Open shelving in the kitchen

[eks6426]

I am in the dreaming/planning stage of kitchen remodeling. My kitchen is fairly small---it''s basically one wall for the sink, dishwasher & stove. I''ve seen a lot of designer kitchens lately with open shelving. One of my pet peaves is the constant need to stack things like pans & baking dishes in the cabinets. So, my husband suggested doing some open shelving instead of upper cabinets for pot/pans (stored with lids on them), dishes (mine are all white) and bakewear like casserole dishes. We''d still have regular cabinets for glasses, food, plastics etc.

Does anyone have any experience with the open shelving? Does it work? What do you like/not like?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I had the same problem with having a small kitchen and ergo small storage...

I actually used a kitchen designer during my remodel, and she totally transformed my kitchen. I have more storage than I ever thought possible. One of the best decisions she made was to make room for pot drawers. I thought it was kind of silly at first...but it''s pretty amazing how much you can fit into two or three of those things. I actually, for the first time ever, had enough room to use one for baking sheets!

You should go buy an Home and Garden magazine, and phone a designer in your area. Some work in affiliation with construction companies and will give their services for free if you buy thru them...others will charge a fee. You should meet with at least 3...and see which one you prefer...you could even visit your local home improvement store and use their design services--although they won''t come to you the way a paid designer would...

 

[somethingshiny]

I''m in the same stage of planning my kitchen! I''ve been looking into the open shelving, too, for the same reasons as you. The number one complaint i here is dust. I live in an area where we keep windows open in the spring and fall and apparently those open shelves collect dust like crazy. I''m still interested in hearing more and seeing pictures of actual STUFF on the shelves.

 

[AGSHF]

Hello,

Dust is most definitely an issue. I have open shelving in my kitchen, but it''s for "display" items such as glass pieces, vases, big bowls, etc. We don''t keep the doors or windows open but dust builds up. When I need to use a vase or bowl, it becomes a pain and has to be cleaned out first. Then, there''s the issue of having to remove the items in order to dust the shelves. Also, because of the visual aspect of this area of shelving, I find that I need to have everything "coordinated," spaced out properly and looking nice, or it becomes an cluttered eyesore. So, for me, not terribly practical.

If you are putting in new cabinetry, I suggest deep, full-extension drawers, the more the better. They will have to be sturdy, of course, to withstand the weight of china plates, etc. European style cabinets are especially good for this. Also, you can put in pull-out shelves in your lower cabinets so that it is easier to access items stored there.

I hope this helps.

 

[moremoremore]

Yeah, I wouldn''t do open shelving for pots and pans...I agree that it''s more for some dishes or display items...Also have to worry about dust....

As for the pots and pans, our kitchen is pretty small and when we remodeled they put in a corner cabinet 2 tier lazy susan (awesome!) and also have some full pull out flat drawers for pots and pans...I love that the best! I do suggest class doors to make a small kitchen feel bigger!

 

[Haven]

We don''t have open shelving, exactly, but we just bought a gorgeous china cabinet from Crate & Barrel to match our C & B dining room table. The cabinet and hutch are in our kitchen, and I LOVE the way it looks.

We keep our everyday dishes and serving dishes on the shelves. I think it gives the kitchen a homey, country kitchen feel.

You''ll have to excuse my horrible photo skills:

 

[pennquaker09]

I think a combination of upper cabinets and shelves would actually look quite nice. I''ll see if I can find some examples.

 

[saltymuffin]

I am thinking about similar things myself. I also have a small kitchen, it isn''t on one wall, but a galley. I really don''t like how "full" the kitchen feels right now with upper cabinets on both walls and am thinking of some open shelves on one wall to open up the space. I am hesitant though to lose the cabinet space. Some of my cabinets are kind of jammed, and you can''t do that with open shelves. It has to look nice. I also have REALLY high ceilings and am tempted to take advantage and stack cabinets all the way up to the ceiling . . . I really don''t know what to do. Anyone know any good sites for kitchen inspiration photos?

 

[luvmyhalo]

I thought about that for a while also but dust killed it for me!

I decided to do glass doors on most of my upper cabinets. It breaks up the "wall" of cabinetry and brings a bit of elegance to the Kitchen.

I store all my plates, bowls, glasses and a few decorative items in them. We only have a small amount of solid wood upper cabinets where I keep coffee mugs, sippy cups, etc...things that don't look so pretty! Pots/pans, cookie sheets, etc are stacked in lower cabinets.

Cookie sheets and shallow baking dishes can be stored with vertical wooden dividers. It's a great space saver! I'll see if I can find a picture of what that looks like.

Here's a website with some beautiful Kitchens to draw inspiration from!

http://www.wood-mode.com/MAIN_SECTIONS_about_wood-mode/main_introduction.asp

 

[Italiahaircolor]

These are the open concept shelves we have in our kitchen...they get very dusty...and I usually clean them twice weekly

 

[eks6426]

Everyone has really hit the nail on the head for my concern with open shelving: the need to constantly dust/clean them. I would love to put almost everything in lower cabinets (done in drawers) but I really only have room for 3 lower cabinets total. There''s just not enough room to do it. I am thinking about the glass door option as well because I understand it would keep down the dust, but I''m still tempted to do the open shelving for the things I use every day.

My inspiration is coming from the concept of mis-en-place. Here''s an article explaining it: http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.commercial.htm

Another article with some inspirational pictures: http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.no.wall.cabinets.htm

 

[tenfour]

we''re in the middle of a kitchen redo. there will be a mix of open shelving and cupboards. the shelving will be used for food items i use all the time. i don''t mean there will be rows of canned goods, but rather containers with staples i use frequently (dried lentils and beans, rice, flour, nuts, etc). open shelves with food make sense to me. i mean, what else should i be keeping in a kitchen??

 

[Italiahaircolor]

When I redid my kitchen I thought not only about myself and my wants...but also resale value. It''s great to want a certain kitchen for yourself and the way you live in your home...but it''s also an investment.

Kitchen''s sell homes, and thats just the facts. I am fortunate to have a decently large pantry, so any cabinetry in my kitchen is used for plates, cups, fine china, cookwear, bowls, serving dishes, and things of that nature. My kitchen is absolutely NOT a catch all for food as well.

I have a small "galley kitchen" so I needed to put in functional cabinetry that used the space, but also made it very user friendly for anyone who comes into my home after me. I have a huge pull out spice rack next to my stove. Deep and wide pot drawers--including a thin but wide utensil drawer. I have swallow over mit drawers. A slide in chine cabinet. A bifold corner unit. Wisper close/anti-slam drawers.

I think that it''s so important to also remember that you''re not only building a kitchen that you need to love, but also a kitchen that another person can love and understand. While I get the idea of open shelving, I personally wouldn''t enjoy that as the hub of my cabinetry in a kitchen....but thats just me.

 

[tenfour]

kitchens definitely sell a home!! one of the reasons why we bought our house was because of the 30ish year old, completely outdated and disgusting kitchen. my taste isn''t typical of what seems to be popular in real estate (no cherry wood and granite for me). it was tough finding a house with an old kitchen. i didn''t want to pay for a seller''s upgrade only to tear it out immediately. haha.

but i do know where you''re coming from. in 15-20 years when we decide to sell this place, i will definitely have to make changes to the character i have added. bye-bye to the feather printed wallpaper in the living room, hello beige paint.

 

[Allison D.]

I''m not a huge fan of open shelving. In addition to the dust issue, it just looks cluttered to me, no matter how neatly kept.

 

[Hera]

Date: 11/10/2008 1:46:23 PM
Author: Allison D.
I''m not a huge fan of open shelving. In addition to the dust issue, it just looks cluttered to me, no matter how neatly kept.

I agree. The idea in small spaces is to reduce visual clutter which can overwhelm such spaces.

 

[zoebartlett]

I''m not a fan of open shelving for the same reasons that Allison mentioned. I love being able to hide appliances and other things away. It makes the kitchen less cluttered.

We did recently buy a butcher block island and a hanging pot rack from Crate and Barrel. Our kitchen is fairly small and we needed more storage space. I didn''t want the pot rack originally because I didn''t want to see our pots and pans out in the open every day. I have to admit, it looks really good and it''s not cluttered at all. It also breaks up one long wall in our kitchen.

 

[somethingshiny]

I just saw where people took their cabinets and raised them on the wall by about 8-10 inches, and added short glass front cabinets (with doors that raised up like a bookcase) underneath them. It added a ton of storage, really neat architectural appeal, and lovely display area.

 

[eks6426]

Somethingshiny--I'm actually considering using those glass fronted bookcase style cabinets in addition to or instead of the open shelving. Right now, I'm thinking 2 open shelves with the library style glass fronted cabinets above them (toward the ceiling). Putting them underneat regular cabinets is not something I've seen so thanks for the idea.