OPEN SHELVES

Open shelves in kitchens. You either love them or you hate them. It can an easy and inexpensive way to add extra storage to your kitchen if it’s lacking and you’re not ready for a full blown remodel.

So what do you do with them? In my experience you have one of two situations (remember we’re only talking about kitchens at this point):

1. You have a mix of upper cabinets + open shelves.

Or 2. You only have open shelves.

Your approach depends on whether you’re dealing with option 1 or option 2.

Option 1 is all about the pretty stuff and the stuff you use all the time.

A mixture of both is the ticket. This photo gives you an idea of what this looks like. You can see bowls that are probably used almost everyday and a cutting board that is most likely not used everyday.

An option like this offers a mix of storage options for items like dishes and your bottles of olive oil + balsamic vinegar. Storage doesn’t always have to be linear. I think it’s easy to get stuck with conventional ideas, for example thinking open shelves are always only horizontal, but I love this mix of horizontal + vertical storage. It’s interesting + unique. Making your kitchen feel like you really comes down to choosing those details that appeal to you.

Displaying collections alongside your everyday items is a great way to use your open storage + personalize your space. 

Now option 2 requires the same mix of pretty + everyday items, but with a focus on function. Sure option 1 requires function, but it doesn’t rely on it because you can always hide stuff in those closed cabinets. Option 2 doesn’t give you that choice.

You’ll want to make sure that your everyday items are easy to access while items you use less often can be stored up high.

Another way to add functional storage is to add hanging storage below your open shelves. There are many systems on the market to add hooks, bins + so many more options for storing anything from cooking utensils to a dish drying rack.

For either option adding a niche, or utilizing an existing one can be a great use of dead space. This provides a great space to add some of your most loved treasures.

No matter how you choose to use your open shelves they are sure to add functional + beautiful storage to your space!

XOXO, Kylie