...for inspiration - we're finding photos and ideas to help those moving in to new spaces this fall. Perhaps even get those of us who have been ensconced in our places for a long time can take at look at or homes with fresh eyes and tackle an organizing project or two - it's never too late!
Kitchen ideas shown above, from left to right:
1. Glassware, mugs, cups and saucers on open Ikea shelving, canisters of coffee and sugar and an espresso machine make for a great looking (and potentially money saving) at-home coffee bar. Add a toaster, and voila - an instant cafe in your kitchen! Via Living Etc.
2. Dana from the Kitchn shares this excellent advice in her "Ikea Shelf Epiphany" post - open shelves are for things used daily or weekly, cupboards and closets are for things used monthly, and everything else should be in storage (basement, garage, attic).
3. Consider using the often wasted open space above cabinets for displaying a collection like this one in Shannon & Emmett's From Factory to Family
4. Cooking supplies such as oils, spices and utensils are great to keep right at hand near the cooktop - Living Etc.
5. A potrack saves so much room, keeps things easy to reach AND creates lots of visual interest. We always like the way they look - and it's nice to see one that is wall hung like this example from Emily and Damon's Color-Infused Nest, rather than the usual ceiling-suspended installation.
Images: 1 & 4 - Living Etc., 2 - The Kitchn, 3 & 5 - Apartment Therapy
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Comments (12)
Love the configuration of this IKEA kitchen which allows for both open shelving and enclosed cabinets.
http://www.modernests.com/2009/07/ikea-2010-fave-picks-so-far.html
Also love the chartreuse color with the stainless steel and a big fan of all white pottery...hmmm...take me to your leader ...so I can start my own collection...one day. :)
Unless you do not live in an urban or country environment where there is grit and dust than yes open shelving with all of your positions looks good. I am all about keeping dishes, pots and pans behind closed doors..even with that I still clean the inside of my cabinets every 4-6 months.
where do you find a potrack like the one in Emily & Damon's kitchen?
I agree with LoriSF on the dust problem... I also think it's worth pointing out that those spices, oils, etc. may look pretty sitting out on open shelves, but light isn't good for them. Neither is sitting close to the heat of the stove.
Love number 3. It's so hard to know what to put in that awkward nook next to the ceiling. I'd rather the cabinets just went all the way up. But they've really made it look beautiful.
yes, where DOES one find a potrack like that? i saw one at williams sonoma, but it cost, like, an arm and a kidney, anyone know a cheaper alternative?
Keep these posts coming! I'm moving into an apartment with the smallest kitchen (OK, smallest everything) I've ever had in my life so this creative inspiration is fantastic. I feel so lucky that it's "Setting up Home" month on AT :-).
Wall mounted potracks galore (kidneys not accepted as payment):
http://www.allpotracks.com/Wall-Pot-Racks-C14930.html
oh my gosh, is that someone's home? Are they running a coffee shop out of their kitchen? Who needs that many espresso cups? Not to mention the serious stacks of plates and bowls on the right.
@ st@cy,
I think that first kitchen are owners who probably entertain or have a B&B is my guess.
I live in the big city too and had open shelving in my 20's era kitchen and it had NO exhaust fan/hood of any kind and yet, as long as I used stuff nearly daily, they never got dirty, the shelves, however, had to be cleaned twice yearly when I did a full top to bottom cleaning of everything, with ammonia and water, scrubbie sponge and mop.
I've found that even w/ closed cabinets and an exhaust fan in my current place who's kitchen is an interior room, grease and dust still migrates about the place and stuff I've not used in a long time need washing before I can use them.
But if you use stuff daily or weekly, no need to worry about it being dusty for the most part, just rinse and dry and it'll be fine.
I would have to disagree about storing oils near the cooktop. My husband is a cook and he has told me that it can damage the integrity of the oils being stored near a heat source. I keep mine in the cupboard above and to the left of my oven. It's easy access without risking ruining those precious oils!