Keep things organized while adding a little country charm to your busy city life. An entryway shelf is a practical way of adding a bit of rustic appeal to your home. This type of shelf is great for hanging jackets, keys, purses, scarves, umbrellas, or anything you need right before you walk out the door.

One way to age a painted shelf is to sand off some paint in spots to expose the natural wood underneath and make it look older than it really is. Carved wooden supports give any shelf a more rustic look. A rustic shelf like this is perfect for any space you would want the opposite look of modern plastic perfection.

Wooden supports are ideal for making a double shelf. A double wooden shelf is great for the outdoors to hold up potted plants in the garden or to display antiques. The extra support is perfect for heavy objects, so there is no worry that your rare finds or treasured plants will fall off as you might worry with a rickety shelf.

Although the iron age didn't start until 500 BCE, the use of wrought iron can be traced back to the Egyptians in 3500 BCE. Because of its malleability, almost everything was made out of wrought iron for centuries until steel became the more popular choice in more modern metalwork. This is why we associate wrought iron with an old fashioned, more nostalgic look. Wrought iron supports give any shelf a more rustic appearance.

Wide, thick steel or wrought iron supports are reminiscent of old fashioned doors and supports for heavy pieces of wood. You can even make a shelf with a railroad tie and use large industrial supports to add some nostalgia. You can even support the railroad ties or other types of rustic shelving with railroad spikes.

A shelf hanging by a rope doesn't only have a rustic look, it also conjures up the carefree image of a simple backyard swing. You can accomplish this simple design with any piece of wood and any sturdy rope you have on hand. To distress a new piece of rope, pull the rope in a sawing motion over a rough surface until you have the aging look you desire.

You can make geometric shelves in many shapes, including square, rectangle, triangle, or hexagons. You can turn square shelves on their points and hang a potted plant from the top corner. Geometric shelves can even fit together to make a larger design comprised of the rustic geometric shapes.

One easy way to make a rustic shelf is to take a wooden box and separate it into compartments. Once you turn it on its side, each compartment turns into a mini shelf within the box. You can sand and stain the wood to give it a more finished look. The more simple your design, the more rustic it will look.

If you don't have a lot of time and want to get a really rough, rustic look, hang wooden crates on their sides right on your wall. Wooden crates make great rustic bookshelves, either by themselves or grouped together to make a larger shelf. You might be able to find some wooden crates at your local farmer's market or at garage sales.

You can take old fashioned wooden trunks and turn them into rustic shelves. If you are handy with a saw, you can cut the tops off of the trunks. Use the bottom pieces as shelves while you use the tops as accents. If you cut the top of the trunk wide enough, you can use the top edge as an ingenious shelf that is a conversation piece filled with rustic charm.