Open shelving = dust.

I don't envision, however, any hutch with sliding glass doors as being compatible with modern country or French Provencal. Maybe it's not the glass that your friend objects to... maybe it's the "sliding door" part.

Would she be happier with hinged, glass-front cabinet doors? In maybe a stand-alone hutch?

My hutch has an attached top part with closed glass doors. I have a few items exposed on the bottom and I wouldn't dream of having an open hutch because of the dust. My DR gets a lot of light so it's very noticeable (to me)if I don't do it on a regular basis.

I DO like the open hutch look.

Thanks for your quick replies.

The reasons they can't use hinged glass door is because it takes more room (swing clearance) than the sliding doors. They can have 2 large sliding door with glass panel (similar to french door paneling) on a large 84" wide hutch. If they use swinging hinged door, they would have to use 4 little doors, which may make it more difficult to fit her larger plates.

She wants the open shelves w/ wide beadboard in the back, either painted black or grey.

But the dust maybe an issue!

Well, I have two of them.

I've never really thought much about the dust factor, it's just a given. Bookcases are the same thing. Most people have them open.

My problem is that I must be seriously ADD. I've learned to go slowly because if I remove all the objects, before I dust, I never remember where to put them back. When we moved to our new place, I was lucky that I had a photo stored on my computer that I could refer to as I was having fits trying to set my hutch up in the same manner it was before.

And, of course, the darker the wood, the sooner the dust shows.

Oh, ya know dust is always gonna be an issue!! Sometimes ya just have to go with beauty over function. Those little hand held Swiffers are great for the "oh Sh*t, so and so is coming over at what time!!" and and then you can take your time at other times.

Smiles:)

Sounds like the hutch we just built. Here it is sans shelving, rollers on the drawers. Ruby glass knobs and pulls will go on it.:

The open shelves will be in the middle, and adjustable. I thought about glass doors, but I too don't want that look. It also has beadboard behind the open parts, and on the sides.

Sure, there will be dust, but I'd rather dust it than have glass. :)

Just use a feather duster, and have your vacuum hose out to catch the flying dust.

I have one glassed in, with little or no dust. My living room shelves catch quite a bit of dust, but the shelving is white, so they can go a LOT longer between dusting's.

I have linked below to another thread. It's a CL hutch that I am displaying my daughter's wedding gifts on. Since it is painted dark green, it is really catching the dust - and it shows!

oak - Beautiful hutch!

Here is a link that might be useful: Green CL Hutch

I have a cabinet with metal screening to hold an extra set of dishes and serving pieces. It does get some dust. Open shelves would collect dust also, of course. But the things up on your mantel collect dust. The vases and lamps and collectibles on your buffet get dusty. Items on your end tables collect dust. Coffee table arrangements will also need to be dusted. Dust is why they make Lemon Pledge. If you don't have the time to do your dusting, then, don't keep things out. But for "Displaying" pretty things, open shelving, flat surfaces, and tabletops are the best. For "Storing" items that get pulled out and used, a closed cabinet is the best. Most people who have dishes and serving pieces out, know they need to give them a quick wash before filling them with potato salad or gravy or pilaf.

If I wanted open shelves to complete the pretty look of the room, I would have the hutch built with shelves and put my bottle of Dawn out on the sink, ready for action.

Red

Part of the issue for me would be, how often do I use the things on the open shelves? The more you use them, the more they get washed, and the less of an issue it is.

So given that, I'm seeing a three-question decision process...

First, how much dust do you get?

Second, what kind is it?
We moved from a house on a big lot in a leafy old residential area (with a humidifier and air cleaner in the HVAC system) to a city town house with regular filters in the ducts, and so we have a kind of fine, black dust we never had before. I had white-painted open shelves in my kitchen...I wouldn't want them here.

Third, and perhaps most important, how much do you really care?
If the hostess is gracious and charming and the iced tea is fresh and the food is good, who notices? Life is short...and so I've solved the problem here by lowering my standards, figuring that "Them as matters don't mind, and them as minds don't matter."

I like both open and closed hutches, but have an open hutch in my eat-in kitchen. It does get dusty, but not overly so.

I'm not too much of a cleaning fanatic, and it gets dusted 2 or 3 times per month with the other furniture. Since the china in that hutch is mostly for display, I just wipe them down when dusting, and them clean them thoroughly for those few times that I use them for entertaining.

{{!gwi}}

I take it the hubby is the one that does the dusting in the house and that's why he's so concerned?

LOL!!! What alternate universe are you living in jgtbm???

Deb, that's the only reason my hubby would ever worry about dust, if it was HIS job.
Not that he isn't a good worker. He does laundry, vacuums, cooks and cleans along with his "manly duties", but dust is not something he would think about.
~Becky

I have a Welsh Cupboard in my dining room-painted in a soft butter yellow. It has 1 long open shelf on top, then under that are 2 shorter shelves divided by 3 drawers and then under that 2 wide shelves. Under the shelving (at the bottom) are 2 doors with alot of storage area. I love it!
As for my collectibles-I wash them every other month & when dry-I rub a dryer sheet all over the pieces-for some reason, it makes the weekly dusting much easier. I only have larger pieces in my display areas..not alot of small items.

Ha! I want to live in that universe where men dust -- unfortunately, the only thing they do around here is dragging home dirt, mud, sand & got know what from their golf outings :-)

Anyhow, they are getting something a bit of a compromise. The cabinet would have 3 sections, with glass doors in the middle for smaller things (wine glasses, plates, etc.) while the outer sections have open shelves for larger display like serving plates, pitcher, etc...

Thanks so much for all your advices & opinions. :-D My friend really appreciated them all.