Open Kitchen Shelving And The Flexibility That Comes With It

Open shelves, much like glass cabinet doors, open up your storage areas and put everything on display for everyone to see. When we put it like that, it doesn’t sound that great. With glass kitchen cabinet doors things are a bit different. They suggest that the contents of the cabinets are either valuable or not necessarily meant to double as decorations or focal points. Open kitchen shelving, on the other hand, sends the message more clearly.

Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
A beautiful thing about open shelves is that they don’t cover up the wall treatment
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
It’s easy to maintain an open and airy decor when you use shelves instead of solid cabinets
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Group up the objects on open shelves to create clusters and to organize things more easily
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
A lot of unusual and eye-catching configurations are possible when working with open shelves
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Use open shelves in the kitchen to keep your mostly used objects within easy reach
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Shelves are great for storing and organizing spice jars, kitchen utensils are other things

There’s a lot to love about open shelving and the only disadvantages are either related to personal style preferences or the lack of privacy. But let’s focus on the pros first. The biggest advantage of all when you have open shelves in the kitchen is the fact that you can easily access everything that’s on them. You can see everything at a glance and quickly grab the item you need. Nothing is out of sight or out of mind.

Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
You can’t really hide anything on an open shelf so you might as well display the items in a great way
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Open shelves are also great for organizing things such as glasses or dishes
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
The shelves are usually placed at eye level or higher up, leaving the bottom section for closed cabinetry
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
It can also be practical to have open shelves under the counter in certain cases
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Use a single sleek shelf to highlight and frame the backsplash in the kitchen

All this openness brings to attention another detail: the function of these shelves. The practical thing to do would be to fill the shelves with items that you use on a daily basis. This way they’ll always be right there, easy to grab and easy to use, with no need to open and close doors or drawers. Another option is to use the shelves as display surfaces for decorations such as ornate plates, framed photos and other things. Either of these options is great as long as it suits your needs.

Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
It’s usually practical to have both open shelves and closed cabinets in a kitchen
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Keep most of the things hidden inside the cabinets and use the shelves for books and decorations
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
You can add one or two open shelves on your kitchen backsplash and have the cabinetry placed above them
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Both open shelves and closed cabinets are functional and practical, each in their own way
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Mixed configurations are perhaps the most popular, being flexible and very versatile

Then there’s also the budget concern. Open kitchen shelving is cheaper than cabinetry and the installation cost is also reduced in this case. Of course, you don’t have to give up other types of storage in favor of open shelves. Cabinets have their own advantages such as the fact that they’re roomy and that they hide the things you don’t want to look at every day, keeping them safe and concealed. If you find both types practical, then choose a mixed design.

Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Mixed designs with both open and closed storage can be very quirky, allowing you to combine different colors
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
In this case it’s not the open shelves that stand out but the two closed compartments
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Contrasts bring a decor to life and the colors don’t need to be special to make each other stand out
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
The ombre effect used here puts the focus on the open cubbies and the things they hold
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
The shelves are integrated in this configuration in a seamless manner and that has a lot to do with the color palette
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
These few open compartments are quite small but that doesn’t stop them from becoming the focal point of the entire kitchen
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Yellow is a wonderful accent color for grey decors, bringing cheer into the space
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Yellow also looks very cheerful when used in combination with white

In a mixed design you could have black kitchen cabinets and white open shelves for visual contrast or grey kitchen cabinets with matching shelves for a cohesive look. On the same note, two-tone kitchen cabinets can be an interesting option if you want to play with colors and to create a dynamic decor. Another way to add color to the kitchen is by filling the open shelves with all sorts of items just as cups, containers, dishes and other things that contrast with the wall behind them. But color is just one of the things you can focus on when furnishing and decorating a room.

Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
A black kitchen isn’t the dark and gloomy space you might imagine. In fact, it’s pretty bright and open is furnished right
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Dark colors work well with open shelves and you can create interesting contrasts with everything you display on them
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Put some accent lights on the shelves to highlight the decorations and to brighten up the room
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Dark colors don’t necessarily make rooms seem smaller or less inviting. If anything, they can be quite cozy

Space-efficiency is another wonderful advantage that’s linked to open kitchen shelving. Let’s say your kitchen has an odd layout or you have some empty corners to fill. Corner kitchen cabinets are one option but if you feel like they take up too much space or they make the room feel small, use open shelves instead. They can fit in all sorts of odd spaces such as nooks between the door and the wall or above the doors and windows.

Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
You can pretty much install shelves anywhere you want, even in tight or oddly-shaped spaces
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Vertical nooks don’t occupy much space and they’re great options for narrow spaces
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
In the kitchen, you can make the most of your island by having open shelves on the sides
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Open shelves or small cubbies can also frame your appliances so you can organize things better
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Corners are difficult spaces to furnish but open shelves seem to be just what you need to solve the problem
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
This is a look that suits industrial or rustic kitchens but also certain contemporary ones
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
The open shelves don’t necessarily have to conform to the dimensions and shape of the cabinetry
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
In a way, the open shelves are a lot like the cabinets that have glass doors
Kitchen island with open shelves and butcher block countertop
Compartmentalize and divide the shelves however you want, depending on your storage needs