My Dream Home: 10 Open Shelving Ideas For The Kitchen

I’m in love with open shelving in the kitchen — but I just learned that Don is not a fan.

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I really want open shelving in our next kitchen because I have a collection of pretty dishes that I want to show off and accessible without having to open doors.

This is what Don prefers:

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And this is what I prefer. I think a few open shelves near the sink are practical and make the kitchen feel bigger.

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So it looks like I have to make my case for open shelving. No problem, I have tons of ammunition!

Here are some beautiful examples I’ve been collecting on my Pinterest kitchen board.

An easy way to create open shelving is to just take the doors off existing cabinets, as in this example:

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I love the farmhouse look, and my favorite part is the farmhouse sink.

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If you are designing a new kitchen or are renovating, shelves instead of cabinets are an option. I’m still undecided if I prefer floating shelves over shelves with brackets.

Isn’t this pretty?

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Here are a few examples of floating shelves. This design decision definitely makes for a simpler, more open, and less frilly look, but I’m not sure I trust that the shelves would be able to hold the weight of all our bowls, etc.

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Fingers crossed that these beautiful examples change Don’s opinion on open shelving in the kitchen!

What do you prefer: not seeing your dishes and hiding them in cabinets, or open shelves to show them off? What do you currently have?

Tagged as: home decorating, interior design, kitchen, kitchen decorating ideas, my dream home, open shelving ideas