Kitchen: Open Shelf Roundup
August 20th, 2008
From Julie, Janet, & Sarah:
An argument against kitchen cabinets: Observe how the open shelves in these kitchens add an offhand, casual note and keep essentials within easy reach.
Below: An English kitchen from Living Etc.
Below: A high shelf provides storage for stacks of white plates. Photo by Colin Streater.
Below: Ione Skye’s LA kitchen, featured in Domino.
Below: A house on Long Island by NY firm Deborah Berke & Partners.
Below: A Scandinavian kitchen from Purple Area.
Below: An open kitchen from the portfolio of Daniel Farmer.
Below: A neutral palette in a serene kitchen.
Below: Shelving in a Brooklyn Row House Remodel by Domestic Architecture.
Below: A single, long shelf provides storage above and lighting emanating from below, via Desire to Inspire.
Below: A kitchen from Living Etc. featuring open storage both above and below the counter.
Below: A kitchen from Charlotte Crosland Interiors.
Below: A kitchen featured on Peppermags.
Below: A kitchen by architect Brad Cloepfil of Portland, Oregon, firm Allied Works Architecture featuring a Heath Ceramics tile backsplash.
Below: Minimalist shelving by San Francisco firm Dowling Kimm.
Below: Open shelving and dark-hued pottery in a kitchen via Style Files.
Below: In this kitchen in France by Kate Hume, all storage is out in the open or tucked undercounter.
Below: A kitchen by UK firm Hut Architecture; via Materialicious.
Below: A kitchen in London by Turner Castle.
Below: Open shelving by Plain English Design.
Below: A kitchen in San Francisco by David S. Gast & Associates.
Below: Even Martha Stewart approves of open shelving; here’s a shot of her Skylands kitchen.
Below: Marble shelves add a touch of elegance to this UK kitchen; via Light Locations.
Related posts:
- Kitchen: Melrose Place Loft
- DIY: Rustic Wooden Shelves
- Bath: CB2 Storage Shelf
- Palette & Paints: Chalkboard Walls
- Architect Visit: Steven Holl Kitchen
Entry Filed under: KITCHEN
2 Comments Add your own
1. Leah | August 20th, 2008 at 7:23 am
So pretty — sigh.
I would totally love to do this for our eventual kitchen remodel. My husband, though — ever the practical one — is arguing that dishes on open shelves would get covered in dust and cooking grease.
Anyone out there have any firsthand experience with open shelves and the cleanliness issue?
2. Jeff | August 20th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Your husband is right. I scrub the high shelves once a month - dust on the oddball items shows you when it’s time to clean. You wipe down the lower shelves as often as you clean the counter tops.
An exterior venting exhaust hood keeps grease down, but there is still a lot of sticky dust to be cleaned up.
Shelves are great for my smaller kitchen - they’re at least twelve inches shallower than base cabinets. This allowed me to use a harvest table as an island.
Shelves also allow you to make use of all vertical space - you don’t have to contend with a soffit. Some of my tall items fit on the top shelf without a problem.
One problem: I have my favorite glasses and coffee mugs that would never make the pages of Better Homes than Yours. They look goofy & don’t match anything, but I still like them.
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