My kitchen is similar to your goal: white cabs, marble countertop / backsplash, etc., and one thing I often wish I'd done differently is having more glass doors. Yeah, we can always have the doors changed but before I spend another penny on that kitchen every other project in this house better be done! Here's my wall of white: It's lovely and incredibly functional, but I think glass uppers would help break up all the white. But sometimes I like how simple it is ... no pleasing some people! Plus, I'd have to clean out the messy top shelves if I had glass. Hmm. I'm also conflicted about the glass cabs we do have: I love a door with mullions (or is it muntins?) but I hate when those mullions / muntins block the view of the decorative pieces. So we had ours without mullions / muntins because we knew what would be going in those cabs and I wanted to see those objets in all their glory. That being said, I still love a glass door with mullions / muntins! I am esp. gaga for the wood which arcs like back-to-back or interlocking Cs ... yummy. (mamadadapaige has some stunning examples in her collection) I want to weep at how empty the countertops are in this photo -- I can barely recall what the marble looks like nowadays.

We're twins. I'm going through the same thought process myself. First, I found this blogger's thoughts on open shelving to be thorough and helpful: http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2014/12/honest-thoughts-on-open-shelving-in.html Second, here are pictures of my old kitchen (inset cabinets) and old living room (traditional overlay cabinets). Notice that on my white cabinetry, glass cabinets actually were the DARKEST thing in the room, not light and airy like I'd imagined. I stored either bright white or clear things in the kitchen shelves and black electronics in the living room shelves. For this reason I'm considering textured glass, which reflects a lot more light back into the room. (I'm also considering solid wood or wood with the bottom shelf open, but I'll make my own post about that when I start having anxiety attacks about the indecision). I know you can light cabinets, but I want my cabinets to make me smile first thing in the morning, before I've turned on the lights. ;)

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!

I am sorry, but my practical side has issues with that photo. First, those are high ceilings that it does not appear that you have, so the proportion is completely different from yours. Second, open shelves can gather dust enough just on their own, but placed on either side of the cooktop will be a dust and grease magnet so you will always need to clean the shelves themselves, as well as each and every item placed on them. And really, tell the truth, how often are you going to be climbing a stepstool to do that cleaning? Also, that pic shows doodads on the shelves (and those poor plants not getting any light). That's fine for display elsewhere, but in such a central spot in the kitchen, those shelves should have utility. People often put their spices, oils and non-refrigerated condiments in cabinets there. To lighten the space, I think Patricia Colwell's suggestion of glass-front cabinets instead would be good. Don't get mullions in the glass; the interior shelves will be lines enough, and glass doors without mullions are easy to clean with a spritz and a wipe. "My concern, though, is that it will feel closed off if it's just a big block of cabinets. I definitely want the vent hood in a cabinet style" I think you will be better off with a stainless steel hood, as mentioned earlier. Less expensive than a cabinet surround, and you don't need to buy separate parts of hood liner and blower, and it's much easier to wipe down a stainless steel hood than a cabinet hood. A stainless steel hood will be a more effective visual to break up a big block of cabinets than leaving the big block of cabinet hood surround. Also, it is often quite expensive to get a cabinet hood surround that is deep enough - typically they're only 20" deep, and it is a custom upcharge to get them to the needed 24" deep, and then find a liner in that depth as well.