diff --git a/arrow/extensions/variant.go b/arrow/extensions/variant.go
index fee2e046a..0a691452d 100644
--- a/arrow/extensions/variant.go
+++ b/arrow/extensions/variant.go
@@ -122,10 +122,10 @@ func createShreddedField(dt arrow.DataType) arrow.DataType {
 //	 ), Nullable: true})
 //
 // This is intended to be a convenient way to create a shredded variant type from a definition
-// of the fields to shred. If the provided data type is nil, it will create a default
-// variant type.
+// of the fields to shred. If the provided data type is nil or Null (including an
+// extension whose storage is Null), it will create a default variant type.
 func NewShreddedVariantType(dt arrow.DataType) *VariantType {
-	if dt == nil {
+	if dt == nil || isNullType(dt) {
 		return NewDefaultVariantType()
 	}
 
@@ -220,9 +220,9 @@ func NewVariantType(storage arrow.DataType) (*VariantType, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: typed_value field must be nullable, got %s", arrow.ErrInvalid, typedValueField.Type)
 	}
 
-	dt := typedValueField.Type
-	if dt.ID() == arrow.EXTENSION {
-		dt = dt.(arrow.ExtensionType).StorageType()
+	dt := storageType(typedValueField.Type)
+	if dt.ID() == arrow.NULL {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: typed_value field must not be null type", arrow.ErrInvalid)
 	}
 
 	if nt, ok := dt.(arrow.NestedType); ok {
@@ -291,11 +291,25 @@ func isBinary(dt arrow.DataType) bool {
 		dt.ID() == arrow.BINARY_VIEW
 }
 
+func storageType(dt arrow.DataType) arrow.DataType {
+	if ext, ok := dt.(arrow.ExtensionType); ok {
+		return ext.StorageType()
+	}
+	return dt
+}
+
+func isNullType(dt arrow.DataType) bool {
+	return storageType(dt).ID() == arrow.NULL
+}
+
 func validStruct(s *arrow.StructType) bool {
 	switch s.NumFields() {
 	case 1:
 		f := s.Field(0)
-		return (f.Name == "value" && isBinary(f.Type)) || f.Name == "typed_value"
+		if f.Name == "value" {
+			return isBinary(f.Type)
+		}
+		return f.Name == "typed_value" && !isNullType(f.Type)
 	case 2:
 		valField, ok := s.FieldByName("value")
 		if !ok || !valField.Nullable || !isBinary(valField.Type) {
@@ -311,7 +325,7 @@ func validStruct(s *arrow.StructType) bool {
 			return validNestedType(nt)
 		}
 
-		return true
+		return !isNullType(typedField.Type)
 	default:
 		return false
 	}
diff --git a/arrow/extensions/variant_test.go b/arrow/extensions/variant_test.go
index a39fd5131..d2cc01249 100644
--- a/arrow/extensions/variant_test.go
+++ b/arrow/extensions/variant_test.go
@@ -83,6 +83,16 @@ func TestVariantExtensionType(t *testing.T) {
 			arrow.Field{Name: "metadata", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.String, Nullable: false},
 			arrow.Field{Name: "value", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: false}),
 			"metadata field must be non-nullable binary type, got utf8"},
+		{arrow.StructOf(
+			arrow.Field{Name: "metadata", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: false},
+			arrow.Field{Name: "value", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: true},
+			arrow.Field{Name: "typed_value", Type: arrow.Null, Nullable: true}),
+			"typed_value field must not be null type"},
+		{arrow.StructOf(
+			arrow.Field{Name: "metadata", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: false},
+			arrow.Field{Name: "value", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: true},
+			arrow.Field{Name: "typed_value", Type: extensions.NewOpaqueType(arrow.Null, "null", "test"), Nullable: true}),
+			"typed_value field must not be null type"},
 	}
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
@@ -113,6 +123,20 @@ func TestVariantExtensionBadNestedTypes(t *testing.T) {
 			), Nullable: false})},
 		{"empty struct elem", arrow.StructOf(
 			arrow.Field{Name: "foobar", Type: arrow.StructOf(), Nullable: false})},
+		{"null typed_value in shredded field", arrow.StructOf(
+			arrow.Field{Name: "foobar", Type: arrow.StructOf(
+				arrow.Field{Name: "value", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: true},
+				arrow.Field{Name: "typed_value", Type: arrow.Null, Nullable: true},
+			), Nullable: false})},
+		{"null typed_value extension in one-field shredded field", arrow.StructOf(
+			arrow.Field{Name: "foobar", Type: arrow.StructOf(
+				arrow.Field{Name: "typed_value", Type: extensions.NewOpaqueType(arrow.Null, "null", "test"), Nullable: true},
+			), Nullable: false})},
+		{"null typed_value extension in two-field shredded field", arrow.StructOf(
+			arrow.Field{Name: "foobar", Type: arrow.StructOf(
+				arrow.Field{Name: "value", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: true},
+				arrow.Field{Name: "typed_value", Type: extensions.NewOpaqueType(arrow.Null, "null", "test"), Nullable: true},
+			), Nullable: false})},
 		{"non-nullable two elem struct", arrow.StructOf(
 			arrow.Field{Name: "foobar", Type: arrow.StructOf(
 				arrow.Field{Name: "value", Type: arrow.BinaryTypes.Binary, Nullable: true},
@@ -1560,6 +1584,10 @@ func TestVariantBuilderUnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
 func TestNewSimpleShreddedVariantType(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, arrow.TypeEqual(extensions.NewDefaultVariantType(),
 		extensions.NewShreddedVariantType(nil)))
+	assert.True(t, arrow.TypeEqual(extensions.NewDefaultVariantType(),
+		extensions.NewShreddedVariantType(arrow.Null)))
+	assert.True(t, arrow.TypeEqual(extensions.NewDefaultVariantType(),
+		extensions.NewShreddedVariantType(extensions.NewOpaqueType(arrow.Null, "null", "test"))))
 
 	vt := extensions.NewShreddedVariantType(arrow.PrimitiveTypes.Float32)
 	s := arrow.StructOf(