Tips for Arranging Open Kitchen Shelving
There are a ton of great kitchen cabinets out there, but sometimes, if you are in a tight space, upper cabinets can close in on the room in and make it feel smaller. There are pros and cons to using open shelves instead, but all of the pictures below seem to belong on the pro list. A few tips for curating open shelves:
1) Your biggest enemy is dust. If you don't use the items often, you will have to keep them free of dust. Also, you should take them all down a few times a month and give the shelves a quick dusting.
2) Arrange items with similar shapes or colors to keep it looking like a total mishmash of clutter. For example, you might want to show off your collection of sugar bowls and creamers, or stick to all-white items on the shelves (Eva Zeisel's china for Crate and Barrel is a great set to purchase for open shelf showing off).
3) Treat each bowl, glass, or plate like a piece of sculpture when you are arranging. Take a step back and check out the composition as you go along. Leave ample space between items.
4) Getting tired of the look of your kitchen? Switch the shelf arrangement around! If you have a neat row of clear wine glasses on the open shelves, you can switch them out with a colorful set of mixing bowls from the cabinets below to get a totally new look.
5) There are no rules. Don't be afraid to try different arrangements and mixing and matching different objects together. Check out the images below to steal ideas!
1) Your biggest enemy is dust. If you don't use the items often, you will have to keep them free of dust. Also, you should take them all down a few times a month and give the shelves a quick dusting.
2) Arrange items with similar shapes or colors to keep it looking like a total mishmash of clutter. For example, you might want to show off your collection of sugar bowls and creamers, or stick to all-white items on the shelves (Eva Zeisel's china for Crate and Barrel is a great set to purchase for open shelf showing off).
3) Treat each bowl, glass, or plate like a piece of sculpture when you are arranging. Take a step back and check out the composition as you go along. Leave ample space between items.
4) Getting tired of the look of your kitchen? Switch the shelf arrangement around! If you have a neat row of clear wine glasses on the open shelves, you can switch them out with a colorful set of mixing bowls from the cabinets below to get a totally new look.
5) There are no rules. Don't be afraid to try different arrangements and mixing and matching different objects together. Check out the images below to steal ideas!
Photos & Products
The discipline of sticking to white and steel objects above lets a fish sit pretty next to some pots. Below, baskets give a streamlined look.
Here the palette of the objects goes along with the palette of the cabinets, counters and tiles for a uniform look.
Here steel, white, and clear glass give this kitchen a clean, modern restaurant aesthetic.
Here the shelves are part of a greater composition with the cabinets and appliances. It's almost Mondrain.
I love the way these open shelves divide the kitchen without cutting it off.
Here a collection is shown off on open shelves in two rooms at once.
Now that's disciplined arrangement!
Translucent glass used here is sort of in the middle between closed cabinets and open shelves. You still have to arrange thoughtfully, but it solves the dust issue.
Comments (8)
kathlorang
I'd like to know where to find that type of 'floating' shelf as well. All I ever find are cheap, ugly, Ikea shelves that show the screw or brackets.
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Edith Logan
I like the look of open shelving because it offers a fresh look to the kitchen and you can display your lovely dishes where you can see them and appreciate them.
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User
Lee Valley sells floating shelf support brackets (drill into the center of each board). We used them to mount 4 inch solid fir shelves in our bathroom and kitchen.
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