Are you wondering if open shelving is right for you? You really want to do it, but you’re scared? You can’t commit? Girrrrrl, please. Let me talk you out of your fears.
Fear #1: “I will lose so much storage space!”
False. You will most likely gain space. Better After reader Jenny and her husband recently ripped out the small set of cupboards in their kitchen and replaced them with open shelving. Not only does it look so much lighter and spacious, I’d bet money that they are able to fit more on their shelves now than they ever could in those wussy cabinets.
Fear #2: “It does look lighter and more spacious. Are you sure that isn’t just because they knocked out a whole wall and painted and upgraded everything else?”
Ok, that’s not really a fear, but yes that’s true. That obviously made a huge, wonderful difference. But my favorite part is still those shelves.
Fear #3: “You don’t understand. My cabinets are currently jam-packed with crap. I have towers of mismatched plastic cups that are older than my kids.”
Are you listening to yourself girlfriend? Toss that crap! Dejunk those cabinets! Look at the contents of Jenny’s shelves here. Simple, streamlined, and cohesive. What more do you need?
Fear #4: “Sure, but what about DUST? I don’t want my dishes getting all DUSTY. Did you ever think about that?”
Look hunbun, as long as you are using the items regularly, it shouldn’t be a problem. And if you are not using them regularly, what the heck do you have them for? (See Fear #3). And also, occasional shelf dusting is a small price to pay for the fabulous open-shelving kitchen you’ve always wanted, right?
“I guess you’re right! Wow, I never looked at it that way. Thanks friend! You’re the best!”
*tearful hugs*
*credits roll*
10 Comments
Amy U
August 7, 2015 at 1:24 PMOpen shelving sucks, sorrrrrreeeeeee. The lack of storage and abundance of dust is crazy-making. I don’t have anything I don’t use, I’m relentless about thinning out. I was before I had open shelves.
Mila
August 7, 2015 at 2:22 PMI dont understand how open shelving works…its a kitchen…so grease gets on things. So unless you are religious about cleaning those shelves, theres going to be a layer of grease…on which you put your plates etc etc. ewww. Oh and then the dust sticks to the grease. eww.
LeeAnn
August 7, 2015 at 6:46 PMIt looks great and I would try if I could convince my hubby. Or he was gone a long trip and I could surprise him when he got home. 🙂
Holly
August 7, 2015 at 7:29 PMOh it looks so good! I love the way you write! You’re so funny!
Erica
August 8, 2015 at 12:37 PMI started first by removing my cabinet doors and painting the insides a contrasting color to see if I’d like the look of open shelving. Result….love! I just did 3 cabinets by our sink. I kept our glasses, cook books, and my mixing bowls in these. My family and I like having easier access to glasses, and I realized that when I bake I only use 1 set of nesting bowls that were my grandmas colorful Pyrex. My cook books are a colorful display. I bought a cute wooden crate at an antique fair, cleaned it up and used it to store my plastic wear in. (I lined it with a mat and sealed it with poly)
I feel like I do have more storage now. I even brought out my vintage Mason jars for display and put my protein powders and grains in them and love how it all looks.
Lindsay Maxfield
August 10, 2015 at 3:49 PMOK, I have what I think is a legit concern: I live in Utah along the Wasatch Front. We’ve been told that a massive earthquake could happen at any minute (and is long overdue). My fear about open shelving is that if we’re in the kitchen when an earthquake hits, all the dishes will come crashing down on my little ones. Part of me says that when it happens a few dishes will be the least of my problems, but another part of me says why risk contributing to what could be a deadly situation? What say you?
Lindsey @ Better After
August 11, 2015 at 12:39 PMHmmm, I bet if you were in a major earthquake, it wouldn’t matter if you had cabinet doors or not. I’m sure they would swing open easily and their contents would spill out either way! Not very cheerful, but that was my first thought!
Michelle
August 10, 2015 at 4:03 PMI love my open shelving!!! For the same reasons you list. I do not have grease covering everything and I cook daily. My plates, bowls, glassware, and silverware are right next to my stove, with no grease. My shelves with jars of ingredients get dusty, but they and my fridge each get a good scrub once a month before my big grocery shopping. The few things I have that I don’t use often (soup tureen, punch bowl), I would wash before using even if they were stored in closed cupboards. Open shelves are wonderful!
Meghan
August 18, 2015 at 8:33 AMI came to the comments positive i would see at least one person worried about dust and one worried about grease, and this here comments section did not disappoint! i had a whole wall of open shelving in my old apartment and in the course of 2 years not once was anything stored there dusty or grease-covered. it was awesome to have glasses and plates right there for easy access, and it was much more visually appealing than a wall of wooden boxes 🙂
KathleenC
August 27, 2015 at 2:07 PMThere must be some big differences in how people live.
I have one cabinet that we’ve removed doors from and I love it. I would love it even more open (that’s the someday plan). We keep our everyday glasses, plates and bowls, and some colorful pans there; they are never greasy, and hardly ever dusty (no more than any other room’s contents).
Of course they’re our everyday things so they don’t sit around and collect dust either… maybe that’s the trick? Plus different locations might have different dust levels in the air… maybe? Or you could live close to a large highway? Or have open windows or doors off the kitchen?
As for grease… while we don’t fry a lot we do what I assume is a normal amount (bacon and eggs for breakfast, sauteed onions at dinner for example), I don’t have grease all over the counters or cabinets. Even right by the stove isn’t bad. So why the perceived difference?