How should I arrange open shelves

3 years ago

I asked an earlier question on whether I should tear out my kitchen cabinets but then I decided to just go for it. My plan is to now put in minimal open shelves. I'm a huge fan of simplistic designs, but I'm struggling to figure out where I'd want the shelves to be. Here are some pictures:

That small cabinet houses my vent fan...I'm honestly not sure what to do with it. I have someone coming tomorrow to take a look to see if he can take it down. Alternatively, I'm considering having him build the cabinet up like these pictures:

I have an over the range microwave, but I could sell that and just purchase a countertop one instead. I'm not sure I like the look of an over the range microwave because they're sooo big though. When I have it up, it becomes a design focal point.

I know you all are design wizards. Can any of you offer advice on shelf layouts?

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Comments (7)

jck910
3 years ago
I like your inspiration picture
PRO
JAN MOYER
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
You need an actual HOOD where the "vent " that is venting nothing ..now is. Not sure this was a great idea btw.

Nobody can give you exact . Two shelves either side of window, the new hood, and then...........stop.

Nothing alongside the hood. Cabinet at full depth OVER the fridge for balance to the other end.

You won't have room left of hood........so both sides of window, or shelves left of a hood, and left of the window.
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My kitchen starts next week, but I did research how to deal with open shelving during the design process. Unfortunately, I've lost my links, but here are my notes and ideas: First step is to categorize, like with like or color with color, so it doesn't look random. Things like sippy cups can be hidden in baskets. Thrift stores often have tons of donated baskets cheap, or try a place like Micheals or World Market. Baskets don't have to match exactly, but keep them in the same color family. A basket should hold items of a single type or function as well. Your spices could be repackaged in matching containers if they are not all the same brand. (Buy a consistent brand of spices for same color packaging in the future.) I'd also put them on a lazy susan so some can hide in the back of the shelf but still be accessible. A quick source for spice containers might be IKEA. I have Corelle, too. It's going in a dish drawer. They stack so small and efficiently it's easy to make it fit in a small space. Maybe move it to the old sippy cup drawers? Fewer items look better than crowded shelves, so hide the Corelle, and display serving dishes or mixing bowls instead. Look around your kitchen and see what you can move around - what do you have not "too much" of and that might look pretty on display? I did find one article that may be helpful: Here is a link that might be useful: Open shelving tips
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We've had the open sheving for a few months now, and we love it. Previously, we had to reach into upper cabinets with narrow openings for daily dishes, and it was a royal pain. The upper cabs also made the kitchen feel cavelike (see "Before" photo above). We started our kitchen project intending only to remove the cabs above the peninsula. But when dh and I looked around and saw the difference it made, we unscrewed the cabs on either side of the window as well. Sure, we may have lost some shelfspace for the ever-growing collection of coffee mugs & water bottles, but we wanted to streamline storage anyway. We are mostly vegetarian, so no greasy meat cooking on stovetop; dh grills outside for his meat fix. We saute veggies, caramelize onions, and cook vats of spaghetti sauce - and rarely find spatters on the backsplash or surrounding cabinets. I am not too worried about dust. We have cats and their hair is everywhere - no matter what we do. We know to wipe down lesser-used dishes. While our kitchen is no Christopher Peacock design, we find it to be a functional (drawers!) and pleasant space. Based on the quick sale of our last house (we designed the kitchen with huge windows and no uppers), I am pretty confident we haven't hurt resale. I researched for months on the Georgia MLS - most kitchens in our region are dated or builder grade, with dreary decor and little function. I saw a single kitchen with new subway tile and quartz countertops - it sold fast. In our area, a bright space with updated features and appliances is a rare find. Friends who have seen our results all seem quite envious of our industriousness and style choices. So, chiquita177, I say make your vision a reality!
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Great visual from Rabbitt Design! Perfect wall color. What makes the shelves look good is the glass front cabinets. But I still think you should skip.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
First figure out what you want to put on the open shelves because I will say simple means few items on the shelves or all the same color stuff on the shelves .BTW that window covering and simple do not work together. IMo this should have been thought out before demolition. You need a proper hood ,start there then you will know how much space you have for the grease, dust catching shelves which IMO never belong anywhere near a stove, The fridge now has no real connection to the kitchen and I see a ton of stuff that now needs to go somewhere , think this through . Maybe you still need some cabinets
Theresa Janssen
3 years ago
wondering if something like this could work....shelves that connect at the corner
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housegal200
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Metal range hood like this for over the stove. (Ikea has a well designed metal range hood.) I agree with Patricia that having open shelves so close to the stove don't work well so leave the rest of the wall plain. Instead, install two open shelves per side to flank the window. Put plain or color-coordinated dishes and glassware that get washed frequently on the shelves. Drop a great looking pendant light over the sink--no curtains.
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This idea but only two shelves on each side with more invisible supports:
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Kaitlin Bode
Original Author
3 years ago
My main reason for tearing down the cabinets is that they were pretty destroyed. I either had to tear them off or paint, and my kitchen has such weird Lighting that I’ve yet to find a paint color that looks good in it. I’ve also read that a hood isn’t needed in a well ventilated kitchen, those large hoods are a design focal point, not necessary. Some use microwaves as their vent but I rarely ever turned mine on. I would just need to clean more frequently, which is fine since I don’t have much. My counter is mostly full of random things that I can easily fit in my lower cabinets. I truly don’t have a ton (4 plates, bowls, glasses, etc, and everything is a matching white set) half the clutter is counter top things I set aside to tear down cabinets like my coffee maker and coffee bar area.
Theresa Janssen
3 years ago
i think maybe having the microwave above the stove vented may be the best option for you to keep it off the counters. with open shelving, keeping the counter clean will be key. i understand you don't have much to put on the counter and that's great for this style, so having the microwave above the stove will just make the look better, IMO. To me I would priortiize keeping the counter as clean as possible and that would drive me to put the microwave above the stove.

How should I arrange open shelves

Comments (7)

jck910

JAN MOYER

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How should I arrange open shelves

Comments (7)

jck910

JAN MOYER

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Patricia Colwell Consulting

Theresa Janssen

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