There are strong camps for and against open shelves in a kitchen. The anti-open shelf people tend to hate the potential for disorganisation and clutter. Meanwhile, the pro-open shelving group prefers the rustic, homey feel offered by some rustic exposed shelves.
Sunday Kitchen cooking sensation Karima Hazim is firmly in the latter camp. “In a dream world, I would take away all of the [kitchen] cabinets, and have them exposed. I love exposed shelves,” she shared on Home Beautiful‘s podcast, The Edit. “They are works of art, I love looking at them.”
Listen to Karima on The Edit podcast:
Karima prefers a kitchen with a ‘lived-in’ feel. “I cannot handle going into a kitchen that has everything hidden, and is completely bare,” she continued. “I can’t see utensils or a jar —I can’t see anything. It’s spotless. It’s bare. I’m like, ‘Does anyone eat here?'”
“Give me some life in here. I feel like people think that a kitchen is not a living space. You spend most of your time nourishing yourself from this space. It needs to be full of inspiration.”
Karima Hazim, Founder of Sunday Kitchen
As for her own kitchen, Karima has a “beautiful poetry book on the shelf with my cookbook [Sofra] and another Lebanese cookbook that I love.” She also collects various crockery, platters and pestle and mortars, which make a visual statement on open shelves.
With farmhouse and cottage kitchens making their comeback, it’s only natural the subject of open shelving should return to the zeitgeist. So, how can you lean into the trend without it becoming an eyesore?
Read on for our expert tips on how to style and organise your open shelves, plus how to clean and plan your shelving layout.
In this article:
Is open shelving in the kitchen a good idea?
While beautiful to look at when styled and kept clean, open kitchen shelving can be a magnet for mess and dirt to build up – particularly near the cooking zone. The key is to make a careful edit of what goes on your shelves and ensure items are used often and/or cleaned regularly.
These open kitchen shelves echo the style of the historic cottage and are well equipped with canisters, placemats and various dinnerware essentials. (Photographer: Brigid Arnott / Stylist: Jodie Gibbons)
3 top tips for tip top shelf display
- Place like with like – group similar objects together such as matching glassware, canisters or crockery
- Stack it up – keep stacks tidy so it looks like a curated display, rather than a dumping ground!
- Pick pieces you’ll use – keep things clean by displaying items you use (and therefore wash) daily
How to design and install kitchen open shelves
Choose a finish for your kitchen shelves that echoes another design element in the space. Match timber shelves to the type of wood used for your stair treads, floorboards or dining table, or repeat a surface treatment from elsewhere in our kitchen. If you’d prefer to make a statement with custom shelving designed to stand out, ensure the surfaces are able to be easily wiped clean, and sturdy enough to withstand the weight of objects you plan to display.
Measure carefully the width, depth and height of your shelves to ensure they can hold what’s required. Mock up your display with piles of plates and measure their width. Line up cups or glasses that will be grouped together and assess the needs and overall weight of the load your shelf will carry. For decorative items such as jugs and vases, allow extra height to lift and place them safely.
Assess the placement of shelves in relation to wall height and imagine how you will require access to the items and whether or not everything will be within reach. There’s no point making a beautiful display of glassware that’s out of reach of the people who will use them.
Styling and organising your open shelves
For open shelves within easy reach, display oft-used items instead of pieces that are only used occasionally. Dust decorative items on higher shelves regularly to avoid a sticky residue from kitchen fumes, which will become a magnet for dust and cooking grease.
Be selective in what you display and avoid clutter or overloading your shelves. With a saucer placed underneath and a handy jug or watering can, indoor plants can make a beautiful addition to a curation of kitchenalia.
How to keep open shelves from going out of style
One of the best things about open kitchen shelving is that it’s a look that can be worked into any style of home, from coastal to contemporary, country to classic Hamptons. Look to the style of your kitchen and your choices of cabinetry, brackets and shelf material to keep your shelving in line with the overall aesthetic. Update what is displayed often to keep the look current.
Add hidden lighting for your kitchen shelves
The addition of lighting above or below your kitchen shelves adds beauty and utility to your kitchen space. Weigh up your practical needs before choosing which type of lighting will work best – consider critical task lighting versus a more subtle, ambient glow.
LED strip lights are easy to mount – even retrofit – and make task lighting energy efficient for your workspaces. Meanwhile, custom recessed lighting will need to be planned from the outset to allow for the installation of appropriate wiring. There’s also the option of exploring wall sconces, or even cordless lamps to illuminate the zone.
Alternatives to open shelves in the kitchen
If the idea of open kitchen shelving does not appeal to you, you may prefer to opt for integrated cabinetry with storage behind closed doors. Another alternative to open shelves and a pretty way to have your crockery and glassware on display is behind glass. If you keep the design simple, generous kitchen shelves can be housed in cabinetry that’s close to hand and kept clean and orderly.
Glass cabinetry can provide the best of both worlds for kitchen shelving. (Photographer: Simon Whitbread | Styling: Corina Koch)
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