very pretty... I've always gravitatede towards this look, but functionally, it wouldn't work for some very busy kitchens (like ours). The doors of a cabinet protect the contents from greasy air and dust. Unless all the items are used daily, they'll get dirty quickly. also, the shelves will have to be cleared and cleaned weekly....

also looks great with restaurant shelving from Metro (more industrial look)

Looks very nice, but I prefer the cabinet - much more practical as the first commenter stated.

It looks good but I wouldn't put my plates and glasses on an open shelf in earthquake prone Los Angeles.

Ditto. The only things I keep out are my pots and pans on the pot rack and some utensils in a crock on the counter. I've found that unless you use everything regularly, stuff gets dusty and a little greasy.

Attractive open shelving requires a lot of thought and some sacrifice of space (I don't think you can fit as much onto open shelves compared to cabinets). Plus: buying storage and/or decorative items, and spending a lot of time obsessing about the whole arrangement. I think it's easier and better to stick your stuff into a cabinet and move on with your life.

It looks great, but the grease and dust would be a pain to clean off the dishes, especially when cabinets are designed to protect against that extra chore.

I live on the *other* coast, so am no expert on these matters, but... if there IS a quake, mightn't stuff get broken either way, whether it's in a cabinet or on an open shelf?
I think the shelves look nice. And they seem not to be in close proximity to the stove, so that grease shouldn't be a big problem. Dust is another issue...

Bye-bye resale value. Of course if she's planning to stay long term, it's a moot point.

In my last kitchen I had a mini Billy bookcase I used as extra storage for pots & pans, mixer, and some misc. things. While it was the best solution for a tight kitchen, I would NEVER choose open storage if some sort of cabinet was a possibility- as stated above- waaay too much maintenance. I used those items very regularly & still had to constantly clean.

WHat's with all the letter Y's?

There's something to be said for getting rid of a lonely little cabinet hanging on it's little patch of blank wall...

....but if the developer had installed wall cabinets that went all the way to the ceiling rather than cheaping out w/ 30" high units it would have looked alot better and been far more practical - or if the homeowner had installed some backsplash tilework, the little cabinet wouldn't have looked so lonely and out of place.

i love it!
i have open shelving in my kitchen (upper cabinets) and my stuff doesn't get grease covered -- i don't deep fry anything, though. dust is an issue all over my apartment because of where i live, but i don't feel like my dishes get super dusty being in open cabinets. plus, it's incentive to keep things neat, tidy, and clean. i wouldn't have it any other way!

I love it! But then I bought a place with open shelving so I'm a little partial. And I think this could actually increase your resale value.

And Comicgeek, Y not?

I think it looks 100x better. Well done.
More and more, I think kitchens that have that same old stretch of wall cabinets over all the counter space, whether they're to the ceiling or not, look dated.
At least some open shelving is much more interesting and fresh, plus it's easy to change the look of.
IME, the upkeep is not much of an issue even though I cook in my kitchen almost every day.

Wow! What a transformation. Gives that little spot in your kitchen some personality. Really like it.

And not everyone cooks, so maybe the "grease factor" isn't a concern.

It looks great, as it always does when someone has all-white dishes.

But personally, I'd hesitate to buy a place that didn't have closed storage in the kitchen. I store too many non-attractive things in upper shelves (coffee filters, dog medicine, vitamins, etc.), and re-installing cabinets is a lot of money and expense.

Am I the only one who would find open shelving a resale turn-off?

I have ceiling height wood cabinets in my kitchen, and hated the light wood colour. Though I really wanted to tear them down & replace with steel shelves, I opted to paint them white & add great hardware, to appease my husband and any future buyers. They're not as cool, but they store a ton and look way better than before.

Well done! I love simple stainless steel shelves with clean white dishes on them.

i love it :-) and for stuff that is used regularly dust and grease is not a problem as things get washed all the time anyway.

and can you really live in a house with resale value dictating how you live in it?

I hope she saved them, if she wants to move that could be a problem.

It looks great, but I purchased the same shelves from Ikea a few months ago and they have all warped. I didn't have that much weight on them, only a few books.

I love the look, but alas I live in California and even a small earthquake would make quick work of those dishes and glasses.

Good job on the remodel.

Have had the open shelving thing in an apartment once and no, it was NOT over or near the stove but was somewhat close by as the kitchen was a single wall vintage 20's galley w/ the stove in the middle of this long expanse of counter and it WAS the upper cabinet with super wide doors and the kitchen itself was on the long and narrow side and where this cabinet existed, on it's opposite wall was the broom closet, making for even less room so I had to duck everytime I opened the cabinet.

I simply pulled the hing pins and took the cabinet doors off and stored them and it was where I kept glassware, dishes etc and no, I DID not have white dishes and yes the shelves got dirty but most of the stuff I used daily never got greasy so in the end, it simply meant that every six months or so I had to pull everythign out and do a good cleaning w/ amonia and water to rid of the grease and dirt - and no, this kitchen didn't have an exhaust hood of ANY kind and had a window that I kept open, even just a crack 24/7 and it and the main room's windows opend out onto a gravel parking lot.

Believe you me, even w/ closed door cabinets, things still get dirty from just being in there, and not right next to the stove does not seem to matter. I have glassware I've not used in a while in a closed upper cupboard in my current place and they all need cleaning eventually and I have an exhaust fan and USE it when I cook and no, I don't deep fry, but do saute however.

I did the same thing in my tiny kitchen with the same shelves. The open shelving really opens up the space and actually gave me more storage.

I cook daily and have my windows open 3 seasons out of the year. Dust and grease haven't been a problem. The shelves have been up a couple years, no warping or sagging, even supporting 13 place settings.

The thought of earthquakes crossed my mind, but in reality, how often are earthquakes that strong in the same spot? I just decided to accept the risk and buy new dishes and glasses if any disaster (I have two, teenage sons) strikes.

So far, all the dishes and glasses have survived two large tremors. You know my eyes shot straight to those shelves. I was suprised by the lack of movement, not even a rattle. I did suffer a nick in my wood floor when a picture frame fell off a ledge.

Mirandabee - Many of us in California have earthquake latches on our cabinet doors so our dishes won't fall out during the Big One. Without them, yes, the dishes would be at risk anyway - but still less risky than open shelving.

I like the look of this shelving, but I agree with all the others who wouldn't want to contend with the dust. Also, sometimes it's nice to be able to shut a solid door to hide occasional untidiness!

Does everyone make design and decorating decisions based on resell value?? How sad. What about living in your home and it enjoying it NOW.

Looks great.
Speaking as a person with open shelving, crockery doesn't get particularly dusty if you use it regularly.

It looks great, BUT ...

I did the same in my little galley kitchen. I painted all of the cabinets charcoal against light grey walls. I removed the cabinet on the wall across from the stove and fridge. I replaced them with three stainless IKEA shelves and painted the wall behind the shelves raspberry. My black and white dishes and black glasses look great against the wall and I was able to use darker colors without the space seeming too small. I have no problems with dust or grease because I use my dishes regularly.

Also, I kept the original cabinets in my storage unit in case I can't find a buyer that has my taste in clean lines. If you are worried about resale value and don't want to commit to putting the cabinets back up later, consider just taking the doors off of certain cabinets and painting the insides to complement your decor.