Who’s ready for a little *open shelving in the kitchen* inspiration?
Today, dear readers, we’re going to share with you our thoughts on why the designers and architects who designed these beautiful kitchens incorporating open shelving might have chosen this option to solve a design challenge they faced.
By choosing open shelving, each one of them offered their clients a very smart design solution that we hope will inspire you, too!
Let’s start with the gorgeous kitchen above designed by Mary Haynes and Meg O’Kane of Tory Haynes Interiors in New Jersey and photographed by Sam Oberter.
In this case, the designers had a very large kitchen to design, opening onto an outdoor eating area. Notice the ceiling.
They could have chosen to use a lot of upper cabinetry, but instead they chose open shelving to keep this large space feeling airy and full of light.
In addition, their use of the same material for the shelving that they used within the island helped tie the space together, creating visual continuity and flow within this large open kitchen.
The all white kitchen shown above, designed by Nantucket based designer, Sophie Metz, and also photographed by Mr. Oberter, also showcases a very smart solution to the design problem of not wanting to weigh down a light, open, airy kitchen with a solid bank of cabinetry across one wall.
Instead of completely open shelving supported by brackets, though, Ms. Metz designed the open shelving in the upper cabinets as an integral part of the overall cabinetry,
This smart design solution not only creates the needed lightness, it allows the continuous crown molding across the top of the cabinetry to do its job of creating visual flow in a room that is broken up by the large window wall.
Toronto designer Shirley Meisels used open kitchen shelving in this project of hers, shown above, to solve the twin design problems of how to create even more graphic impact with the 3 windows in this large kitchen and the functional issue of how to give the homeowners more display space and storage, since there is not enough space between each window for useful cabinetry.
Notice how there are no brackets and also her use of statement lighting to offset the strong graphic impact of the horizontal and vertical lines.
We love this project of hers, do you?
The Fairfield House designed by Austin architect David Webber of Studio Webber, Architects, below, uses open shelving with great effect in this lovely modern kitchen.
His smart design solution, using lighting underneath the open shelving, gets rid of the shadows inherent on walls when there is no lighting underneath the shelves.
Lastly today, here’s an award winning project from the offices of Rhode Island interior designer, Patti Watson, the founder of Taste Design.
Taste Design’s team used open shelving suspended from the ceiling to create a focal point around the windows + keep a light, airy feeling flowing through this coastal kitchen.
Notice how they also added floor to ceiling storage, though, everywhere they could, to insure the homeowners had plenty of storage space and to accentuate the height of the ceiling.
What a beautiful solution for a smaller kitchen!
{And how about those gorgeous walnut barstools against the cerused oak base of the island? Love.}
Here’s a close up.
What do you think about open kitchen shelving?
After seeing these examples and reading about the design problems they solved, do you think you might try open shelving in your own kitchens or do you still prefer traditional cabinetry?
We’d love to know your thoughts.
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Extra tip!
Readers: do you want to see what the newest innovations are in kitchen and baths for your own homes?
The National Kitchen and Bath Show that you read about here on Hadley Court last year is getting ready to be held again, starting this Monday, January 18th, in Las Vegas.
A new group of 24 designers will be there as part of Modenus’ 2016 #BlogTourKBIS along with many other designers from around the country, as well.
They will all be sharing their finds with you, and with people around the world, on the hashtags:
#KBIS2016 + #BlogTourKBIS
If you want to see what’s new in kitchen and bath for your own homes, look on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for those two hashtags starting Monday and follow along!
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As always, we appreciate you and your support of Hadley Court!
Thank you.
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Leslie Carothers
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Leslie Hendrix Wood Interiors
Interior Designer
Midland, Texas
Owner, the Hadley Court blog
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