Here are some suggestions for open storage cabinets in your kitchen.
Show Off Your Kitchen Shelving
Your “Dream Kitchen” Pinterest board and the pages of This Old House magazine will benefit from open shelving brimming with eye-catching Fiestaware. However, before implementing it in your family’s high-traffic kitchen, consider the following: Is it true that I am a tidy individual? Do I adore my drinkware enough to put it on display? Tisha Leung, TOH design editor, says you’re ready to make the switch to open shelving if you answered yes. “It’s a huge visual change, and your entire lifestyle changes,” she warns. Now that you’ve made up your mind, keep reading for her tips on how to make open shelving work for you.
Ease Into the Look
To give this look a try, Tisha suggests removing a pair of cabinet doors from your existing kitchen cabinets. Remove the doors from one upper cabinet and leave the doors on an adjacent one for a side-by-side comparison. “If you get the heebie-jeebies from ‘open clutter,’ you can always put them back,” she says.
A white background should be avoided
More than a stark-white background is required for your kitchen display. Tisha says, “White even shows white dust.” “Use beadboard for texture or stick with a coloured or tiled back that you can wipe down.”
Fill the bottom shelves with useful items
“Organization is self-evident,” Tisha says. “Place the most frequently used items on the bottom shelves, followed by less frequently used, more decorative items as you progress higher up.” She also points out that open shelving is more conducive to organisation than cabinets because you can’t cram items into empty space. Plus, when you reach for great-prized grandmother’s glass pitcher on the top shelf for a dinner party, you won’t have to brace yourself for a sippy-cup avalanche.
Combine Decorative and Functional Items
Keep in mind that, while open shelving is ideal for storing everyday items, there’s also room for some keepsakes and cookbooks. “They don’t have to all be functional pieces,” Tisha explains. “Combine practicality with an antique find, such as a soup tureen or a vintage canister with a unique shape or silhouette.”
Tell a Story with Consistent Design
“If you’re considering open shelves, you probably have a few favourite items or dishware collections. Allow those to serve as your design inspiration “Tisha agrees. She recommends picking a colour scheme, perhaps based on your favourite dinnerware, and then filling in the gaps with white or another neutral colour.