9 Kitchens Where Open Shelving Rules
Find out why these homeowners ditched their upper cabinets
Open shelving is a hot topic when it comes to kitchen storage. Maybe you are a fan of the trend and enjoy using open shelves to show off your styling chops. Or perhaps you feel that they are simply a clutter magnet. Either way, they’re a storage option that homeowners weigh when designing their kitchens.
Get inspired by these nine homeowners who embraced losing their upper cabinets. Then tell us in the Comments: Are you a fan of open shelving?
Get inspired by these nine homeowners who embraced losing their upper cabinets. Then tell us in the Comments: Are you a fan of open shelving?
2. Industrial-Modern Style in an 1890 Kentucky Brick Home
Aaron and Mandy Lehman renovated their kitchen in Dayton, Kentucky, with the help of First Ward Wood Co. The couple had custom wraparound ash shelving installed against brick and dark gray walls. The shelves display frequently used cups and dishes, and a collection of other clear glass pieces.
How to Arrange Open Shelves in the Kitchen
Aaron and Mandy Lehman renovated their kitchen in Dayton, Kentucky, with the help of First Ward Wood Co. The couple had custom wraparound ash shelving installed against brick and dark gray walls. The shelves display frequently used cups and dishes, and a collection of other clear glass pieces.
How to Arrange Open Shelves in the Kitchen
On this wall, the shelves serve as a beverage station for coffee and cocktails.
Read more about this home
Find a rolling kitchen island in the Houzz Shop
Read more about this home
Find a rolling kitchen island in the Houzz Shop
3. Doorless Cabinets and Boho Style in Nashville
Until recently, the kitchen was Leah Hoffman’s least favorite room in her home in Nashville, Tennessee. “Our kitchen is tiny,” she says. The cabinets and appliances were black, and the room lacked natural light. Hoffman removed the doors from the uppers and gave all the cabinets a couple of coats of white paint.
On the more open shelving in the brighter and airer kitchen, Hoffman’s vintage collectibles can stand out. The shelves are filled with colorful glassware, dishes and kitchen accessories, plus a few houseplants.
Read more about this home
Partly Open Shelving: The Case for Doorless Cabinets
Until recently, the kitchen was Leah Hoffman’s least favorite room in her home in Nashville, Tennessee. “Our kitchen is tiny,” she says. The cabinets and appliances were black, and the room lacked natural light. Hoffman removed the doors from the uppers and gave all the cabinets a couple of coats of white paint.
On the more open shelving in the brighter and airer kitchen, Hoffman’s vintage collectibles can stand out. The shelves are filled with colorful glassware, dishes and kitchen accessories, plus a few houseplants.
Read more about this home
Partly Open Shelving: The Case for Doorless Cabinets
4. A French Family Home Inspired by Art, Travel and Long Dinners
Catherine Mikolajczak lives southeast of Paris in St.-Maur-des-Fossés, France, with her husband and their five children. In their compact U-shaped kitchen, the couple added open shelving to one wall to store frequently used grains and other dry foods in clear jars. The couple also installed a metal bar underneath some shelves to hang utensils and keep them easily accessible.
Read more about this home
The Pros and Cons of Upper Kitchen Cabinets and Open Shelves
Catherine Mikolajczak lives southeast of Paris in St.-Maur-des-Fossés, France, with her husband and their five children. In their compact U-shaped kitchen, the couple added open shelving to one wall to store frequently used grains and other dry foods in clear jars. The couple also installed a metal bar underneath some shelves to hang utensils and keep them easily accessible.
Read more about this home
The Pros and Cons of Upper Kitchen Cabinets and Open Shelves
5. Playful Bohemian Flair for a Nashville Live-Work Home
Functionality was a high priority for Casey Freeman and Savannah McNeill when they renovated their 1945 East Nashville home. And when it came time to decorate, the two friends and co-owners of clothing company Hey Wanderer put their signature bohemian touch on the kitchen. They use the wooden open shelves to display a collection of colorful bowls, glasses and serving dishes in a mostly white-and-wood space.
Read more about this home
Should You Use Open Shelves in the Kitchen?
Functionality was a high priority for Casey Freeman and Savannah McNeill when they renovated their 1945 East Nashville home. And when it came time to decorate, the two friends and co-owners of clothing company Hey Wanderer put their signature bohemian touch on the kitchen. They use the wooden open shelves to display a collection of colorful bowls, glasses and serving dishes in a mostly white-and-wood space.
Read more about this home
Should You Use Open Shelves in the Kitchen?
6. Dramatic Kitchen Transformation in Nashville
Kaitlin Doubleday and Devin Lucien replaced their existing upper cabinets with open shelving to give the kitchen in their 1930s Victorian in Nashville a dramatic new look. The couple worked closely with local home stager and interior decorator Lauren Swedenborg to update their space. Doubleday had the lower cabinets and walls painted a matte black. These seemingly minor updates made a big difference in modernizing the room. “I’m in love with the space now,” Doubleday says.
Read more about this home
Find an interior designer on Houzz
Kaitlin Doubleday and Devin Lucien replaced their existing upper cabinets with open shelving to give the kitchen in their 1930s Victorian in Nashville a dramatic new look. The couple worked closely with local home stager and interior decorator Lauren Swedenborg to update their space. Doubleday had the lower cabinets and walls painted a matte black. These seemingly minor updates made a big difference in modernizing the room. “I’m in love with the space now,” Doubleday says.
Read more about this home
Find an interior designer on Houzz
7. Pretty Pastels and Classic Style in Charleston
Alexis Temkin worked with interior designer Taylor DeBartola to update her 1866 home in Charleston, South Carolina. DeBartola suggested removing the kitchen’s upper cabinets and going instead with a wall of open shelving. Temkin believes that the shelves make the room feel bigger and brighter. “It’s also forced organization for me,” she adds. “The open shelving prevents me from having messy cabinets.”
Alexis Temkin worked with interior designer Taylor DeBartola to update her 1866 home in Charleston, South Carolina. DeBartola suggested removing the kitchen’s upper cabinets and going instead with a wall of open shelving. Temkin believes that the shelves make the room feel bigger and brighter. “It’s also forced organization for me,” she adds. “The open shelving prevents me from having messy cabinets.”
Temkin’s shelves are beautifully styled in a primarily blue-and-white coastal-inspired palette to match the rest of her home.
Read more about this home
Read more about this home
8. Bright Update for a Creative Couple in Tennessee
Bryan and Laci Fowler put their personal stamp on almost everything in their kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee, except for the brick fireplace. “We saved money on things like butcher-block countertops and a simple but timeless backsplash, both of which we installed ourselves,” Laci says.
The couple replaced the upper cabinets with open shelving to display frequently used white plates, a few houseplants and other accessories. The Fowlers also repurposed the existing bottom cabinets and added new black hardware to update their look.
Read more about this home
Bryan and Laci Fowler put their personal stamp on almost everything in their kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee, except for the brick fireplace. “We saved money on things like butcher-block countertops and a simple but timeless backsplash, both of which we installed ourselves,” Laci says.
The couple replaced the upper cabinets with open shelving to display frequently used white plates, a few houseplants and other accessories. The Fowlers also repurposed the existing bottom cabinets and added new black hardware to update their look.
Read more about this home
9. Classic Makeover for a 1960s Ranch in Texas
For Cynthia and Ricardo Rojas, open shelves are simply a style preference. “We weren’t a fan of the traditional upper cabinets,” Cynthia says. “Our carpenter created the shelves out of one piece of wood,” Ricardo adds. “We were really happy about that.”
Adan counter stools: Glamour Home; bar pulls in golden champagne: Amerock Hardware
For Cynthia and Ricardo Rojas, open shelves are simply a style preference. “We weren’t a fan of the traditional upper cabinets,” Cynthia says. “Our carpenter created the shelves out of one piece of wood,” Ricardo adds. “We were really happy about that.”
Adan counter stools: Glamour Home; bar pulls in golden champagne: Amerock Hardware
Here is a closer look at their L-shaped corner shelving, styled with their coffee maker, bowls, and a black felt letter board.
Read more about this home
More on Houzz
Style Your Open Kitchen Shelving Like a Pro
Find a local kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen canisters and jars
Read more about this home
More on Houzz
Style Your Open Kitchen Shelving Like a Pro
Find a local kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen canisters and jars
Kirk and Katie Shields worked with The Biggers Co. to add butcher-block shelves in the absence of upper cabinets to create practical storage in their breezy kitchen in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. “I feel like I do dishes more frequently because I’m not having to open and close cabinets,” Katie says. “And when someone comes over, they don’t ask for a wineglass — they get it themselves. Everyone can come in and find things and be comfortable cooking together. We’re always hosting, and I wanted something easy to navigate.”
Read more about this home
Find a kitchen designer near you on Houzz