apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

What about Lack shelves from Ikea in the stainless steel?
Would a big square mirror be wierd?

I was thinking the Grundtal shelves from Ikea. I have some above my sink that I use as a pot rack.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00011428

I also use the Grundtal rail with hooks to hang whisk, spatula, etc.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90011396

I had a similar set up in my kitchen with a big open space above the stove. I installed metal shelving from IKEA and got some hooks to hang pots and stuff. I love the way it looks and everything is sooooo accessible. It also frees up cupboard space to have your pots and pans on a hanging rack. As for meals splattering on the pots, if you hang it high enough, everything will be in reach and your cookware will remain clean. Mine does anyway! Good luck!

I vote stainless shelves too. It's a great place for cookbooks, utensil crocks, spices, etc.

Ditto. And then you can hang two or three smallish prints to the side of the rack closer to the door to balance out the space.

You could couple the above stated Grundtal rail/hooks, with this idea from the Kitchn:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/kitchen-design/look-tray-for-magnets-over-stove-065068

a vintage metal tray, with magnets, to hold your recipes as you're cooking up a storm...

How about installing shallow display shelves for serving platters?

I guess the most obvious solution would be a hood!

If you go with art, I would opt for one large print centered between the door trim and the right cabinet. To minimize the effect of an off-center stove, choose a print frame that is the same color as your wall paint and choose art with an amorphous shape.

oooh, I *just* bought those same dishtowels the other day at Target! Love them!

I am having this same issue with my soon-to-be new place. I am leaning toward some kind of shelves. I don't think I've ever lived somewhere without a vent over the stove. Does it get smoky...? Or does that just mean I don't know how to cook?

A hood, if it's within your means.

I have a stove and no hood, and yes Aquarabbit, it does get smoky. Which leads to my request--some good hood options/vent systems for small kitchens--what-say-you, ApartmentTherapy?

How about a backsplash?

:o)

If you are concerned about being off balance but do want art, why not put a few pictures - maybe a big one and two small ones on top of one another to the side of the big one? It sort of emphasizes the asymmetry but in a nice, purposeful way.

I like the shelf idea but I'd be worried about my cookbooks catching on fire if I should make a mistake. Yes, thank to my mom, I have a fear that I will, someday, burn down my kitchen.

Ooh, I love the idea of a vintage metal tray with magnets, Miss Scarlett. Smart!

I think the real question here is that the stove is off center. Shelves sound like a great idea, but make them cove the entire expanse of the wall. A picture would work as well, but that would have to go the whole expanse so it doesn't look off kilter.

Um, if there are flames tall enough to burn cookbooks on a shelf above your stove, then they are going to burn down your kitchen whether there are shelves there or not.

Put shelves up and buy a fire extinguisher for grease fires!

I had the exact same problem in my last kitchen and installed a shelf sturdy enough to hold my microwave up there. Underneath the shelf I installed an under-cabinet light to shine on the stove. It solved the problem of inadequate conterspace, and not enough light on the cook top. (Standing in front of the stove to cook ~ my body blocked the light from the one pathetic ceiling light...)

If it were me, I'd be hesitant to put shelves up there, or anything substantial for that matter, because I know I would eventually fumble and drop something onto the stove.

One large art print might look overwhelming. Maybe a combination of a few things - a couple of hooks for something light like a colander or mixing spoons, maybe a small shelf, along with a couple of smaller prints?

Yes, a Hood should have been one of the first things mentioned. They should be within means some low end models start at less than $30.

How about a chalkboard with the frame painted a great color, maybe one of the chalkboards that have the vintage-y frames? Then you could write recipes and menus on the board, and perhaps put a couple small shelves above it...

Is this a rental, or do you own it? If you own, investing in a hood is a good suggestion, definitely worth it in the long run.
But if you rent, then of course that's not an option. I rent, and had a similar blank space above my off center stove(and sadly, no hood). I went through the same pot rack vs. shelf vs. art only vs. nothing above the stove phase.
I went with a simple, but solid, shelf. On it: a small colorful statue of Ganesh in the center, flanked by candles, then utensil holders(unmatched on purpose)at each end and a small pottery bowl of garlic on one side for some asymmetry. Looks good, but minimal enough to clean easily. Above this, a laminated map of the world(also easy to keep clean). The shelf is off center but it doesn't bug me, or my guests, since none have ever commented on it.
I went with a pot rack over by my sink instead, feels cleaner. I also tend to drop stuff from time to time, as "lad1818" expressed some concern for this, but this shelf set-up works for me and I've yet to drop anything on the stove from the shelf. And I do keep a fire extinguisher in my kitchen too ;)

I have a shelf and open cabinets above my stove, with no hood, and things get greasy. mine are wood, which have their own problems, but I think those metal wire shelves might actually be equally painful to clean.
Maybe some more tile?

how about a confectioners oven?

A hood and a custom shelving to hold a microwave would be the ideal and practical solution.

I think a schnazzy clock would look great right there, I would center it over the stove instead of the wall. I found a really cool old mushroom one from the 70's on Ebay.

Without a hood, if you actually cook you put up there will be coated with atomized grease pretty quickly, so I'd go for one big framed print you can easily clean. If you don't cook, all the shelving ideas work well.

hang a collection of cool vintage plates! (emphasis on COOL so as not to make it granny) :)

A big decal, most of them are fairly cheap and you can always move it to another room if it doesn't suit you. Check out etsy there is a ton to choose from.

This one is a large one that would do that wall nicely.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=12625499

I side with using decals for that space... nothing hovering on top of the stove that could ultimately fall and splash and... jejeje ok overdrive...

With a decal you could go big, or with a collection of small things... it would look terrific and would be easy to clean. (grease collects everywhere and collects dirt EVERYWHERE) jejeje

Supposedly a mirror above your stove is good feng shui - though if that's your front door to the left, I think it negates the need as the mirror placement is supposed to allow you to see the entry into the room. Regardless, it seems like a nice interesting mirror (with some decorative etching?) there would look good and be fairly easy to clean - with vinegar - when it gets coated in grease (as anything there will!)

On a practical level, I could see a pot rack above the stove too.

For Function - A Hood! (a Clock as a second choice)

For Aesthetics - a Large Mirror! it will Open and Enlarge the space.

I would never put art over the stove. it will be ruined!

I would put art up there, or the steel shelves. If you just don't cook on the stove, you won't have to worry about oil/grease messes... :)

Decorative back splash - it's both artwork and easy-to-clean.

Get a hood/exhaust. Seriously, it really does cut down on the amount of grease and steam that get all over the place and gunk up and stink up your house.

For the first time in my life I am without a range hood in my new apartment and I am totally amazed how filthy and smelly everything gets without it.

I'll be getting one soon.

I've had this set up many times and I can tell you what NOT to do from my experience (as well as from the experiences of others):

Don't put spices anywhere near your stove. It might be convenient, but spices should be stored in a cool, dark place -- the opposite of above the stove.

Don't put a pot rack over your stove. Your pots will end up covered in grease on the outside and you'll need to wash everything before you use it or risk a burning smell coming from the outside of the pots as the grease and dust burn off. It's awful.

Don't put framed art up there -- grease gets stuck in the edges and you'll never get it out. If the art isn't well framed, smoke and grease will also get under the glass.

Don't -- for crying out loud -- hang any kind of fabric or cloth near the stove. That's a major fire hazard. Ask my friend whose pot holder fell on the stove and caused a pretty serious fire.

As for what to do?

Hoods aren't usually options for renters, but I had one put in at my last apartment. $200 all in -- including professional installation -- and the landlord was happy to have me do it because it was an improvement to the property. Just be sure to run it by your landlord first.

Small, flat images are great grouped together. I've done old seed packets held up by thumbtacks, vintage pin-up prints, an old map, photos from old cook books -- they're light enough to be held up with tacks so there's no real wall damage, but grouped together, they're pretty fetching.

And I loved the clock recommendation. Get a cheap (but cool) one that you can toss when it gets gross (which it will).

And that's the key - think of things that are sort of disposable. No hood definitely means smokey cooking (no, it's not you). You just have to plan for it.

better than a clock would be a picture of a clock.

I would also recommend a hood if you can do that, because what every you put it will get very, very greasy.

i had a similar kitchen in my last apt. I would put up a large poster that you don't mind throwing away later, that way, you see a nice picture as you cook, and then when you have to move, you just take it off and throw away. i wouldn't even put it in a frame.

thanks for all your help! now, to clear a few things up.. i own my home, i cook everday, a hood would be lovely and i didnt realize how cheaply they could be purchased. hanging multiple prints is a great idea for the time being. oh, and thats not my front door, my garage door rather. more comments please!

stainless steel floating shelf as a spice rack and above spice jars like this one from Crate and Barrel :http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=850&f=9857

or the Ikea Rajtan or Gemak ones ones :http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40064702


http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/100/1/AAAAArP4bksAAAAAAQAfSw.jpg

If it were my kitchen ,I'd put small pots with herbs I daily use in cooking ,but I understand that you might wanna move them away from the heat every time you're using using ur stove which might it a lil bit unpractical .

make it *

Pegboard or rack for hanging frequently used utensils. If you use them often enough, they'll be changed out before they get terribly grimy. At least mine seem to be OK and I cook pretty frequently.

I have a stainless steel pot rack over my oven (in a rental unit). It is much easier to clean than a shelf with items of any sort or artwork, as the pots get washed with regularity anyway. I don't find that they get dirty enough to have to wash before cooking, as it is the bottoms that are exposed to any grease.
Since you own, though, I think the hood is the best option--especially if you cook meat or fry often.

Reaching for items above the stove can be hazardous. If a child or short adult is ever likely to be in your kitchen - using the microwave, taking down a plate or pan, re-setting the clock - you can't assume they'll notice low flames under a pot.
Keeping a fire extinguisher where you can reach it if something is burning on the stove is good idea. Putting ithe extinguisher over the stove may present logistical difficulties.

Wow, someone with a similar problem, however, I'd love to hang an over-the-range microwave in the empty space. My question is, can an over-the-stove microwave be hung without a cabinet?

It looks as though you don't have an exhaust fan over the stove. If this is the case, be careful with hanging any art above the stove. Moisture from cooking can totally ruin a print. Alternatively I hung a canvas painting my wife did over the stove in our old apartment, which also had no exhaust fan, and while the painting did fine we discovered the wall had become warped and cracked right behind the canvas after only a year. :o( Good luck!

Hi! I just thought I would mention that you can now get a thing called a recircuating vent (usully in combination with a microwave). This is a great alternative to a full on hood if you don't have the option (or can't afford) to run ventilation to the outside for a the full deal. The recirculating microwave combos can range from $150-$250 for models like Sharp or LG and $300 to $500 for models like GE and Frigidaire. There are also higher end brands like Meile or Gagggenau that cost even more depending what kind of budget you are working with. Shop around some local appliance stores and check the internet for a good deal!