I live in a dusty area too, and even top edges of tiles will need dusting. I'd paint if possible. Idk if these photos are of interest -

Sask Cres Kitchen · More Info

Sask Cres Kitchen · More Info

Sask Cres Kitchen · More Info

Btw, I don't mind your 'pieced' shelf. Seems bit more like your items, with thin lines.... better than a chunky piece of wood like above. Maybe you want it painted or other...

Shelves like that seem to be decorated with jars-n-stuff.

I think the shelf is very lovely. I admire the differences in the walnut tones and the craftsmanship of fingerjoints. As Fori explaned, if they had given you a solid walnut shelf of that length it would have warped. Instead they crafted a beautiful sold shelf of smaller pieces. I think the effort and intent are very in keeping with MCM aesthetic. I think you will grow to appreciate it more and more each day.

I would not consider a 'pieced shelf' solid walnut. The solid infers one piece in my mind. I do think the top is beautiful..not sure if anyone would ever really see it so the truth that it is different from all the other wood may not be a huge thing. I do think a solid trim piece across the front edge could hide the finger joints it could be attached with biscuit joinery so no nails shown. I would not want the current joints showing on a front/side edge.

Scout, could you share your countertop information, thickness and color? Is it a 2cm quartz countertop along the perimeter?

I like it. Your kitchen is beautiful!

I like it. It's truthful.

Once it’s styled I think the overall effect will be nice. No under-shelf lighting? Maybe add a small table lamp off to the side as no lighting would bother me more than veneered vs what was delivered.

A small Noguchi lamp would be perfect.

I like it, too. As is. It has an interesting look and fits the room’s aesthetic. (I’ve always loved your house!)

Looks a bit stark right now because of so much bare space around it. I’d hang or lean art, like below, add other decor. Bottles, pottery, cutting boards, whatever you use or like looking at.

ETA:

I don’t know if this is feasible now, or if you like the idea, but I was thinking sconces would really enhance it, and make the whole space feel intentional.

They shelf is fitting in a midcentury modern home. It would have been better if it had been a solid piece of walnut but since there were not drawings or specifications nor seemingly any discussion about it beforehand you kinda got what you got. Do you need more cabinetry for storage space? If so, it could be switched out for upper cabinets but am assuming that would be at your expense only. Otherwise, you could display midcentury glassware, ceramics, pottery, etc. that compliments your style. Good luck!

That looks like the butcher block slabs they sell at Home Depot. While the individual pieces of wood are solid, that is not what I would call a solid walnut shelf. The shelf should have been constructed of 2 or 3 pieces of wood, each the full length of the shelf, edge-glued together. No finger joints.

As Norwood says you got what you paid for but maybe not what you were expecting- I would not want to look at those finger joints at eye level. In the grand scheme of things it will hardly be noticed when the kitchen is finished.

I have only seen finger joints in wood that was meant to be painted. But with the prices of wood lately, this may become a lasting trend. I bet you did not know you are a trend setter.

The finger joint do look like they have been very nicely executed.

Keep the dogs around and no one will care about the finger jointing.

I like the finger joint work. I liken it to the honesty of the bent plywood aesthetic in MCM furniture design.

Now that I re-look at some of the images, the clock fits in very nicely with the finger joints.

("fits in", did anyone catch that?)

@Mark Bischak, Architect Nice play on words! Agree the small clock sitting on shelf next to cute little birds does ”fit” in very well. It’s all in the details….

I think it looks fabulous and also love your cute doggo :)

I am a fan of contrast, so on wood I like bright sculptural ceramics, white paper mache bowls, vintage enamelware, etc. repeating in odd # patterns also looks curated - Finding a ceramicist that you love would be fun -

(We have a very long rough wood table in our DR and over time I have learned the best centerpieces provide a crisp contrast to the warm wood)

I don't like the shelf. You will have all of these solid Walnut fronts, and then this patchy shelf? Please no. I'm not excited about glass, however - I like the dark line above the dark cabinets. Can you get a shelf of solid walnut, or a veneer?

I love your kitchen! And the thin countertop is a nice touch. From the view out of the kitchen window, I'm guessing this is Palm Springs?

Nicole

I agree that it is a lovely execution of finger joining, but not for your shelf. A solid walnut shelf would not warp because of how floating shelves are installed. Have them make a new one with boards glued length wise if needed for width. Could I live with it? Yes, if I had to, but it would grate on my over time in an otherwise beautiful kitchen.

I'm inclined to think it looks too low and too lonely. My thoughts:

- Add a second, identical shelf above it.

- Or lean some tall art on the shelf to "lift the eye".

- Be sure to visually balance the two sides of the window. The window needs window covering too.

Reading responses made me think of something else I like about it — it’s different than the usual look. One shelf, not timber size, not trendy-looking … it’s streamlined with unique craftmanship.

From what I remember about your house, it’s very unique and personal. You have a great style and can make this look fab, if you’d like to keep it.

The backsplash will make such a difference, too.

I would not have expected that shelf style either. I see what you mean. I would have anticipated something more like this:

Yours is not bad, like you said, just different from expectations. It's worth mentioning to the builder.

As for what to put on the shelf, I would put beautiful dishware and glasses that are used often. When the items are in constant use, dust doesn't have a chance to settle.

@scout IMO the height of shelf is spot on..looks like it’s hung at point the bottom of a regular cabinet would be. I think any higher you’d be viewing bottom side of shelf & a skewed view of items placed on top of shelf. I like your shelf more with each new view of it. And, as apparant to me from Houzzer’s responses, there aren’t any hard fast rules one must follow for open shelving in a kitchen! I wonder if when you return home today, and after a second look, you’ll find yourself liking it. Seems like you had a preconceived notion of what it would look like & the reality didn’t fit.

Just have to say - WOW! about your dogs. Majestic. Of course I had to look up the breed & wow again - those flocks..I’d have guessed puli if I saw your pups in their natural coats only because I’m familiar with them.

Nice kitchen. Do you have another kitchen where you cook?

@scout Just saw updated pics with items on it. I like! I am wanting to reach in there & turn the framed art 180 with the blue or heavier side of image on the bottom. Don’t know the plan for wall space above shelf but I think it needs something.. I do believe that not every space needs something in it but I think this space needs at least one taller item.

That shelf would never have seen the wall it was hung on because I hate, hate, hate finger jointing.

The paperwork just says ”cantilevered SOLID walnut shelf.”

The paperwork does not say 'cantilevered finger jointed butcher block solid walnut shelf'.

If you wanted butcher block, you would have specified 'butcher block'.

- I am wodering if it could be stained to be more consistent in color

Not really. It could be edge banded in solid walnut stock but it would still be butcher block. And butcher block doesn't fit in my vision of MCM.

I don't mind that patchiness but the shelf looks too thin and I don't like the finger jointing showing in the front.

I like it! It's not what everyone else has. It looks just like my huge (and lovely) walnut cutting board, joints and all. I would welcome it at my house :)

I think the shelf is gorgeous and OMG, I LOVE YOUR HOUSE! Live with the shelf for a bit and see if it grows on you. personally I don't like open shelving in a kitchen, and would recommend something like the cabinets below -- with clear glass if you want to display items. and the things inside will stay dust free!

Or if you do keep the open shelf -- since you said it gets dusty in your area: decorate it sparsely, and use "quakehold museum putty" for the any of the small decorative objects -- it will hold them in place so when you run a duster around it they won't move. It makes that task way faster and easier.

I'm not suggesting to get cabinets that drop from the ceiling, but I was posting it mainly for the style. I love these sleek glass cabinets:

This is rockybird’s house, isn’t it! Where’s the Juhl credenza?

That's the name! Rockybird. I could not remember it.

Love the shelf, love the kitchen, REALLY love the dogs!!!

If it were me, I would raise the picture of the dog so that the clock is centered in the space -- the picture looks too low to me.

bpath -- are you talking about the OP? Or the pics I posted (which I found on google).

I don't know Rockybird, but it sounds like I would have liked their stuff.

Finger-jointed wood is not what I'd expect if I ordered solid wood. I would have expected long pieces of dimensional lumber biscuit joined on the long sides. That would have given you straight, continuous grain the length of the shelf on all sides. The top and bottom of the shelf might have shown differences between each board, but at worst (and only if they chose their boards indiscriminately) it would have been stripy, not patchy. Instead, they cheaped-out.

There are a few of solutions depending on how unhappy you are and what skills your carpenter has:

1. reorder, done properly
2. reorder, as walnut plywood edge banded with solid walnut (this would be my choice since it's more dimensionally stable)
3. veneer existing shelf top and bottom and edge band the front with solid walnut-- labour cost on this would probably be high and unless the shop had a proper veneer press, it probably wouldn't stay nice.
4. edge-band existing shelf with solid walnut and leave the top and bottom alone.

Your kitchen will be beautiful. Don't let them install paint-grade, scrap lumber.

Thank you again for the great comments and advice! I spoke with the company that installed it and they reached out to the manufacturer. I also mentioned that maybe we could veneer over it or have it refinished when the island is refinished to match the new cabinet fronts when they arrive. I think I will find a way to make it work.

@KW PNW Z8 Thank you! The dogs are a lot of fun. I will not grow flocks or dreadlocks because it's so hot here and they are so active. But their fur mattes so easy that I really have to stay on top of the grooming! I agree the wall space needs something. I have some midcentury clocks that I will try to hang there. But, in a few months, I should have a white 1"x6" stacked white backsplash tile above and below the shelf.

@Mark Bischak, Architect LOL I don't cook. I'm ashamed to say that I have maybe used the oven once. :(

@User beautiful kitchens and thank you! I actually ordered similar cabinets for above the bar and pantry cabinets - horizontal walnut and glass cabinets. I think because the space is so narrow with the walkway and door, that the shelf might be best. I have a lot of mcm things, so it's a good place to display them. :)

@bpath they are happily settled in other rooms :) Now I have to figure out where to put the George Nelson css unit I got!

@Jennifer K thank you! very helpful! I mentioned some of this. It's good to know that this isnt the final product. I will let you know what we end up doing. :)

I had a client that wanted me to remodel and add onto a 1950's ranch home. The original oven was in mint condition, probably rarely use by the two different owners that owned the house over the years. In the same vein, I had another client that bought a $20,000.00 range to warm pizza in.

"Sorry" posting something cute.

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Beautiful kitchen, beautiful home, beautiful dogs!

I love it. Truly.

I often have a picture in my mind of what I want. If the finished result is different, my initial reaction is often that I don't like it. I have learned to live with it for awhile, and it's not uncommon for me to end up liking something over time.

This is a pretty discerning bunch, and also not at all shy about saying something looks bad. Sometimes a little too quick to harsh people's happiness, often over subjective things. When the majority of the people are saying it looks fabulous, that is telling you something. LOL.

However the sole opinion which matters is yours.

What if the cabinet door & drawer fronts had the same horrific grain matching that is on the shelf? Image a blonde walnut drawer over a dark walnut drawer over a not so blonde walnut drawer. Imagine a stripey, mismatched island front. Then the patchwork shelf would fit in but I would be one very unhappy camper.

I don't mind it, but I would never dream of trying to pass off butcherblock as solid walnut to a customer. Good pieces of Walnut are not that rare. I always have several 8/4 x 12" wide boards in my shop at any time and there are half a dozen local sources for Walnut boards that size in my local area.

Starting to think ci_lantro doesn’t like your shelf.

@bry911 Thank you. The company owner told me he is checking with the manufacturer..not sure what that means, but I'm pretty sure he will make it right. Because of how it was installed, he said it had to be crafted of smaller pieces to avoid warping with a larger board.

@ci_lantro These are good points. This company did my master bath (walnut), butler pantry (walnut), laundry, and two other bathrooms. This walnut shelf is really out of keeping with what I have seen from them. They do million dollar cabinet jobs on kitchens. I'm not too worried about the walnut door replacements, as he said they will match what I already have (fingers crossed!).

@Ally De thanks! I don't hate it, but I'm not in love with the finger joints and variation. It's just not what I was expecting. That being said, I'm getting used to having a shelf in the space and I think the height is okay. This weekend I'll try to hang things above it and decorate better, so maybe that will help.

If you end up getting a new shelf and price is a limitation, walnut veneer is your friend. You would be able to get a beautiful walnut shelf that looks like it was made with a single long piece. (and sell the original one-- I bet you could get something back for it, good wood is so expensive!)

Because it is a 'lone board on a white wall' - and away from your other cabinetry - my first thought was that it appears to be a planned part of a beautifully crafted art configuration for an empty wall. I like the uniqueness of it. If it were near or next to other solid boards, then I would feel a discomfort about the 'odd one' but standing alone, it carries its own merit and becomes a perfect base for whatever delightful eye-catching items you decide to place upon it. Think of it as an art piece and not as a misunderstanding and I bet you will find that you soon really like it.

@scout - Because of how it was installed, he said it had to be crafted of smaller pieces to avoid warping with a larger board.

Your contractor is feeding you a line. Well, he may just not know and so could be repeating an uninformed opinion, but this is not really true.

First, wood is incredibly stable longitudinally, there is never really a reason to use shorter boards. In some woods and some thicknesses, wide boards can become problematic and so you orient different boards to work against each other. Typically, you will get boards that work /stain well together. A good hardwood lumber mill is going to mark their boards by tree and cut, so you can grab several boards that work well together and use those and the woods will blend nearly seamlessly.

Additionally, Walnut is incredibly stable after a couple of weeks. Most Walnut you see is steamed, this evens the color of the wood but it also supersaturates it with moisture. It takes a LONG time to completely dry and so Walnut tends to twist when you resaw it or plane a lot off. This is because the inner parts of the wood are generally a month or two behind the outer layers in drying. This warping will typically happen overnight, but it is good to give Walnut a week or two before you really start using it. You can stop it from warping if you have the time, or just grab a piece of s4s that is close to your final thickness and is flat. A piece of 1.5" Walnut is not going to have much seasonal movement when installed in a home.

I like it , more interesting than others I’ve seen. But I like different rather than generic.