Open Shelves in the Kitchen: Love It or Hate It

New trend alert! Open shelves are making their way into the kitchen to open up the space, showcase items, and turn your kitchen into a delightful display rather than hiding everything behind cabinets. First I’ll dive into what they are, and give you some examples of some kitchens I’ve been loving. Then, we’ll talk about how to incorporate this trend into your own design!

Open shelves are not a new concept. You can see shelves in all shapes and sizes when it comes to home design. However, incorporating them into the kitchen is something that has come up more with Scandinavian design that has made its way across the pond. 

You can see an open shelving unit in the back of this image. This was on the front page of Scandinavian Designs! It’s so relevant you don’t even have to look hard to find examples, and I’ve made it even easier with this article!

Although you can absolutely use a shelving unit that stands on the ground like the image seen above, another large part of this trend as I’m seeing it right now are floating shelves. The added element of hidden hardware adds a sense of weightlessness and sophistication to the space.

Styles to Look Out For:

This is a perfect example from Kate Marker Interiors where there is zero visible hardware. The contrast between the natural wood shelves and glossy subway tile balances the space and allows your eye to be drawn to the items on the shelves rather than focusing on the shelves themselves.

However, you’re not confined to something this simple. Brooke of Plank and Pillow touches on suspended and rustic styles that incorporate things like piping or wire to hang the shelves from the ceiling for the former and raise the shelves from the countertop in the latter.

 This example from Marianne Strong Interiors showcases shelves suspended with brass that mirrors the hardware on the cabinetry. 

Some people are turning it up a notch and opting for glass shelves, which bring the focus even more to your items. This design by Katie Hackworth uses these glass shelves in front of the window, also suspended from brass pipes like the design above. 

This design offers so much elegance and opens up the space entirely.

In contrast, this rustic design, once again from Kate Marker – who I’ve mentioned above – uses black piping and shelves with a stain that highlights the grain of the wood. You can see just how different this trend can be from design to design, so it’s easy to incorporate it into your own kitchen.

A perfect way to showcase the adaptability of open shelves is this design that one of our own designers at Calux Cabinets created for a customer.

This galley style kitchen originally had a set of display cabinets facing out into the living room. We upgraded the space by adding an open shelf on the left side of these cabinets, which automatically breaks the harsh line of the wall cabinets and begins to open up the space. The customer could’ve even taken this a step further and used open shelves across this entire length, but they preferred the glass front cabinets to display their items. Glass front cabinets offer a similar functionality of open shelving, allowing you to display things rather than hide them away.

Love it or hate it, I do feel obligated to educate you on the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages: 

Ability to bring your personal aesthetic into the kitchen. Normally wall cabinets do not allow for very much expression in the kitchen. You’re confined to using counter space for trinkets or display items, but then you take up your valuable countertop space. If you have a lot of knick-knacks that you want to display, open shelves may be for you. 

Brings functionality to spaces. If you have an odd corner or gap that won’t fit a traditional cabinet, or is an awkward size, putting open shelves in that small space can bring a new look to your kitchen.

You won’t have to open doors. This one is a given. There are no doors to open! You can easily grab your necessary items and don’t have to worry about messy handprints on cabinet doors. Plus your guests will be able to find anything at a glance.

Cost effectiveness. You can save money by incorporating open shelves into your design. If you’re looking for an easy way to save without compromising on looks, open shelves can be a way to keep your space visually appealing while saving you a little extra money behind the scenes. 

Disadvantages:

Lack of storage space. Typically shelves are more shallow and sometimes hold less weight than a traditional cabinet. Of course there are ways to mount shelves to hold heavier items, but overall cabinets provide more inside space and allow you to pile more things inside because you aren’t worried about how they look. 

Safety concerns. In California especially, there is a valid concern for earthquakes. Additionally, if you have kids or pets, this can be a concern. Not having a door means that things have the potential to fall, so if this is a concern for you, this might not be the way to go. There is a workaround however, if you’re using your shelves purely for display. Actress Ellen Pompeo talks about her open shelves in her beach house, explaining that she uses sticky tape to hold her decorative apothecary jars down in the case of an earthquake. Her home is phenomenal, so definitely check out her video with Architectural Digest.

Collects dust and kitchen grease. The fact that there is no closed space means that your shelves and the items on them will get dirtier faster than traditional cabinets. This is something that can be prevented with regular cleaning, but if you’re looking for something low maintenance this might not be for you.

Organization concerns. If you are a messy person, or simply don’t enjoy organization, a kitchen with an open shelf design will probably drive you crazy. Because all of your items are on display, there is no room for disorganization if you want your space to look nice. 

Something else to consider:

Do you have dishware that you want people to see? If you’re the type of person who thrives off of matching sets and coordinated dishware, you’ll love being able to display this aspect of your personality. However, if you like the more mismatched collector’s approach to dishes, where you only have one or two of each piece, you may find that open shelving makes your items overwhelming. 

With all of that being said, I’m curious what you think! I don’t think open shelving is going anywhere, it’s certainly something that passes through many styles of design, but is it your personal cup of tea? Let me know!