Your kitchen is an essential part of your home, but sometimes there just isn't enough space for everything you need in your kitchen. The good news is there is an easy DIY solution to give you more space in your kitchen. Here are nine open shelving kitchen ideas you can do yourself.
Over the Stove Shelf
If you have some extra space above your stove, put up a shelf that is the width of your stove. Make sure to put the shelf at least a foot or so above the stove, so it isn't right against any heat being emitted from the stove. You can use this shelf for various things like storing dinnerware or pots & pans.
You could nail/screw the shelf to the wall or put up hooks and hang the shelf. Just remember that when the stove is on, the heat will rise up to the shelf. So make sure nothing on the shelf will react poorly to a bit of heat.
Rustic Open Shelving
If you want a more rustic look for your kitchen, using stained or reclaimed wood can help you achieve the look. Grab some live-edge shelves, which are slabs of wood where you can still see some of the bark. While this may cost a bit more than standard wood shelves, it will add rustic charm to the space.
You could put all the live-edge shelves in one part of the kitchen, or you could spread them out all over. Buy some floating shelf brackets, and you will be able to easily put these shelves up on your own.
Create Interest
Most of the time, everything in a kitchen is hidden away in cabinets. While this is great from a storage perspective, you can keep your supplies organized and on display by using clusters of simple floating shelves. These shelves will draw in the eye of any visitors and will keep your countertops clear and organized at the same time.
When deciding where to put your shelves, consider how often you will need what is on them. For instance, if you put up cups and mugs you will need regularly, you will want them to be easily accessible. This means putting them easily within arm's reach. On the other hand, if you are putting up something more decorative, you could put it on a higher shelf you can access with a step stool or ladder.
Display Antiques
You know all those antique and fancy dishes you never use but keep because they look nice? Well, if they look so nice, they should be on display rather than wasting away in a cupboard. So, get some simple floating shelves and display your antique dinnerware on them.
Given the fragile nature of antiques, make sure the shelves you get can handle the weight being put on them. Once you put up the shelves using floating shelf brackets, test to make sure the shelves are up properly and can handle the weight. Do this by putting something not breakable on the shelf first. Then, proudly display your antiques.
Open Shelving as a Pantry
If you have a spare wall and lack a pantry, you can turn the spare wall into an open pantry using floating shelves. Start with a shelf directly above the floorboard to act as your base. Then, add an additional floating shelf every foot or so until you reach a height you can reasonably reach.
Once you have put up all your shelves with brackets, you can now fill in your pantry with whatever you need. For example, it could be used for food, pots & pans, dinnerware, or spices, among other things.
Glass Display Jars
If you've ever had the experience of digging through your cupboards trying to find a box of cereal, flour, snacks, etc., then glass display jars may be for you. Find a free wall in your kitchen and put up several floating shelves using brackets. Space the shelves at least a foot apart to leave room for the display jars. Then, pick what you would like to put in your jars. Some suggestions are pretzels, flour, sugar, gummy worms, spices, etc. Anything that you want easy access to.
You can, then, see at a glance where everything is, making it much easier to find things. If you put similar things in jars, like sugar and flour, it may be best to label them as well.
Bar Nook
If you are into drinking alcohol, you can use open shelving to create a bar nook in your kitchen. If you have a recessed space, this is the best place to put your floating shelves. However, if you don't, just find an open space in your kitchen.
Attach the floating shelves to your walls using brackets, making sure to space them far enough apart for your alcohol bottles to fit. You can also use the shelves to store anything else you need to make your drinks. For example, you could also store wine glasses and bottle stoppers there.
Coffee Bar
If alcohol isn't really your thing, but you're big on coffee, you can also use open shelving to create a coffee bar. Again, a recessed space would work great, but any open area will function well.
Attach the floating shelves to your walls using brackets, making sure to space them far enough apart for your coffee containers/syrups to fit. You can also use the shelves to store anything else you need to make coffee. For instance, you could also store mugs, creamers, and stirring spoons there.
Combine Hooks and Open Shelving
Since you are already putting in shelves to make the most of your space, there is an additional way you can save even more space. Once your floating shelves are up, attach hooks to the bottom of your shelves. You can then hang even more stuff, like pots & pans, from the bottom of your shelves. Make sure to leave plenty of room between each shelf, so the hanging items are not hitting the stuff on the shelf below it.
