Real Life Results: Super Stylish (& Tidy!) Shelving in Real Kitchens
Open shelving in kitchens has been an ever-growing trend for the last decade. Especially as homes moved toward open concept layouts, kitchens opened up and got a bit lighter. Walls of closed in cabinetry gave way to sleek shelving. But, with any big switch comes concerns and in the case of open kitchen storage the primary one is “won’t it look too chaotic and messy?”. Well, we have proof that people are absolutely making it work, beautifully; here 14 examples from our house tours.
It’s the combination of light, clear glassware and small containers made of natural containers that makes Dustin and Maya’s two floating kitchen shelves beautiful.
Thoughtful spacing and similar, simple containers keeps these four full open shelves in this loft from feeling too frenetic.
Neat and orderly stacks of bowls allow Anette to fit plenty of dinnerware on a single sleek shelf.
These unique modern black shelves are gorgeous in of themselves, for sure, but a well-curated mix of one-of-a-kind containers and decor accessories make this kitchen’s storage lovely.
A mix of heights — tall plant arrangements, art — mix beautifully with the vintage servingware in this Cape Town home.
All-glass dinnerware floats weightlessly on translucent shelves, allowing for a lot of storage that doesn’t seem to take up much space at all.
Busy and metallic tiles meet the uncomplicated, unfussy dinnerware in Scott and Jerre’s bold kitchen.
Alison and Jeff’s kitchen open shelving strikes just the right balance of functional and fun.
Taking the doors off of these upper kitchen cabinets makes Lynne’s dinnerware and servingware feel like it’s on display in a museum.
Keeping all the dinnerware on-theme (mid-century kitsch) resulted in a neat and quirky vignette in Sara Kate’s kitchen.
Arranging the kitchen tools by color helps Eric and Patrick’s kitchen open shelving look organized, not overwhelming.
In Irma’s loft, her kitchen’s open shelving in a nook in the wall stays on track by grouping like items together.
Good spacing, a lack of clutter, fresh white walls and a mix of colorful cookware and servingware make the open shelves in Lynn’s kitchen appealing to the eyes.