Brainstorm with me please! Floating shelves layout?
I'd like to add some floating shelves to my kitchen design. Why? Purely to add some charm and warmth to what will otherwise be "yet another white kitchen" :) What it won't be... a place to store anything functional. I believe I have plenty of storage with or without upper cabinets in this section. I feel like with shelves and nothing at the top it feels unfinished. So, I'm trying to decide whether to leave the center section totally open, with no uppers and instead just run the molding from the top of the adjacent cabinets onto the upper wall. Like this (note the molding behind the upper shelves - I feel like this makes it feel finished).
Or, do I instead put a cabinet that matches the height of the refrigerator cabinet farther down the wall. (21", which I believe would leave 36" between countertop and molding at the top)
The middle space will be approximately 60" wide. (Ceilings are 96")
So, question ONE - A) short cabinets at the top to "tie" the adjacent cabinets together? or B) Run molding, but no upper cabinet in the middle section.
A - short cabinets at top
B - no cabinets in center section, just run molding from cabinets onto wall (Just pretend there's molding in this rendering. I got tired of fighting with ikea software, and we aren't using ikea so it doesn't matter. I'm just using it to get a visual.)
Question TWO - How many shelves, what width, and how to place?
Full-width shelves that "butt" into adjacent cabinets (as in the first image I posted above)
Or, do I leave breathing room between shelves and cabinets and have them fall short of sides?
Staggered? Not staggered?
Or maybe something totally different, like these cute "boxes"
Just looking to brainstorm and I drive my hubby nuts when I start asking him about this stuff :D And he literally has no opinion about it anyway. And he doesn't bring any creative ideas (he's very creative in terms of building and solving other problems, but decorating or aesthetics of a room are not in his range of interests ;) So, thoughts? Ideas?
Comments (12)
Jamie Ludwig
6 years agoJamie Ludwig
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Layout Brainstorming Starring Mr. T. & Traffic Cop
Comments (10)Thanks so much for all the advice so far! I guess the issue isn't so much people getting in the way when they try to grab a drink from the fridge or sample something on the stove, but that they have to cross through the cooking area just to get inside the house! Jillius, benjesbride, & CRL, I would LOVE to get that entrance out of there, but the only way to move it further down the kitchen wall is to run it through the already-small garage. I have to try to get in there and measure; IâÂÂm doubtful there is room within the garage for the necessary staircase, but moving that entry would solve a host of problems. bpathome, Please excuse my awful renderings, lol! Everything varies wildly, since it was my first venture with the merillat online layout tool, plus I am just roughing it out from memory at this point with no exact appliance dimensions. The heavy use entry would be open with no door, but youâÂÂre right, it still might not be a place to put the fridge. ItâÂÂs currently an IN-SWING door bumped up against a WALL OVEN. If you try to enter the house while someone has the oven open, BAM!!! Judging by the gash in the door, it happens a lot. I have toyed with the idea of closing off the hall entrance. I have think more on that! Aqualove, I just noticed a house (same model) in the development that must have done that. The benefit would be an kitchen with far less traffic! The drawback would be that if you used the front door (like for company or larger parties), the work area would be in full view from the main front door and the windows facing the street. I have to maybe go ring the doorbell of the person with the flip-flopped kitchen and ask for a tour⦠controlfreakecs, I LOVE that kitchen! thank so much for the link. Gorgeous. Aqualove, I just noticed a house (same model) in the development that must have done that. The benefit would be an kitchen with far less traffic! The drawback would be that if you used the front door (like for company or larger parties), the work area would be in full view from the main front door and the windows facing the street. I have to maybe go ring the doorbell of the person with the flip-flopped kitchen and ask for a tour⦠Sena01, Thank you for that image? How did you make it?...See MoreBacksplash with floating shelves?
Comments (47)It seems like in the kitchens where the tile doesnt go all the way up, it works best when the cabinets (surrounding the range/hood) also dont go all the way to the ceiling. But, in your case the cabinet to the left of the range does go all the way up to the ceiling. So, I also vote for tile to the ceiling. And the staggered brick, but like steph said the stacked would also look nice, just a different "feel"....See MoreBacksplash design with floating shelves
Comments (7)I would probably lower both sets of shelves. As is, the top shelf is higher than the over-the-fridge cabinet (which would make it at a completely inaccessible height for me)....See MoreFloating shelves next to 36 inch hood? Yes or No?
Comments (15)does any place else in the room have shiplap? shiplap tends to be more of a country style look. (see above pic w/the glass doors) I mean, I don't see your kitchen as being overly mcm. Looks like gray shaker cabs? or are they white? in any case, mcm doesn't really come into play here this is mcm these last two are similar to your stove wall w/an off-set window. In fact, this set up is exactly like yours. look at the one wall w/no cabs and the vent like you want. I like the larger window too. Seems to me like you have adequate storage. is that one upper cabinet going to make or break it for you?? How wide is the island? can you put storage on the overhang side? where's the micro? what are those tall cabinets on the left side?...See More
mshutterbug
6 years ago
Nikki Nicole
6 years agoI think i prefer the even vs. staggered. I think the open shelves will look nice!
PROLars/J. Robert Scott
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
5 years agoNow I'm debating whether to put them all the way to the cabinet edges like in the original picture or to leave space... if I go to the edges I could put some cook books leaned against sides. If I leave space, stuff could fall off the edge lol. But I also don't want it to look cluttered.
Kate Zink
5 years agoJillius
5 years agoBecause the oven is dark and dead center on the wall, it feels like the real focus of that wall. And then somehow having the open shelving area be roughly the same size/shape as the fridge and having them both flanking the dead center oven ALSO highlights the fridge. To me, you end up with a focal competition between your two appliances and the open shelves, and it's not very pleasing to my eye.
I'd suggest doing this instead:
I think the eye is much more clearly drawn to the decorative shelves first. That area is both the largest and most central thing. Especially if the fridge you choose is close in color to your cabinets, and you do a colorful or wallpapered wall behind the open shelves.
damiarain
4 years ago
mshutterbugOriginal Author