how to idea: chopped table shelves?

how do you display items in a unique way along walls, in small corners, in hallways.  how can you use the pleasing silhouette of a table or a stacking table set in your interior design, when you may not want or need the whole table, or may not have the space for it?

tables from second hand furniture stores may be destined for the chop if this shelf idea catches on. 

  the unique partial table look of these shelves remind me of furniture buyers wandering the corridors of thrift stores, tape measure in hand.  do they have tools at home to doctor the pieces for their space?  ruler, saw, scrap wood for the back, shelf hanging hardware…. hmmm…. easier said than done, I know, but would be fun to try!