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Kitchen: Open Shelf Roundup

From Julie

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.

openshelfkitchen.jpg

Below: A high shelf provides storage for stacks of white plates. Photo by Colin Streater.

colinstreaterphoto.jpg

Below: Ione Skye's LA kitchen, featured in Domino.

ionesky2.jpg

Below: A house on Long Island by NY firm Deborah Berke & Partners.

deborahberkeshelteridlandkitchen.jpg

Below: A Scandinavian kitchen from Purple Area.

weheartit.jpg

Below: An open kitchen from the portfolio of Daniel Farmer.

danielfarmerkitchen.jpg

Below: A neutral palette in a serene kitchen.

kitchenopenshelving11.jpg Below: Shelving in a Brooklyn Row House Remodel by Domestic Architecture.

roy-mcmakin-open-shelving.jpg

Below: A single, long shelf provides storage above and lighting emanating from below, via Desire to Inspire.

lavishlocations.jpg

Below: A kitchen from Living Etc. featuring open storage both above and below the counter.

livingetckitchenwhitewood.jpg

Below: A kitchen from Charlotte Crosland Interiors.

openstorage3.jpg

Below: A kitchen featured on Peppermags.

kitchen.jpg

Below: A kitchen by architect Brad Cloepfil of Portland, Oregon, firm Allied Works Architecture featuring a Heath Ceramics tile backsplash.

bradcloepfil.jpg Below: Minimalist shelving by San Francisco firm Dowling Kimm.

dowlingkimmopenshelves.jpg

Below: Open shelving and dark-hued pottery in a kitchen via Style Files.

openshelflivingetc3.jpg

Below: In this kitchen in France by Kate Hume, all storage is out in the open or tucked undercounter.

katehumekitchen.jpg

Below: A kitchen by UK firm Hut Architecture; via Materialicious.

hutkitchen2.jpg

Below: A kitchen in London by Turner Castle.

turnercastlekitchen6.jpg

Below: Open shelving by Plain English Design.

plainenglishkitchen1.jpg Below: A kitchen in San Francisco by David S. Gast & Associates. davidgastkitchen.jpg

Below: Even Martha Stewart approves of open shelving; here's a shot of her Skylands kitchen.

marthastewartskylandskitchen.jpg

Below: Marble shelves add a touch of elegance to this UK kitchen; via Light Locations.

whitekitch5.jpg


August 20, 2008

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Related Posts
» Kitchen: Open Rail Storage Systems
» 10 Easy Pieces: Shelving Systems
» Furniture: Rolling Kitchen Island Roundup
» Kitchen: Modern Marble Roundup
» Kitchen: European Rustic Roundup

Add a Comment Comments (8)

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?

posted by Leah on 08/20/2008 at 07:23 am


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.

posted by Jeff on 08/20/2008 at 09:25 pm


As we age remembering what we have is at question. Having our items out in the open encourages us to use more that just what was seen. We now use our cooking and serving items. This too we are encouraged to notice what needs to be dusted, cleaned and neat. Keep in mind we also notice the items we are just not in need of as the item(s) are not being used. We love this concept!

posted by leatha on 01/25/2009 at 10:41 am


I love these ideas. We just built a kitchen but it is extremely small and we have lower cabinets but didn't have room for upper cabinets. So we are planning on installing upper shelves. I am though having trouble finding a 12" in width. All the stores I have been to only carry 10". My plates are large so they hang off the side. Does anyone have suggestions on where I could find the size needed? Thanks again for all the amazing pictures & designers. Awesome site!

posted by Jennifer on 05/07/2009 at 06:57 pm


Jennifer,

I've found the shelf selection in the organizer aisle limited and limiting. Go to the lumber department and you can find boards in many different woods and widths, including 12". Hope that helps and good luck!

posted by M. on 05/23/2009 at 12:42 pm


I have an older mobil home I am remodeling and was thinkg of putting open shelves in. I really don't have much room for upper cupboards. How about some stainless steel ones ? Anyone have any good ideas for a mobil home ?

posted by jean on 05/27/2009 at 02:16 pm


Quick question: want to put shelves made from reclaimed barnwood held up with stainless brackets in my transitional kitchen.

How do I do task lighting? No way to hide the lights under a simple shelf.

posted by Lexi on 06/22/2009 at 08:35 am


do you know what the brackets in your final picture are called? want to find some like them but haven't been able to.

Thanks.
Leslie

posted by Leslie on 07/01/2009 at 08:46 am


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