The short description by cat mom is accurate. To generalize this: A series of rods sticking out of the wall go into holes perfectly aligned to receive them. 1./ Any metal rod sticking out of the wall, made any way. 2./ Any very well aligned hole in your chosen shelf material Here is an example from five years ago. Jackww had metal rods welded onto a flat bar. Then he bolted the flat bar into the wall. This is one way to get bolts into the wall studs. Probably he grooved out the backside of the shelf so that the flat bar would be hidden. His shelves were massively heavy oak used normally as countertop material. See http://www.ikeafans.com/galleries/index.php?n=803 and http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/yes-s-ikea/5498-masterpiece-abstrakt-white.html The strongest method is Metal rods. Other methods work too. They all involve attaching something to the wall which then gets covered by the shelf after the shelf gets slid over it or onto it. This is why most floating shelves are thick. In the Ikea web site and in Ikea stores, see Lack and Besta floating shelves. There are others too. Here is a link that might be useful: LACK floating shelf for $15 at Ikea

well said. Rods / dowels inserted into the studs, meeting matching tunnels in the shelves. Since the shelves are substantial, they are thick enough to be tunneled into. Use something called a "drill press" to make the tunnels. One thing you can do to make the rods, is a series of rods sticking out from a strip of metal which you bolt to studs. To see this, find "jackww's ABSTRAKT White Kitchen" in ikeafans.com probably here : http://www.ikeafans.com/galleries/index.php?n=791 http://www.ikeafans.com/galleries/index.php?n=780 http://www.ikeafans.com/galleries/index.php?n=779 (Custom 'floating' shelving using welded brackets and sections of NUMERAR Oak counter finished with 3 coats of TUNG Oil)

I love the lighting for the area, you have an opportunity to choose either to draw in the eye to this wall or have it blend in. I would choose floating shelves to have it stand out, you can have fun deciding the shelf placement too. whatever you decide, best of luck (:

What are you doing with the tables you are removing?…can they be cut lengthwise to make two long shelves?..you can use the legs for center support on top of the new desk,..the two sets of drawers could be re-used easily as well..to create a smaller desk area? For other jobs or end or side tables elsewhere?