Open Shelving Kitchen Ideas, To be frank, I felt that my mother believed that I have lost my head when I initially removed the upper cabinets in my kitchen and replaced them with the open ones. Where do you think you are going to put everything? You see, I am sincerely interested, she inquired. That was six years back and I have not turned back since then.
However, there is the secret of open shelving that most design blogs will not tell you and this is, that it does not suit everyone and that putting it up involves more consideration than simply gluing a piece of wood on the wall. I have assisted friends, family members, and clients through this decision and I have also witnessed beautiful successes as well as disappointing failures.
The reason why open shelving has a staying power.
Open shelving is not a temporary trend. It has been part of the European kitchens since decades, and professional restaurant kitchens have been using the readily available storage since time immemorial. It is quite simple to say the least, makes a kitchen look larger, makes you keep everything neat, and places what you use most of the time within your reach.
In addition to physical attractiveness, there is the practical factor that attracted me. I had sick and tired of opening and closing cabinet doors twenty times preparing dinner. Using open shelves, I take a bowl, take a spice jar and continue. It saved my real time by several minutes per day.
Concepts That prove to be Real in Real Kitchens.
This mix has become iconic in every way possible. The harmonization of warm wooden tones with pure white tile is a contrast that does not overpower a room. I also put up one of my own kitchen with floating shelves made of walnut with classic white subway tile and after years of operation the appearance is still fresh.
Experience shows that it is a good idea to use wood with the thickness of at least 2 inches. Anything that is a bit thinner is seen to be flimsy and will eventually droop with the weight of the dishes and glasses.
Mixed Materials Shelves Plus Cabinets.
A complete openness might seem dangerous, and, frankly, a hybrid solution can be a more appropriate option to the majority of families. Store heavy cookware in the bottom cabinets, appliances that you do not want to be on display, and that junk drawer which everyone claims to be junk free. Then make open shelves on the top where the upper cabinets should have been.
I did this to my neighbor recently who was redesigning her galley kitchen in this particular way. She had base cabinets in a dark navy, she introduced brass-bracketed open shelves at a higher level and the transformation was remarkable. The kitchen became not just a narrow corridor as it used to be before, but airy.
Metal and Industrial Pipe Shelving.
In case you tend to gravitate towards farmhouse and industrial style, pipe shelving provides seriousness. The wood planks used in the construction of black iron pipes make it appear that easy cool appearance you observe in the converted loft apartments and craft coffee shops.
There is one caution I would give though, and that is to ensure that the pipes are firmly fixed to studs. I have witnessed a pipe shelf installation that had been inspired by Pinterest and failed due to the installation of drywall anchors rather than using lag bolts. Gravity does not come well with ceramic dishes.
Corner Shelf Solution
Any small kitchen is the victim of dead corner space. By encircling open shelves around a corner, one will be able to make the most use of the storage in areas where the conventional cabinets would be a needless waste. Virginity collections L-shaped floating shelves or a basic triangular corner shelf may be used to store spice collections, small plants, or coffee mugs.
Glass and Metal Bracket Shelf.
In case of modern and minimalist kitchens, glass or light coloured shelves are supported by thin metal brackets, which give the illusion of being weightless. It is particularly effective in bright kitchens in which the openness of the space is maintained by the transparency.
All people talk of dust, and I will not lie about that. Yes, open shelves gather dust. You will see it sooner in case you live close to a busy roadway or even in a dry climate. Objects that you do not use on a daily basis basically clean themselves by mere usage. Products that remain unloved in weeks will require a wipe-down.
I have a small microfiber cloth in my kitchen drawer and make a quick run each Sunday morning when my coffee is being made. It takes three minutes. The actual price of open shelving is some minutes of weekly maintenance.
Good Reasons to avoid Open Shelving.
When you are a great collector of kitchen devices and already have seventeen specialty appliances, open shelves are going to infuriate you. Neither does it fit perfectly in the kitchen where there is a lot of grease splattering unless you put the shelves out of the area of cooking. The accessibility may be a liability and not an advantage to families that have young kids.
Budget-Friendly Approaches
To experiment, you do not even need a renovation budget. The LACK shelves sold by IKEA are stable enough to test the idea yet affordable. Salvage yards can be used to get reclaimed wood that can be sanded, stained and mounted at less than fifty dollars a shelf. A stained pine board with simple metal brackets available in a local hardware store would provide a custom appearance at non-custom prices.
Final Thoughts
Open shelving is better placed where it represents your real lifestyle in your kitchen rather than the way you would like to live. Test the water with one upper cabinet area at a time- test it out after a month and then decide whether to fully transform or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will open kitchen shelves remain on trend in 2024?
Absolutely. They have come to be more than a fashion, becoming a standard design feature, which is found in modern and classic kitchen designs.
What depth ought the open kitchen shelves to have?
The depth between 10 and 12 inches is most suitable to normal dinnerware and glasses without anything feeling like it may tumble over.
Are open shelves considered to be messy in a kitchen?
Only if overstuffed. Well arranged curated shelves actually make them feel clean and spacious than closed ones in terms of kitchens.
Which is the most suitable material in open shelves used in kitchen?
Walnut, oak and maple are hardwoods and they are durable as well as warm. In the case of moisture-heavy locations, warping is inhibited by sealed or treated wood.
What makes open shelves not drop?
Install brackets that are rated by the weight you are going to put on them, screw them into the walls and do not leave spans more than 36 inches without any center support.
Do open shelving reduce the resale of my home?
Not usually, particularly in a hybrid design. This may be what attracts a lot of buyers to open shelving, but having few closed cabinets is a wider appeal.
