{kitchen vignettes}

in thinking about redoing our bungalow kitchen, i've been looking at a lot of photos of open shelving. installing shelves seems like a really easy do-it-yourself project so by default it has to be much, much cheaper than custom cabinets (right??). i love the casual and easy nature of shelves but my main concerns are clutter and dust.

these photos of glasses first got me thinking about an open shelving concept in the kitchen. even though a monochromatic grouping of dishes seems to be the way to achieve a most uncluttered look, i rather like the color blend of the different glasses on the left. also would definitely want to have storage for wine glasses.

two examples of basic shelving in the kitchen. both seem to be arranged nicely without much clutter. but is it just me or are the shelves in the left photo really really high? placed too far out of reach pretty much guarantees dustbunnies.

adding brackets can dress up shelves. if going this route, i might head to an architectural salvage store or flea market to find brackets that have a bit more weight and aren't so cutesy.

these days many shelves don't even need brackets. i really like the varying lengths and heights of the shelves below.

dishes really stand out against a painted background. i may not be so bold as this pink, but it can have a nice statement. i do like the dove grey in the right photo.

add texture in the form of beadboard or slats to create depth and interest.

picture frame vignettes add personality + baskets can declutter & add storage.


you can also box-in the shelves as opposed to leaving them floating (or some people just take the doors off the cabinets for a quick way to get this look). though the kitchen below is looking really cluttered to me. i think there are too many shelves.

much better {i still love this kitchen}. but too minimal?? i most certainly have more stuff than these people. that's always the annoying thing about a photo shoot, the clutter is probably just in the other room, only removed for the picture. i'm skeptical that this is real life representation. can't argue about its inspiration however.

i've featured this kitchen before, and keep coming back to the simple elegance of this photo (but again, where does all the stuff go??)

to call even less attention to the shelves, paint them the same color as the wall. the photo on the right has the best of both worlds of shelves and cabinets: a long open shelf for the items you use most often and want to put on display and cabinets above and below for less used and perhaps less attractive kitchen items. plus the under cabinet lighting is a fantastic extra detail.

still loving the clean lines of subway tile in a kitchen. for the most part simple, white or glass dishes look the least cluttered on open shelves. ...but is it boring?

well organized tiny kitchens.

this might be my favorite. old barnwood that looks like it was built into the wall.

{images via :: country living, homes & gardens, house & garden, desire to inspire, domino, the kitchen designer, home sweet home, design sponge, purple area, remodelista, martha stewart, apartment therapy}