Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was all, "Damn you, Ione Skye! Open shelving just ain't my jam!"? Well, now Elle Interiør is making me give open shelving another look because LOOK HOW AWESOME THIS IS. It's a shadow boxes mounted on a wall, all made of bamboo.
One of my gripes about open shelves was that I didn't have that many dishes and such, so invariably, my kitchen would look a bit...sparse. But this option is all about the mixing of dishes with vases and cookbooks à la art gallery, which is pretty nice. However, no matter how cool this looks, the idea of dusting that many shelves (and vases) makes me shudder. For what it's worth, though, this kitchen is pretty, pretty, PRETTY good. See the rest of the kitchen over at Elle Interiør.
(Images: Elle Interiør)

Nomade Express Slee...
I laughed so hard at your "just ain't my jam!" quote that I almost forgot to read the actual post. Hilarious! Like the shelves, too.
nice! why do kitchen cupboard have to be so traditional and structured? i really like this idea.
AWESOME! The wooden boxes idea is great---I love the first pic. But somehow I'm not in love with the pale blue and avacado color touches they added to this kitchen. I think I would leave mine all wood so the objets d'art would add the color.
I dunno. This looks nice, but would probably make my OCD unbearable. :)
love, want this kitchen cupboard!
It's cool but a little too trendy looking for my taste. I'd be ready for a change in about 6 months.
anyone know where the 3 pendants on the left are from?
This reminds me of a wall in a coffee shop/bar here in Dallas! They have a huge wall (20'x20') built similarly to this with crazy tchotchkes in all the blocks!
Cool--but probably far too cool.
We've got open shelving and we keep the most used stuff on them--everyday dishes, mugs, and glasses--and there's never dust buildup because everything gets used often. The stuff that isn't used much is away in closed under-counter cabinets or hutches--and those get a lot of dust because they just sit there waiting for a holiday.
Its a little too "look at my collection of random bowls". Would be great in a retail setting, but not in a functioning kitchen.
It looks awesome and I'd like to see it with actual kitchenware on the shelves.
Uh.. how long does it take to unload your dishwasher? How many people actually cook and eat here?
where do they store food? not so pretty with open shelving. better for a retail store display.
as someone who doesnt store food since i only buy what i'll eat in the next 3-4 days, this is an amazing concept. i never imagined not having traditional kitchen cupboards. for my 2nd rental kitchen (studio sized space) this could really work. ahh so many ideas now.
ps - i live in my studio space and the house portion is for my OCD sister who would hate this. just for reference :)
Thank you happyleaf for remembering that I can't have the dishes showing in the kitchen. You are welcome to build this in your space though, it is very pretty. I'll even help you keep it square :)
<3 the "OCD sister" (you've got trash duty for that one)
I did this!--sort of... on a really small scale, and painted them white to go with my tiny kitchen. They are definitely different...I still have mixed feelings about the open shelving thing but I think it works for certain kitchen types. I like it, anyways! Kind of reminds me of the wine-box kitchen shelving post that was up a long, long time ago, which is where i got the idea when looking for alternate kitchen cabinets/shelves on the diy side...
I've got a smaller version of this going on in my lounge room. Pain in the ass to dust, but it's great for things you like to have around, but don't have the bench space for - plus when you change it around you feel like you've completely redecorated.
gorgeous.
Stunning, especially the thin bamboo boards -- another execution of the same idea might really reek. But more appropriate for another room of the house, living or family maybe. (My kitchen stuff is not nearly so coordinated or lovely as the cabinet calls for...)