Thick Oak Shelf with Black Steel J Brackets

Light wood, dark steel. That contrast is the whole idea here: a thick oak board on black metal J brackets from Cascade Iron Co, the pairing behind the best modern open shelving.

The J bracket is named for its shape. It reads close to floating while carrying more than a hidden bracket, which makes the deep version a kitchen workhorse. Lengths run 12 to 84 inches, in 5 1/2 or 11 1/4 inch depths.

Boards come in oak, mahogany, walnut stain, or poplar for painting.

For the same build in dark wood, see the mahogany version.

For lighted open shelving, add a milled LED channel from this page. You set the groove; the LED strip is not included.