Natal & Krycek, I didn't have to wash the contents of the shelves every month...they got washed often because we used them all the time. I just took all the stuff down to clean the surface of the shelves once a month. I also had a pantry closet and an island, and I designed the upper drawers around the stove to hold all my spices and oils, with the less frequently used ones above, so I had the luxury of devoting a lot of space to everyday china and glass. We have a lot of dinner parties, so having a separate area for bar things, coffee and tea, silverware, table setting stuff, and recycling (which is what went in the breakfast bar behind the table), and having all that stuff accessible, was great. Alison, I love the colors in the kitchen you linked us to. I surrounded my fridge in a similar way, except that I made one side facing out for open slots for trays, baking sheets, platters, and all the other big flat things that are such a pain in cabinets; and the other side, which faced sideways to the door to the dining room, I made into a bookcase for my ridiculous number of cookbooks. That was nice because it created a little book-lined entry, and blocked the view into the kitchen from the dining room. Oh - another note - a tip from Martha Stewart, which I adopted years ago: The secret to protecting painted shelves is paste wax. After they were painted and had dried and cured for a week, I gave the top surface a coat of Butcher's wax. Kept the paint intact, unmarked, and easy to wipe clean. I do that to painted bookshelves, too. If I have to put things away before I'm satisfied that the paint is fully hardened, I put a piece of waxed paper under everything until then.

I could be wrong, but I don't think those brackets are supporting the shelves. With no bracket in the corner, I don't believe that you can build structurally sound shelves this way. I think they are floating shelves with decorative brackets. I could be wrong. Maybe someone with actual carpentry skills can weigh in, both on how the shelves in the picture were hung and whether you can make floating shelves strong enough. I googled "floating shelve strength" and turned up a lot of stuff. Here is one link: Here is a link that might be useful: Floating shelves DIY

I've been on onekingslane.com for the past 15 minutes but can't find the article mentioned. The website is absolutely designed for selling as we know. Too bad it's so hard to find a specific thing. I did find a great recipe for punch though :D.

I cook multiple times a day and have open shelving. I clean them like I clean the rest of my kitchen. I had concerns as you do now but the dirtiest parts of my kitchen on a daily basis are the sinks and the garbage pullout. Oh, and the refrigerator handles. And under the stools where my kids sit. And the corner between the cabinets and wall where my dog lays and drools and his fur rubs everywhere. The shelves fall somewhere on the list, too, but not at the top.