I think they look fine. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I don't see anyone teetering on a stool though. I don't even see a reflection in the lights. Are you related to the invisible man?

LOL...too funny Craig. No, I'm not the invisible man (or woman), I just try to keep myself out of photos especially when they're on the Internet!

I'm actually 8 feet tall and didn't need a footstool...again, kidding!!!

Love them! I think they help break up the space and add visual interest.

Love the shelves, love your kitchen (as I've said many times before), and love the white goodies in the glass jars. If you want an all white look I would leave out the pink pot and the colorful item (sorry can't tell what it is) on the lower right bottom shelf. But only if you are going for the all white or nearly all white look...maybe a pot in a muted pink like the grey/green items on the top shelf. I see you were tying the pink in with the lovely platter down below, but it's a more bold color and your eye is drawn to that right away.

I'm so jealous of your lights...mine always look dirty in pictures, even though I've cleaned and cleaned them! And could you put a few fingerprints on those SS appliances please...this is looking way too picture perfect! ;-)

Kat :)

Lesmis - The fingerprints are there, trust me. I just selectively hide them just like we women do with our concealer...I've got some chips on the cabinets too, but again - highlighting the strengths, minimizing the flaws. ;-)

The lanterns were just cleaned by us a few weeks ago!! They were dusty for awhile now.

The reason for the pink accents is me trying to match it to these pink and green Williams Sonoma hand towels that I love.

The pink grapes were from a secondhand shop.

I agree the pink pot housing the African violets is a bit too pink. Gotta find a subtler pink that's still yummy.

Looks good, and I agree with changing out the pink pot.

One thing that bothers me, and this is probably a *me* thing, is that the bowls and mugs are not stacked neatly. I have some OCD issues, and when I look at them, I'm strongly compelled to go straighten them, LOL.

On the bottom row, you might want to consider putting the one plate and the bottom row on a clear plate stand so that it's elevated a bit above the items in front of them.

Your kitchen is gorgeous!

I'd do a bit more color - a few more soft pinks and a couple of soft greens. Either that or less color (swapping out that pot might do it). Right now it doesn't look balanced.

That's the first close-up I've seen of those lights. They're gorgeous.

Actually I love the pink pot. I would get rid of the grapes and swipe out the color photos in frames for black & white pics. I think the pink pot ads something to focus on and grab your attention.

PS: I adore your kitchen...gorgeous!

On the bottom row, you might want to consider putting the one plate and the bottom row on a clear plate stand so that it's elevated a bit above the items in front of them.

Make that, the one plate and the BLACK FRAME on a clear plate stand. I wish there was an edit button!

No, no! Don't change out the pink pot!!!! It's my favorite thing! I love how the items on the shelves look agreeable and well balanced without looking staged. They look like real people's stuff. And that's what's so great about the pink pot. It's balanced by the grapes, but the too pinkness of the pot, and its more plebeian shape give it just the right tone. It's balanced, compositionally, by the grapes, but the grapes and the green cream and sugar, match the lovely china pattern too well. That bright pink pot not only picks up the tea towel, it keeps everything else from being too perfect and blah.

You've managed to put together excellent balance and symmetry, and a bit of punch, while keeping the whole from looking contrived.

Good going!

Not nearly enough color. Either up the color significantly with the displays, or paint the back wall of the hutch a subtle grey to go with your granite and make the white china stand out. The tone on tone thing just blends too much.

Ok, I amend my original statement after looking through my favorite blog. I do love tone on tone, but after re-looking through this blog, (the blog owner and I don't share the same language, but we do share the language of decorating I love the inspiration pictures she posts nearly without exception!!) it looks like if you repeat a color in varying shades and tones that you can mix color in with the monochromatic theme quite nicely. So maybe a nice Burleigh piece or two...*love their stuff*... would help echo the pink among the shelves and tie in the pot and the grapes.

http://www.burleigh.co.uk/burleigh-giftware-products.php?section_id=114

Look through Camilla's blog for inspiration too, be sure to look at her older posts (bottom right word in Swedish!)!

Here is a link that might be useful: Camilla at Home

Im a color person, so Im going to say add more color to make it pop. You have white on white on white, but maybe you're going for a more monochromatic look. If you want monochromatic, I would try to use different textures. It looks like you have alot of porcelain and some framed pictures. Maybe a textured glass, larger scale potted plant (maybe an ivy?, how bout a little herb garden?), and mix sizes a little more. Everything seems to be about the same size.

Painting the back grey to make the white pop is a great idea, but I don't mind the tone-on-tone ... I think that can be lovely too. I love pink, but that pot/plant is too little and if you're going to add color it should be more than just one piece. I have to admit that I don't like the plates standing on end. It looks contrived and too staged ... how would you ever get them out to use them? Same with the standing trays. I guess it's a more formal, china-cabinety look than what I prefer.

I adore your kitchen, makes me sigh every time I see it.

Here are a few photos of open shelving, you may have seen them already. The "not neat" bowls in the first photo reminded me of your arrangement. I think maybe the casualness of the not neat bowls doesn't fit into your more formal placement. I often see a combination of white and clear items which looks great.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Open Shelving @ Remodelista

I love rhythm, and your tone on tone is lovely. Your kitchen is drop dead gorgeous. I adore the pink pot which is balanced by the slight touches of pink elsewhere. The staggered heights and repeated shapes are thoughtfully done. The only think I do not like is the centered square tray on the second shelf up. It stops the eye from moving with the rhythm. If you moved it a few inches to the right, and perhaps flip the two center sets of creamer/sugars on the shelf above, (to flip the gray with the white, or you would have too much gray above each other). Maybe add something square on the top shelf. I agree with that I wish that the photos were all black and white - could you scan them, convert them to black and white, and add some "hand coloring" of subtle pink on the computer? Or, conversely, add a small soft pink matt framing the photos?

Not being critical - it is really, really pretty.

Hmmmm

Hmmm...so the pink pot's got some lovers and some haters. At least it's not getting an ambiguous reaction. =) It's actually the plastic pot that came with the $2.99 African violet. It works so I'm keeping it for now.

I agree that I need the clear plastic stands to elevate some of the items (the black frame and silver-edge dessert plates as someone suggested) and fill in some of the vertical white space. I wanted to buy the ones they display at Williams Sonoma but they don't sell them! They gave me the name of the supplier so I'll get a few soon.

Painting the back of the shelves in grey is a bold move. I don't doubt for a second that it would look fantastic. I tend to shy away from the two-tone cabinetry look though...I really like the long stretch of white.

Here's another shot at it. I tried to straighten all the bowls, and I moved the metal square tray to the right and swapped the sugar and creamers above it. I'd definitely consider making the photos black and white. Looking better? I hate how my night photos never turn out as good as the day ones.

Are you thinking the photos should be b&w like these frames I have above the fireplace? This was diy art that I borrowed from the Internet and I gave it a sepia treatment in Photoshop.

By the way, help from GW has helped me go a looooong way from this, if you recall my previous post on it. I actually got a lot of feedback to remove the glasses...it puzzles me that the above photo that someone posted with glasses looks good, whereas my attempt at putting glasses on the shelves didn't look good at all. Maybe it's the wine glasses? Maybe I need stacked drinking glasses instead?

I love your pink pot. It keeps the composition from being too staid. It's the perfect little touch of whimsy. I agree that the whole thing would really wow if you painted the back just the slightest shade of a whisper grey.

Before you paint the back grey, I would paint paper the color you are after and line the back of the shelves, to see if you like it.

Surprising how tricky these open shelves are.

You know... I'm not good at this, but I wonder if you don't need a larger piece or two to draw the eye. Everything currently reads same size to me. Maybe a larger white piece would visually balance a smaller more strongly colored (pink) piece, and the (I think in threes) a medium-large differently shaped neutral piece would complete. Draw the eye from one shelf to another?

(May I ask the name of your granite?) Thanks

Good advice Morton...maybe I could buy one of those big BM paint chips and put it in the back.

Sdkitchen - it's Bianco Antico. You can find all the details on my kitchen along with closeups of the granite here.

For some reason, I'm just not a fan of stacking mugs or cups. Any thoughts on hanging them off little hooks? And in your photo with the glasses, I'd keep them all on the same shelf, together. I love the pictures grouped together, at a nice height (important to see them!) and the fun decorative touches like the glass grapes. I love the violet, but not the pot.

Naughty me, I was rushed and failed to say (again) that you have a gorgeous kitchen!

You have a beautiful kitchen! When arranging bookcases and shelves there are 2 main ways I've seen it work well. One is the based on a rhythm where everything is very similar is size, shape & color and your eye just really sees the shelving design as one unit...think neatly stacked plates & bowls...repetition of heights, shapes etc. The other way is to think of a "Z". You want to have elements that draw your eye in a "Z" pattern so your eye moves from item to item. In the Z version, there needs to be some more dominant items so the eye has something on which to focus.

I think your shelves could look good either way, but it seems to be you are going a bit more for variety so the Z methold mike work best. I agree with the idea of maybe a few bigger items, strategically places. Also, layering like your pictures is a good idea. Keep playing around with it...you'll get it. I often will do the arrangement, take a photo, do different arrangement, take another photo and so on...maybe try 4-5 versions. Then look at all your photos next to each other. It will become easily apparent which elements in each design work best and you'll probably come up with a new combination that works great.

I did some photoshop magic to give another perspective (well actually my perspective) See what you think
Pam

Here is a link that might be useful:

I really like what you did with arranging the shelves GraphicGal. Very very nice.

I'd like some of the big glass jars you have on the shelves as a focal point. I think you have too many "small" items, but, of course, just my opinion.

Ok, I just saw that graphic_gal added the jars I mentioned in her photoshop rendition above. I like that look. Even a whole row would look great!

I like what graphics gal did and like the pink pot centered below -- and the less cluttered collection there in general.

What I was going to suggest was moving that tray in the center left instead of right -- see what it looks like behind the pink pot instead of behind white when none of the other white pieces have color behind them. If that doesn't work, or if you just want to be able to see the flowers on that plant better, I'd put the pot on the bottom shelf.

The main thing that isn't working for me is the bottom shelf. It doesn't seem to be in harmony with the upper two. The grapes don't seem to go with the pink pot on my monitor. If the color works, I'd turn them to flow into the shelf instead of to the outside corner and wall -- like a dead end for the eye.

I get the feeling this area is primarily display -- not for daily use items.

Lots of good thoughts here! Eks6426, you have a really good point on the Z pattern. That's actually the approach I took with the glass cabinet, alternating white dishware with glasses:

Graphics gal, good job!!! It looks awesome actually!!! I can see where you're going with it. Damn, you're good at Photoshop. I guess hence the title, Graphics Gal.

I see what you're all saying about putting the glass jars on the shelves. They fit so it works!! I think I'd put goodies that we don't eat a lot. Actually, DH has pointed out (along with others here) that the glass jars are too small to sit on the counter. I protested that I actually want them to have goodies that people can snack on, and if they were bigger then the food would go stale. But, the white things we have in there now (mints, yogurt covered peanuts, and marshmallows) are technically not being eaten right now...so maybe they can go up.

Lascatx - I actually use the white bowls (both the small and medium ones) frequently, hence them being on the middle row. Everything else is display. The sugar and creamer is used whenever there's company. I know what you mean about the bottom row not working...

I'll play some more with it. Thanks for all the great tips!!! You all have a good eye for this.