in level with each other, 100% perpendicular so the glass slides smoothly

Measuring for Glass

When it came time to add the glass shelves, accuracy was everything. There’s not much room for error here—if the measurements are even slightly off, the shelves won’t seat properly.

Luckily, Eric’s measuring was spot on.

County Glass did a fabulous job on the glass edges. The clean polish elevated the entire look and made the installation feel very high end.

Let The Wallpaper Be The Superstar

And finally, let’s talk about that show-stopping wallpaper from Susi Bellamy. The goal of this brass bar shelving design was always to let wallpaper, no matter which one I choose, be the focus.

The brass part of the brass shelving adds just the right amount sparkle and glamor.

The paper is just as vibrant as you see in the pictures. The golds and the pinks and fuchsias are beautiful and just very very happy…if that makes any sense.

I am thrilled with the final look. Minimal, functional, and completely custom brass bar shelving that fits my needs and my space.