Open shelving—the great debate of the home décor world. Some love it, others despise it, but nearly everyone has their own opinion on it. Here at The Cottage Journal, we say listen to your home, trust your style instincts, and ultimately, do whatever works for you! While we love the look of open shelving, we understand that it’s not for everyone. We’ve compiled a handful of our favorite aspects of open shelving and a few useful tips on how to incorporate this cottage-style look no matter your décor preference.
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It makes your kitchen seem larger.
The upside of cottage living can also be the downside—cozy and comfortable can easily become cramped. Open shelving eliminates the need for bulky cabinetry and opens up a space. Our tip: Use open shelving around a window or other natural light source. Traditional cabinetry blocks out this light, which naturally makes your room seem smaller and more boxed in.
2. It forces you to keep your home tidy.
The main reason a lot of people hate open shelving? All the cleaning. But we like to see the glass half full—yes, open shelving requires more dusting and tidying up, but this also means that your kitchen will stay relatively clean. Our tip: Keep open shelving away from a stovetop. This will help you avoid grease buildup, which, as we all know, is quite the pain to remove.
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It works well with other types of cabinetry.
On the note of cleaning, keep in mind that you don’t have to completely rid your home of traditional cabinetry. If you love the look of open shelving but fear constantly having to clean your entire kitchen, opt for just a couple of open shelves. This way, a simple 30-second dusting every week should do the trick, and you’ll still enjoy the look of open shelving.
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It’s versatile.
Believe it or not, open shelving is not a new trend, or even a “trend” at all, really. Open shelving has been around for decades. So, it’s safe to say that it can be incorporated into a variety of styles—farmhouse, minimalist, modern—you name it, open shelving will most likely work.
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Dishes are easy to find and access.
You’re probably thinking, “Is opening a cabinet door really that hard?” But when entertaining guests, it’s helpful to have your dishes right there within reach. Instead of pulling out your stack of dishware to place on the countertops and take up much-needed space, have them ready to go on your open shelving. And you don’t have to worry about guests getting in the way of each other by opening cabinet doors.
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It’s suitable for any dishware.
A common complaint by open-shelving naysayers is that they don’t have dishes pretty enough to display. But there are plenty of simple yet gorgeous white dishes at affordable prices that would look lovely on open shelving. Just stack them well and they’ll look beautiful. Have kids? Use plastic—no one will know the wiser.
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It’s budget-friendly.
Beautiful cabinetry often comes with a pretty hefty price. On the contrary, open shelving can be much less expensive. If you’re brave, you could even do it yourself! If you’re looking for an extremely low-cost renovation, you could opt for all open shelving. Or you could save a few bucks by switching out a few cabinets and installing open shelving yourself.
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It’s perfect for displaying more than just dishware.
Have the perfect piece of art for your kitchen but no space to hang it? Open shelving to the rescue. You can put anything on open shelving—not just your dishes—which makes them perfect for collectors.
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You can use different materials to make them.
Wood, glass, marble, metal—the options are endless when it comes to open shelving. And, bonus, your open shelving doesn’t have to match your cabinetry. In fact, we’re fans of mixing different materials in design. As long as you keep everything else simple, mix and match to your heart’s desire.