Serra's orange inside/yellow outside open shelves
We wrote one email about it (How To: Open Your Kitchen Shelving and Not Screw it Up). Then you started to send in amazing pictures, which we posted (Look!: More Open Kitchen Shelving from Our Readers). Now we've got more. If you have one, please send it in and we'll post it as well (to maxwell @ apartmenttherapy . com)....
FROM SERRA H.:
The pics are a few years old but it still looks the same today :) Painted orange on the inside, yellow on the outside. I can take clearer shots if these aren't clear enough - they are slightly blurry, I have mastered my camera skills since these pictures were taken :)
Happy spring to you, Serra
FROM ARIANA M.:
Hi AT,
I am enjoying all of the "opened" kitchen shelving. It made a huge difference in the tiny kitchen of our 100 year old house. "After" pictures are just a couple weeks after we moved in-- this was on the very top of our priority list, since we needed a lot more space! Not shown is a high shelf that runs over the door frames along three of the four walls.
Thanks, Ariana M.
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those first ones make me soooo jealous!
Pretty color. However, do you find a thin glaze of film/dirt on your dishes .. or do you simply rinse them before you use them? Love the look of open shelving but it would tire me out to have to a) make sure it kept neat and tidy; b) have the dishes exposed to dust, etc. from cooking, etc.
I took the cabinet doors off (in a rental apt.) several months ago and haven't had a problem with the dust at all. (Left the cabinet doors on my stemware cabinets b/c i know the dust would be a problem there!) If I owned, I'd remove the cabinets completely and install some simple shelving- i love that look!
I'll submit a picture as soon as I can- only have pre-kitchn cure photos, and those aren't very pretty.
It looks very nice, but I would think that in a few weeks the jars above the stove would get greasy/grimy - particularly since there is no stove-hood.
That yellow/orange shelf looks fantastic, but I hate my own open shelves (landlord offers renovation, but I don't want to go through that and will hopefully be gone before I could enjoy it)--as an admittedly hopeless cleaner, I admit mine get completely dusty.
We are in the midst of a galley kitchen renovation and though I like the open shelves for the airy feel in a small space, I do not like the grime and dust that builds up quickly. Therefore, we're opting for glass front doors. I figure it'll be easier to wipe down the doors than all my dishes and shelves on a much too often basis!
open shelves look gorgeous...but theres the whole dirt issue..plus creepy crawlies getting inside and on things...ughh.
imagine reaching for a plate and discovering a centipede!
The dishes and glasses you use all the time stay clean because they don't stay on the shelf long enough to collect dust, but before I use a bowl or stemware when entertaining, I do a quick cleaning. I also will periodically put dustier items from the shelves in the dishwasher to fill an "almost loaded" run.
It really opens up a tight kitchen and a small price to pay for the bright airy feel!
Serra
I agree with Serra, the items that are used frequently don't have a chance to accumulate dust. Our "entertaining" dishes are kept in a china cabinet in the dining room. Everything else gets pretty regular use, so it's mostly the shelves themselves that need wiping now and then. Since our space is so tight, we have actually just had to purge the items that weren't very functional for us. Food items are stored in mason jars, so any time one of them is emptied, they are washed before they get filled again.
I am quite impressed with both. I love Serra's color choice and Ariana's kitchen couldn't be any cuter. Great work, you guys. I would be happy with either. The open cabinets give it such a warm and welcome feeling.
exactly serra..