We’ve mentioned having a backsplash + open shelving + range hood idea a few times without much elaboration, so here’s the full monty explanation: we basically want to create a counter to ceiling accent wall of backsplash tile with open shelves and a range hood going on. This Sarah Richardson kitchen is especially appealing to us when it comes to the tile choice (we love white subway tile, but we’re thinking we might do something a little less white since our cabinets will be going white and we don’t want to completely whitewash the whole room).
Now I will read your mind in a move I like to call “David Blaine-ing” you. You are thinking the following things:
- What type of tile are you going to use?
- What type of range hood?
- What color will your shelves be?
- Will they be floating or have brackets?
- Won’t open shelves get dusty and full of grease?
Allow me to address those questions below:
- Not sure yet
- Not sure yet
- Not sure yet, but most likely white like the cabinets
- Not sure yet, but for the moment we’re leaning towards floating
- We’ve asked friends who have them and their short answer is no, but it’s just one of those to-each-his-own things. Allow me to elaborate:
We’re not going to have open shelving everywhere and zero cabinetry with doors. We’ll have plenty of base cabinets and some closed uppers to stash not-so-pretty stuff out of sight. As for the one eight foot wall that we’re excited to smack with a range hood, some open-shelving, and counter to ceiling tile, we did a little “research” before committing. We know two different couples who both have one wall of open shelves above their stove with a range hood… and they both love it. When we asked them if they got greasy or covered with steam they both looked at us weirdly and said “we have a range hood.” Apparently up-to-date range hoods have better suction than over-the-stove microwaves (which we should know since we had one in the last house but never actually stopped to think about it). So if you use them when you cook they should suck up the steam and grease and all that stuff without any issues of it somehow migrating up and to the left or right around the hood and mysteriously landing on the cabinets.
We also asked about dust. Again they had similarly no-biggie answers. One couple said they use their shelves to store items they use so frequently that they don’t have time to sit around getting dusty (ex: plates are used and washed and then stashed back up there and used again in rapid succession – so they don’t sit for weeks on end without getting touched thereby becoming furry). The other couple said they just like the look more than they hate dusting, so they don’t mind wiping things down with a duster every few weeks for the trade off of a light open look and easy-access to items that aren’t tucked away behind closed doors.
Then we headed over to Layla’s blog since she has open cabinets and read what she had to say about them. Here’s a big post all about it, but this quote at the end pretty much summed up her take: “Think you can’t have open cabinets because it’s too dusty where you live? It’s dusty in Alabama too! (cough, cough) We use the dishes in our open cabinets every day though, so they usually don’t have time to grow sweaters. If something does happen to collect a little dust, we just give it a quick rinse before we use it.”
And because we’re complete weirdos who don’t know when to stop, we also heard from readers who have open shelving in their kitchens and this is what they had to say:
- “We installed open shelving last September and I don’t regret it one bit. I only get up there and dust about once a month and I just crank up the music and make the most of it. In fact, we’re working on building a third row of shelves because I have so much pretty stuff to put out!” – Betsie
- “We have three cats and some open shelving. Hasn’t been a problem.” – Caroline
- “I have open shelving by default, but I’ve come to like it. It shows off how your dishes match your kitchen, and keeps you accountable to only having what you NEED.” – Carrie
- “I only have open shelving in the kitchen and love it. It doesn’t get as dusty/greasy as you might imagine. I love being able to display all the nice kitchen things I have. I have a separate space for the not so nice stuff. “- Debe
- “I have open shelving with regularly used items and closed cabinets with rarely used items and the rarely used items in the cabinets are the ones that get the most dusty and need a rinse before use. So it’s not like cabinets keep things that sit around from getting dusty!”
All of a sudden this post is sounding like an infomercial, huh? Before you know it I’ll be trying to show you just how much water my Super Shammy can hold (picture my head on that dude’s body trying to sell you an amazing liquid holding cloth).
But really the point of sharing our “research” on the subject of open shelving isn’t to convert anyone (we just babble about the choices that we make along the way, DIY-diary-style). So if it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. I’m sure there are folks out there who hate their open shelving, we just happened to hear from a ton of people who had nothing but great things to say. In the end, when it came down to figuring out what we wanted to do with our kitchen, we just had to… do what we wanted! Haha. So some open shelving and some closed upper cabinets fit the bill. But we hereby solemnly vow to keep it real with you guys. If after a month of use (or a day or a year) we start to hate the choice of open shelving (or anything else for that matter) of course we’ll tell you! And we’ll share whatever we decide to do to change things. Oh and when we make any final decisions about the backsplash tile and the range hood we’ll definitely spill those beans.
Pssssst- This morning I’m over on BabyCenter keeping you posted (as promised) when it comes to how our house is changing thanks to Clara. Let’s just say we’re adding storage galore for all those toys and blocks and books and balls…
C Redmond says
You’ve done your research and I think you will like some open shelving in your new kitchen.
When we were forced to renovate our kitchen due to a burst pipe & subsequent water damage, we decided to cut costs and eliminate upper cabinets. We have minimal cabinets, shelving & storage (that could be a problem for many) but I like how it’s forced us to downsize all the stuff I had.
I now have a chic restaurant style kitchen and the upkeep isn’t much of a problem. Baking pans, food processor & crock pot, etc are stored under cabinets. With less storage, I only keep the things I love or use regularly. I don’t mind occasionally dusting the beautiful things I love and the stuff we use every day isn’t a problem. Wine glasses, which are used less frequently, just go into the dishwasher once a month or so. No biggie!
I love our new kitchen look- I hope you enjoy yours, too. Now, to find some willing participants to help me use those wine glass more often- you know, for the sake of keeping them shiny & clean ; )
Kacie says
I love all your ideas. If you want to look at my kitchen inspiration it’s here: http://acollectionofpassions.com/blog/kitchen-inspiration)… we have similar taste.
We just finished our kitchen and I’m planning on submitting it for your reader feature. We still have to put up our tile so maybe I will hold out for that. We did put in open shelving and I’m so happy we did. People also warned us about grime and dust so we loaded the shelves up with dishes that get used all the time, cookbooks and a few bottles and I think they look really nice.
We wanted to do floating but they seemed to be really complicated and we wanted them to hold a bit of weight. We got ours pretty cheap from Ikea. You can see the whole remodel finished (minus the tile) here: http://acollectionofpassions.com/blog/our-new-kitchen
Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Kacie
YoungHouseLove says
So gorgeous! Good luck with the tile!
xo,
s
Jessica says
I LOVE open shelving – i have some at my place.
Just beware that you will be wiping them down more often that you want to! So much grease buildup!
tara says
We had to put up open shelves in our new house bc there were only 2 cabinets in the whole kitchen! I want to love them, but they are the only thing on that wall, no bottom cabinet underneath. It just needs something for balance maybe ? Hoping you might have come across something that could work ? We already have a kitchen island…. love all your projects and writing style!
YoungHouseLove says
How about a big wooden buffet (even up on legs) or some sort of stainless steel table you can put under them to ground them and provide more space to lay out things like appetizers when you entertain and store cookbooks and all that stuff?
xo,
s
Mary says
Late to the party but I love open shelves!!!!!! hate ,hate,hate upper cabinets. I don’t see a problem with dust , things get dirty inside cabinets as well. As far as grease, get a really good hood fan and it won’t be an issue.
I don’t have matching stuff either, in my opinion its a kitchen, a workspace, it can be nice to look at but it also has to work!
Monique says
Thank you for this informative piece on open shelving. We have a small kitchen and have been toying with the idea of using open shelving. I love the look. Can’t wait to see what you do next in your kitchen.
brigzorn says
We installed open shelves in our kitchen last fall and love them! We used an elfa shelving system from the Container Store. Photo here: http://settlingwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_6421.jpg
We use the dishes enough that there is seldom a dust issue. The top shelf items (mostly less often used big serving pieces) get a rinse in soapy water before use.
Loving your kitchen transformation!
YoungHouseLove says
What a cool kitchen! It feels like a fancy chef’s kitchen with the stainless shelving (and that awesome mixer).
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Oh no Sherry! Your arms are so hairy!
Ridiculous I know but I couldn’t resist!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I’ll have to book an appointment for an arm wax asap.
xo,
s
Per says
Sherry,
We’re in the middle of a very similar remodel! We’re held up trying to decide on the tile colors for the backsplash, but we’re thinking about grayish glass subway tiles with a vein of Regalia glass tile by InterStyle running vertically. The backsplash will run all the way up from the counter to the ceiling centered around the cooktop. We’re going to have 3 white 1.5 inch thick floating shelves that will “pop” out of the bright yellowgreen and gray wall. My wife and I are getting so many ideas following your blog. Keep it up!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so pretty!
xo,
s
Jessica says
Hi Guys,
I love love love your blog and its one of my top reads!! I wanted to let you know about my open shelving experience. I too love the idea of open, and i love my dishes and thought what a great way to use what I have. I too have gutted my old home kitchen, and used shelving from ikea. Yes, it is so nice to use what you have, and to be able to see it all of the time. Its also great because my husband always knows where the dishes go away! HOWEVER… let me warn you about putting glasses around the range…. DONT DO IT! I must wash them at least twice a week due to the cooking grease/fumes that smear them daily. It makes the shelves almost unusable. I am a avid cook, however, I by no means am running a greasy spoon restaurant out of my home yet everything needs a cleaning way to often. Even the oven vent spits out stuff that leaves a mark.
Best of luck!
Jessica
tosha says
I love open shelving! Especially for smaller kitchens like mine, I think open shelving really opens them up. I cannot WAIT to demo my nasty old upper cabinets and install shelves!
Marta says
I really like all photos. I wish my kitchen would look just like one of them, and the tiles!!! well, but the aqua colour tiles on photo number 6 are amazing. I’m just rebuilding my kitchen and I just love those tiles, but I don’t know where I can find them or what they are called. You see, I live across the ocean, in the raining Scotland =)
Keep up the amazing work. You guys are just fantastic
M
Pat says
I, too, love the look of open shelving but I have a question regarding the tile backsplash. If there is tile in between the shelves do you put the shelves up first and then tile above and below them? If not and you put the tile up first and just say plan to go all the way to the ceiling how do you mount the shelves on the tile? Thanks so much! Pat
YoungHouseLove says
To get the most seamless look, tiling the entire wall and then adding shelves is recommended (that way there aren’t tons of tile cuts around each edge of each shelf (which can look less than perfect and take loads of time). Then after the shelf placement is determined we hope that we can drill right through the tile to hang the shelves (using a piece of tape and a tiny drill bit and working up to a bigger hole can help contain the damage to one tile which will then be covered by the shelf itself). We’ll share more details as we go for sure!
xo,
s
Liz says
Any idea where you are getting your shelves from? We are doing open shelving in a small section in our kitchen and are having a hard time finding shelves we can work with. Also, what depth are you planning for? Thanks! And I think it is all going to look amazing when you are finished!
YoungHouseLove says
We love the floating Ikea shelves (maybe called Lack) which I think are 8-10″ deep and nice and chunky. Hope we can cut them down to fit the size we need (they sell them in 72″ lengths and a shorter version too I think).
xo,
s