25 Best Open Shelving Kitchen Ideas That Are Beyond Beautiful
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Have you seen open shelving in a kitchen? Although gorgeous, you might quick to rule it out for yourself: Maybe you're worried about having enough to fill them, or you don't know quite how to style the shelves, or you're just worried about how to install them. We're here to help—and show you the beauty that open shelves can add to your kitchen, no matter its size or style! Ree Drummond's open shelving in The Lodge's kitchen is a case in point: They add a great pop of color to the kitchen, and Ree has all of her favorite new cookbooks within easy reach!
Open shelves can instantly add depth and make a room feel more inviting, whether you're restyling your kitchen decor or just improving of your pantry organization setup. And you can customize the shelves as you need for kitchen storage. For instance, many of these shelves are natural wood, which are perfect for displaying antiques or everyday bowls, plates, and cups. Or, you might be inspired by the kitchen with custom gold shelves framing the stove, decorated with thoughtful pieces. Either way, these examples prove that open shelving kitchen ideas are suitable for either casual decorators or design-oriented homeowners. Once you reach the end of this gallery, you'll feel much more confident about applying this kitchen trend to your own home.
Hang a Shelf Over the Stove
Hang a long decorative shelf over your stove, just like Ree Drummond has in her kitchen at The Lodge. This shelf is hung with rope and used to display colorful dinnerware.
Display Appliances
Steal Ree's style by using your shelves to show off your favorite kitchen appliances, as she does here in her pantry. You're likely to use them more often when they're so easy to access.
Display Your Utensils
With open shelves, function is a top priority! Use them to display the items you reach for on a daily basis, like your favorite cooking utensils.
Make a Pantry Display
Glass jars keep oats, herbs, pasta, and cereal fresh and look super cute lined up together. Plus, they're the perfect excuse to design your own adorable labels jar labels.
Add Hints of Copper
Add copper accents on your shelves for a touch of rustic glam. These look even better against an emerald green backsplash.
See more at Justina Blakeney.
Display Antiques
Open shelves are a perfect opportunity to show off your favorite antiques. These silver platters, glass bowls, and wooden boards look beautiful on display together.
Add Ambient Lighting
Showcase your beautiful dishware with lights like an art gallery! While this blogger talks about under cabinet lighting, her DIY lights can easily be applied to open shelves.
See more at Thrifty Decor Chick.
Layer Plates
If you have plates that aren't often seen, go ahead and use them to fill your shelves. A row of equally colorful cookbooks will add an extra pop.
Color Coordinate Dishes
Color coordinating will make your whole kitchen look more cohesive. Assign each open shelf a distinct color, or use an overall color scheme like blue, green, and teal.
Install Hanging Hooks
Hooks are a great way to maximize space and add cute decoration to your kitchen. You can either install a wall-mounted rack with S hooks or use a few slide-on hooks. They're perfect for hanging utensils or strings of garlic!
Make a Bar Nook
Implement open shelving for a bar nook in your kitchen, like Ladd's brother Tim and his wife Missy did in their home.
Spruce Up a Corner
Make the most of the wall space in your kitchen by adding open shelving in a corner, as Ree did in the kitchen at The Lodge. A variety of colorful dinnerware is on display that's both visually appealing and useful.
Arrange Potted Plants
A few colorful potted plants will immediately brighten up your shelves. Plants work with any type of décor!
Use Live-Edge Floating Shelves
Installing these floating shelves instantly transforms a kitchen wall. The live-edge shelves pair beautifully with white dinnerware and a selection of plants.
See more at DIY in PDX.
Keep It Simple
These wood shelves match the butcher block below. Don't worry about how you arrange your dishes or glasses—anything goes!
Hang Pots and Pans By Size
Hanging pots are a great way to give your kitchen a rustic-chic edge and when you line them up by size, it makes cooking a breeze! The same can be said for pans and cooking utensils.
Mix Wood and Whites
Wood shelves pop against this gray and white kitchen. These shelves are so gorgeous that pretty much anything you put on them will look fantastic.
See more at Lark and Linen.
Be Practical
Storing everyday items likes pots, pans, and dinnerware on your open shelves is an easy way to avoid dust piling up. You'll be moving these items around constantly, so they'll be cleaned often.
See more at The Merrythought.
Use Pops of Greenery
Dot your shelves with small potted plants for pops of greenery, especially in a sunny corner of your kitchen. This blogger also includes design tips on how to style your items.
See more at Rooms for Rent Blog.
Frame Your Stove
Your eye goes goes straight to the striking gold shelves in this chic kitchen. Placing decorative pitchers, vases, and plants on them will maximize the look.
See more at Addison's Wonderland.
Erin Cavoto is the Editorial Assistant at ThePioneerWoman.com, covering food, holidays, home decor, and more.
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