Open Shelves in Kitchens

For the last several years, open shelving in kitchens has become almost the norm.  So many people are attracted to a bank of open shelves instead of the traditional upper cabinets all around the kitchen.  I fell for it too, in my own Ikea kitchen and love it.  I do keep large platters and bowls up there and arrange it so it looks really nice, but I can’t say I use it for everyday pieces.

I used reclaimed wood shelves from Southern Accents in Cullman, AL, along with iron brackets that I bought from them, but there are so many ways to mix up open shelving.

I thought it would be fun to share some inspiration pics of open shelving and discuss this growing trend in kitchen design.  It does have pros and cons, but for me the beauty of open shelving outweighs any of the cons.  I love having something different and open shelves can be mixed up so many ways, with reclaimed wood shelves and a myriad of brackets to choose from.  You an use iron, wood, or contemporary metal brackets to get a personalized look and that to me is the beauty of using this type shelving.  It lets you display large pieces of pottery or dishware, keeping it handy for use, but also attractive to look at on a daily basis.  The only con I see is you will have to dust your pieces once you take them off and use them, but that’s a minor inconvenience, I think!

Here are some inspiration pics for you.