Interior Inspiration: Open Shelving

By now I’m sure you all know how much of a fan I am of open shelving, after adding a whole wall to our kitchen (above). I love how it adds endless opportunities for styling, extra storage, and depth to what can otherwise be very flat walls. I love that it works in practically any room of the home. I love that it can be DIY-friendly, affordable, and a relatively short and easy project. I love that it can work with virtually any style. Thank you, open shelving, for being my best friend. 😉

So today I want to share some inspiration with you for different ways you can incorporate open shelving into your home! We’re going to look at open shelving in the kitchen, the bathroom, and elsewhere in the home.

In the Kitchen

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Open shelving works in the kitchen for SO. MANY. REASONS. Shelves can help a kitchen feel more open and airy than cabinets, and can easily mix with cabinets if you want a bit of both (which is what I would suggest). If you plan to display your dishes on open shelves, plan to have a limited color palate, or even choose one color to keep things extra cohesive.

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Creating a coffee bar is a creative way to incorporate some open shelves if you aren’t wanting to display all your dishes on shelving. Just pick one little area to install some shelves above a buffet, small area of counter, or cart. Then go to town with mugs and coffee accessories!

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Another great way to incorporate shelves into your kitchen is by creating an open-air pantry. This is a wonderful solution for people who don’t have pantry space built into their kitchen. By putting some of your essentials into matching jars and baskets, you can have them on display and handy for baking and cooking needs.

In the Bathroom

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Open shelves in the bathroom are a great way to keep these often small spaces feeling larger and more open. You can install shelves above your toilet to store extra TP, baskets of necessities, or extra toiletries.

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Open shelves above a counter in a bathroom provides lots of storage, but keeps things in sight for a guest bathroom. Providing essentials and towels for guests is far easier when they know exactly where to find them!

Elsewhere in the Home

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Lastly, open shelving can work great in many other areas of the home. In a laundry room they can both provide extra storage, as well as a space to show off art or other decor to help spice up the room.

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Open shelves can also work wonders in bedrooms, especially nurseries or children’s bedrooms. They provide great storage for books, toys, and decor.

So moral of the story?! Go nuts with open shelving! You might be surprised by how much it improves a room in your home… whether it makes it more spacious and airy because you’re removing cabinets or it adds more storage and function. And then please, let me know how it went!