Choose Form And Function
Our bottom shelf is easily accessible and holds all of the plates and bowls we use daily. We dont have a ton of closed cabinet space, which keeps the unnecessary clutter at a minimum and forces me to choose pieces that are both functional and beautiful. Consider the location and accessibility of your shelves, and if theyre best for every day/functional items or seldom used decorative objects.
How Do You Make Open Kitchen Shelves Look Good
You can make open kitchen shelves look good by choosing a high-quality material for the shelf itself and picking the right items to display. For example, shelves made from a cheap material or frames that arent painted carefully can look sloppy.
Also, make sure to avoid showing overly personal items in case the wrong person sees them. Other than that, theres nothing else you have to worry about.
Make A Pantry With Open Shelves
Have you fallen in love with open shelving yet? Beyond just the traditional open kitchen shelving which goes above your counter space, you may also want to consider creating a pantry with the open shelving system. This will make it much easier to find the exact ingredients when you need them! In Jen Loves Kev open shelving was used to make a pantry out of an unused wall in the kitchen.
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Small Kitchen With Open Shelving
If you have a small kitchen and is dealing with limited floor space, an effective way to double your storage is to make use of open shelves. Open shelves allow you to take advantage of wall space, frees up your floor and your counter so you have more area to work on.
For small kitchen open shelving, you can try more than two tiers of open shelves to maximize your home. If the layout of your kitchen permits, you can also opt for floor to ceiling open shelves.
Open shelves also offer an effective way to create an illusion of bigger space in small kitchens. Instead of putting a span of closed overhead storage on top of your kitchen counter, incorporate some open shelves. Its amazing how open shelves can keep a space from feeling too closed in. Read more about how to organize a small kitchen here.
For small kitchens, finishing open shelves with the same color as the rest of the cabinetry and the walls will also significantly make the space look larger. White and light colored dinnerware and glassware are also the most ideal types of accessories to display on open shelves in small kitchens since they reflect light and make the room brighter.
Awkward spaces, like the one beside a window, can be functional with the use of open shelves. This contemporary kitchen makes use of wooden open shelves with black metal accents that tastefully match the rest of the cabinetrys hardware and industrial style bar furniture.
Beautiful Open Kitchen Shelving Ideas
Lacey Ramburger is a personality assessment expert based in Kansas City, Missouri, with more than five years of experience. Her areas of expertise include Zodiac, Myers-Briggs, and the Enneagram. She is the author of the book “Being Whole” and dozens of articles on personality assessments and relationships.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to update your kitchen is to nix some upper cabinets and replace them with shelves instead.
Whether you’re budgeting for a full-scale remodel or you just want a small update, these kitchen shelving ideas will help steer you in the right direction.
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Alternate Between Shelves & Hooks
To create an organizer’s dream kitchen, install wall hooks near your open shelving. To do this, either alternate by hanging one row of open shelves followed by a row of hooks, or install wall hooks directly underneath open shelves. Either option will help optimize your surface area and wall space.
Use Shelving To Create Interest
Shelving doesn’t have to always be practical, it can be used to house quirky curios and objets.
Try mixing large statement pieces with smaller items grouped together. When grouping, consider the shape that the objects create collectively and play with color and form to keep things interesting.
Glass lidded pots will look more enticing if filled with colorful props, whether they be functional or decorative.
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Fit Shelving In A Recess Or Alcove
Open shelving can create a real statement in a room and is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
‘It is also a more economical option than a fully enclosed storage unit. It is particularly suited to small recesses in areas such as either side of a chimney breast, helping to visually correct uneven proportions,’ says Anne Haimes, Anne Haimes Interiors.
Or Fill Them With Stuff You Only Sometimes Use
Stuff you seldom use, like cake stands or vases, are good candidates because it doesnt matter if they get a little dusty and you can quickly wash them before you use them a few times a year. Medium-use items, like wine glasses, arent good candidates if you imbibe only a few times a month because theyll get dusty between uses and youll have to clean them.
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Modern Open Kitchen Design Ideas
If youre planning a kitchen remodel, you cant go wrong with a modern open kitchen. These kitchens feature clean lines and thoughtful details. There are no hard and fast rules here, so dont be afraid to mix elements from different kitchen styles.
Colored cabinets are a popular modern trend. While you cant go wrong with white kitchen cabinets, painting them black, blue, green, or pastel color is also popular. If youre afraid to paint all your cabinets, then consider only painting the bottom units. The floor cabinets will be your chosen color, and the upper cabinets will remain white. This will inject color into your kitchen while also helping your kitchen to feel bright and open.
Another way to make your kitchen feel modern is to mix metals. Consider using black, gold, brass, bronze, or stainless steel for cabinet hardware. A soft brushed metal looks more modern than a shiny finish. You might choose black for the sink faucet and then gold for the lighting fixtures.
Finally, modern kitchens have plenty of light. Shoot for as much natural lighting as possible, but if this isnt possible, install enough lighting to create a well-lit space. You should have three types of light task, ambient, and accent. This will ensure you have plenty of lighting options for different situations.
Decorate The Area Underneath
Open kitchen shelving may be saving you space, but this doesnt mean you need to leave the area underneath your shelves barren. Consider leaning a wooden cutting board against the wall or possibly placing your glass jars here. Or if you use live herbs in your kitchen, this could be a great spot for these as well. In this kitchen by Pardon My French Blog, the area underneath the open shelving is used for appliances.
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Ultimate Gorgeous Pantry Shelves
Anyone can appreciate the beauty of a well-organized pantry. With these clean and simple shelves, you will feel inspired to create for yourself an easy and organized space. Stretching from the floor to the ceiling, this approach allows you to store everything from cereals to dinner plates. Just be sure not to forget your equally adorable step stool for top-shelf access.
Follow These Dos And Donts For Arranging Items On Your Kitchen Shelves
Laura GaskillandDo: Start on EmptyDo: Borrow Goods From the Pantry for Graphic AppealDo: Think About What You Use DailywineglassesDont: Put Extremely Heavy Items on Top ShelvesDo: Look for Serendipitous Color ConnectionsDo: Edit What You Put on DisplayDont: Overstuff a Small KitchenDo: Make Stationsmixing bowlsDo: Stack Em UpDo: Focus on One or Two MaterialsDont: Set Out Glass if You Live in Earthquake CountryDo: Seek Out Pretty Storage ContainersDo: Consider ProximityDont: Neglect to DustDo: Use Decorative Details JudiciouslyDont: Worry About Filling the Highest ShelfBrooks McDonald ArchitectureTell us:More on Houzz
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Minimalistic Shelves Blend Right In
Open kitchen shelves work great for when you want what is on your shelf to stand out. However, they can also be smartly used to provide the ease of open shelves while maintaining decorative discretion. These floating shelves blend so well with their brick stone background that, boasting mostly clear glassware, they nearly disappear.
Are Open Shelves Good For Smaller Kitchens
Open shelves are a great space saver compared to bulky cupboards and the range of sizes and shapes available means they are a great solution for those with limited or awkward spaces. They are easy to install into alcoves, nooks and crannies and are often cheaper than commissioning custom-made cupboards.
Replacing traditional wall units with open shelving will also make your space feel much larger and airier and so are great for smaller rooms or those with limited space.
Image credit – Anna Shvets
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How Do You Use Open Shelving In A Kitchen
If you’re wondering how to use open shelving in a kitchen, be sure to work to the full proportions of the room, to create maximum impact.
A floor-to-ceiling unit, with sturdy, adjustable shelves and minimal fixtures will offer a strong, enticing look and act as an excellent anchor and display.
Open shelving can be an effective small kitchen storage idea that doesn’t appear to eat too much space. It also works in small living rooms, too.
Consider the look you are opting for, whether traditional, featuring detailed joinery, or sleek and unfussy with a contemporary edge, and think carefully about what you are displaying. This will ensure each shelf is made to allow sufficient depth and to carry weight without warping.
Fill Them With Stuff You Use A Lot
Your everyday plates and glasses are great candidates for open shelving because you use and wash them frequently, so they dont have an opportunity to gather dust. The bonus of storing them on open shelving is that it cuts out a step when youre unloading the dishwasher. No precious seconds wasted opening and closing a cabinet door!
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Choosing The Right Type Of Open Shelf
Do you go for a hanging storage unit or wall mounted open shelf? Depending on the type of space you have you could really expand your storage options by thinking outside the box. Put space above kitchen islands to good use with a suspended shelf or slot a slimline shelf into alcoves or under existing features to maximise your storage potential.
Living Trend 202: Cookware Made Of Copper
Copper cookware is clearly in trend. If you dont have pans and pots from your grandparents, you can easily find them in stores these days. And now at a reasonable price. Copper pans, pots and teapots are not only very helpful when preparing food and drinks, they are also absolute eye-catchers.
Pans made of copper fit particularly harmoniously into the kitchen in the modern industrial style. The metal proves to be an absolute all-rounder and can be easily combined with gold, brass, antique silver and even rose gold.
In the backdrop of the classic kitchen with its white marble worktop, white fronts and the tiled mirror, the copper dishes always look stunning.
The copper tableware moves glamorously back onto the open shelves. Discreetly dosed and together with high-quality marble bowls, the pots and pans make the kitchen look particularly elegant.
Even in the vintage kitchen, the pots, teapots and pans look very good in a red-brown copper tone. The copper dishes help highlight the open shelves. Combine it with accessories made of untreated wood. This gives the kitchen a nostalgic touch.
The white kitchen looks too sterile and boring? Use copper, because the material can warm up any interior and make it look cozy.
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Slightly Weathered Nook And Cranny Shelving
These perfectly sized and placed shelves take an otherwise useless nook and create a magical space for supplies, décor, and other kitchen essentials. With a slightly weathered feel, these white shelves blend easily with a farmhouse chic look. If you decide to create these shelves yourself, you can play with how much distressing to use, and you might even consider colored paints.
How To Decorate Kitchen Shelves
Love it? Share it!
Open shelving is the new standard for modern kitchens. I think the trend is here to stay and I personally love my kitchen shelves. So today Im sharing simple and easy tips for how to decorate kitchen shelves no matter your style.
This post may contain affiliate links where I earn a small commission on your purchases.
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More Organic Elementsoh My
If youve been following us for a while, you already know how much we love the look of organic elements in a living area, especially wood. However, were you aware that wood also relates to calmness and spirituality, and its one of the essential elements in Feng Shui?
Assuming that you want to balance out your life and bring natural elements into your home, incorporate some open shelves into your kitchen design ideas featuring different wooden materials. We suggest keeping your kitchen walls white or beige and opting for lighter-colored wood for the shelving.
If you love the look of the rustic kitchen shelving ideas youve seen online, you can also add a couple of dangling potted plants over the floating shelves. As the plant vines stretch down, youll achieve the perfect balance between organic and rustic. The only drawback with this idea is that you might find it challenging to water the plants. For a quick solution, you could also opt for faux plants.
What about the kitchen shelves and their decor? Well, in this case, wed keep things very simple. Pile on your most-used cups, pans, and plates, but dont add anything else.
How Should You Organize Kitchen Shelves
‘Our shelves should be a reflection of our personalities and exhibit the objects that we have collected throughout our lives. Sometimes selecting just a few beautiful pieces to display can make the most decorative impact and be the most sentimental. Coordinating different colors on your shelves is another simple and effortless way of making these pieces stand out and decoratively tie a room together. Many forget that storage can be part of the interior design scheme and by displaying and styling our objects, we can merge function with decoration,’ says Peter Erlandsson, co-owner of String Furniture.
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Floating Kitchen Shelving Ideas
Featured Image Source: Nonagon Style
If you are renovating your kitchen, we are here to help you with DIY kitchen floating shelving ideas. Open shelving kitchen ideas have become designers favorite nowadays. Thanks to Marie Kondo and the ongoing trend to eliminate clutter. Ultimately, wall-mounted cabinets that hanged above countertops are now taking the back seat because of this simple and straightforward approach to store your kitchenware.
There are many various options and styles when it comes to DIY kitchen shelving ideas. The shelf material can be a reclaimed or rough cut wood, glass, wood boards, or modern and smooth surface. In addition, shelves can lay on a wall bracket or be floating shelves. A few people simply take the door off their kitchen cabinets and show that as open shelves.
Kitchen Shelves For Daily Use
Tip 1: Use the Lowest Shelf For Daily Dishes
My husband and I are slightly above average in the height department. Neither of us have any issues reaching our top shelves. However, it can be comical when our height-challenged friends and family come over and try to reach our high shelving. So the first tip I have is to use the lowest shelf for your daily dishes.
We store our plates here for this purpose. We could easily fit bowls or glasses next to them if I removed the planter. This just allows for practical ease of use more than anything decorative.
Shop My Kitchen Decor
Next, store your non-daily, but still frequently used, items on the highest shelf. If you have to stretch to get that extra coffee cup once or twice a month it is less cumbersome than having to do it daily.
Tip 2: Use your Countertop as a Bottom Shelf
Often I see beautiful open shelving with nothing under it! In the design world that is chic and clean. In daily life that is a waste of space! If you have the need for extra storage, make sure to consider your countertop a bottom shelf. It is already perfectly suited because the shelving limits the use of that space anyways.
I like to put our necessities here: coffee mugs. A day without coffee? No thank you. This also allows you to put something that is wider down below. Kitchen shelving is often less than 11 inches deep so those wider items, like this mug rack, wouldnt fit on the shelving itself.
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Play With Decorative Shelving
Not everything needs to be hidden away when it comes to storage. In fact, decorative kitchen storage ideas and solutions can make a huge difference to your kitchen’s look and feel.
A cluster of simple floating shelves works particularly well in a kitchen where there may be a fair amount of closed cabinetry taking up space along the walls. They add an element of interest that draws the eye, all while helping to keep countertops clear.
Its best to mount open shelving just above eye level and within easy reach if you intend for the shelves to hold day-to-day items, such as plates and mugs.
For a stylised look, stack collections of your favorite crockery, line up fresh herbs and incorporate small pieces of art along a run of open shelving.
