Alternatives to the Trend of Open Shelving in the Kitchen

While open shelving in the kitchen has been trending for several years as an alternative to traditional kitchen cabinets, they do have some disadvantages. Unless you really stay on top of keeping your shelving organized, it can quickly become a messy eyesore. Open shelving can also be visually unappealing if your dishes and other kitchen items are outdated, chipped or mismatched.

If you’re unwilling or unable to go out and purchase matching dishware, here are several alternatives to open shelving that can still result in a trendy and inviting kitchen.

The Storage Wall

Traditional kitchens tend to have upper and lower cabinets that take up the majority of the wall space. Some new designs, however, move the majority of the storage onto one wall, utilizing either full-length built-in cabinetry or combining several freestanding units. With all the higher cabinets condensed to one area, this opens up more wall space, making the room seem airier and more inviting while providing additional room to display things on the wall or even install a new window or bank of windows.

White Cabinets

Another idea to make your kitchen space seem more open without resorting to open shelving is to paint your upper cabinets or storage wall white. This is an excellent alternative to open shelving, as white cabinets appear to recede and blend in with white walls, eliminating the closed-in feeling that dark upper cabinets can sometimes evoke.

Glass Cabinet Doors

If you like some aspects of open shelving, such as displaying your pretty dishes, but don’t want the hassle of dusting said dishes, consider adding glass inserts to some of your cabinet doors. With a little strategic placement, you can easily display your best dinnerware and glassware while still being able to hide mismatched cups and that collection of plastic storage containers. With a variety of glass styles available – clear, opaque, patterned, etched, leaded – you can take your kitchen from functional and utilitarian to stylish and elegant in no time.

Get the Kitchen of Your Dreams

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