Friday, April 20, 2012

Open Kitchen Shelving




Open shelving in the kitchen can be a little controversial.  People have a tendency to think, "I don't want everyone seeing all my mismatched dishes." or "I don't want the pressure of having to keep everything neat and organized all the time."  





But if you choose a few specific, key items to keep on "display" and have a certain spot for each of those things, open shelving can be really pretty and open up the room.  












In our kitchen, our glass cabinet shelving holds our everyday plates and bowls, as well as a few decorative wooden bowls and my favorite Mikasa chevron plates and cups. 










The light olive plates are from my single days and are made by Calvin Klein.  The off-white place setting is from our wedding registry at Crate & Barrel.  The wooden bowls are from Pottery Barn.  









Jimmy's bachelor white Ikea plates and bowls are still with us.  



















It's easy to keep things organized when you don't have more things than you have room for.  Every dish has a specific place where it goes. Whoever puts the dishes away knows exactly where to put them.










Lately, I've been considering doing something with the back of the cabinets (paint, wallpaper, fabric??).  










I still love these Calvin Klein plates and bowls.  I remember they were my first "set" of dishes as an adult and I searched all over before finally deciding on them.  They have a great weight to them.  (p.s. I found them at Macy's).






















The black plates with the gold rim are from Z Gallerie.  











Do you like open shelving in the kitchen or prefer to keep your things behind closed doors?