If you like the idea of texture but want something modern, check out these paintable wallcoverings. I used a similar product on my kitchen ceiling to replicate old tin. With a couple of coats of flat paint it looks great. The Squares, Curvy, or Corduroy would look great in a modern space. Click on "Paintable Wallpaper" on the left side of the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: paintable wallcoverings

Thank you to all of you who replied! Such great ideas! I am leaning more toward art than shelving now, just thinking long-term. We have a little nephew who will be over quite a bit and is 6 mo. old but soon will be running back and forth through that kitchen, and hope to get a dog in the spring and then start a family, so there will be so much traffic along that wall I don't want to chance it. I'd like to pick something that really speaks to me as far as art goes, so I'm willing to hold off on a permanent piece (or several) until I find something I love - so for now, temporarily, I'm going to create my own! I found instructions on putting quotes on canvas that I liked so I'm going to do that with lyrics from our first dance song (Honey Bee, by Blake Shelton). I'll be sure to post pics, I'm tackling that tonight! Oh, and about the wallpaper - there was wallpaper on that wall before, and luckily it was very easy to remove. However, I don't want to repeat that experience after just having removed it - but it's a great idea if you love wallpaper! (see pic for reference of the "before"! Thanks again for all the suggestions, I'm new to these forums and everyone has such amazing ideas! I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more in the months to come as we go from moving in and unpacking to decorating!

I split things up by function, even if they're the same category. I have a galley kitchen, so you'll need to adapt for your space. I have one long counter w/ a sink in the middle; it divides the room into a "hot" zone and a "cool" zone. The range and microwave are in the "hot" zone, and the fridge and KitchenAid mixer are in the "cool" zone. Hot = not just heat, but also urgency and speed; it equals quick activity that has to happen now. Cooking, chopping vegetables, etc. You need to be in frequent or constant contact with the stove. Cool = not just the refrigerator and no heating element; it is where activities that have no time element take place. When you bake, you can take your time, and you need elbow room. Also, your engagement with the oven is calm and measured--you put the pans in the oven and walk away; then you come back and take them out when the timer goes off ("cool," see?) So: SPICES: in the "cool" / baking end, I have all the spices I use in baking (cinnamon and nutmeg, mostly--oh, and ginger; I store them with the vanilla and food coloring); in the "hot" / cooking end, I have all the spices I use in cooking (coriander, cumin, etc., and a 2nd bottle of cinnamon and of ginger). This way, I don't have to walk to the other end of the kitchen to get that. I find there is very little overlap--only those 2 spices. UTENSILS: Again, I have the cooking/prep utensils in a drawer in the "hot" end. Peelers, paring knives, whisks, can opener, measuring spoons and cups, rubber spatulas, lemon reamer, etc. And in the "cool" / baking end, I have a repeat of those that apply (no paring knives; if I needed to cut something for baking, I'd borrow a knife from the other end, since it happens seldom enough; ditto for the can opener, though I've ended up w/ two and might move one down here). I have a second set of measuring cups and spoons, baking whisks, baking rubber spatulas. Yes, this is a repeat, but it works for me. When I'm mixing batters and doughs, I don't have to go to the other end of the kitchen. SHEET PANS AND OTHER OVEN CONTAINERS: Again, I mostly have two sets. Baking sheets and cooling racks are in the "cool" side above the fridge. I have a skinny base cabinet by the range that holds the big sheet pan for oven fries, and broiler pan, and splatter screens, and other flat stuff that one uses in cooking. The baking pans that are NOT in the "cool" end are the cake pans, muffin tins, etc. Some are above the sink (so, straddling zones); others are in the space available in the "hot" end, for two reasons: 1, that's where they were put at the very beginning before I realized I wanted to divide it up; and 2, there's just not that much room on the "cool" end, since there are baking supplies and pantry/canned goods in the base cabinets. I don't find this onerous because I only have to get them out and set them on the counter to fill right before putting them in the oven. It's not like I'm walking back and forth as I'm working. (As i write this, I wonder if I should put the canned goods in the "hot" zone, but I don't think so--it's nice to have that stuff out of the high-action area, and the baking pans don't need as much space, so the swap wouldn't be equal.) So, anyway, that's what I did. I stood in the baking/mixing spot and thought of all the stuff I would need if I were baking (tools, ingredients, etc.), and I put it within arm's reach. And ditto by the stove. The repeats are few enough that they really don't cause a problem (and I had them all anyway, so it wasn't more expense). And the exceptions don't create a problem either.

Trimming the recessed area in the same wood color as cabinets. You could always paint it white later. clear glass example frosted glass example solid door example above no doors below Hopefully there's nothing in that wall there like plumbing or electrical. I think the 1st photo in this post with clear or frosted glass would blend well with your kitchen. Can always put a chicken in there, too ;)