Paraphrased Reader Question: What do you think of open shelves?
Open shelving (replacing wall-hung cabinets) has become very popular over the past few years, and I'm curious as to your opinion.
The ever tasteful and hilarious Raina Cox from If the Lampshade Fits posed that question to me last night. Before I answer it though, I need to crank out some effusive praise for the work of La Cox. If the Lampshade Fits is one of my daily must-reads. Poke around on her site and you'll see why.
Anyhow, onto Raina's question. I see these magazine spreads too and there's no doubt that there's a trend afoot.
Traditional kitchen layout by way of seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker
Done and styled effectively, open cabinets in a kitchen photo unfold appearance superb. But there are a couple of things at paintings right here.
Cutting-edge kitchen layout by means of san francisco interior clothier Amoroso Design
The snap shots you see in magazines are styled and propped substantially. They also are lit perfectly and professionally. Styling and photographers' lighting fixtures then receives better further by using our pals at PhotoShop so by the point it is all stated and achieved, what's left is a cool animated film of a kitchen, it's no longer actual.
Cabinets have doors on them for a couple of reasons. One of those reasons is that they keep dust and airborne cooking goo off your stuff. The other thing cabinet doors do is hide your stuff. Stuff stowed behind a door doesn't have to be pretty or arranged.
When you replace wall shelves with shelves you significantly restrict your garage capability and you set yourself up for the extra chore of arranging and dusting your mag-best kitchen shelves.
However, all isn't always lost.
I love the concept of proscribing the variety of wall cabinets in a kitchen layout and I love the idea of white area in any room, kitchens specifically. In my very own designs I lobby tirelessly to go easy on the wall cabinets and rather depend upon tall shelves and efficiency-minded base cupboard inserts for garage. The kitchen in the photograph under illustrates the idea flawlessly.
Modern-day kitchen design with the aid of san francisco indoors dressmaker Nicole Hollis
The only wall cabinets in that photo are very short and they may be likely wherein glassware goes. All different dish garage has been shifted to the two-drawer base cabinet on the rear left and into the tall cupboard between the wall ovens and the fridge at the again wall. Once all the garage wishes had been met, there has been adequate room for 2 display cabinets on the left side of the rear wall. The next photograph indicates a variation at the same subject.
Conventional kitchen design by way of san francisco fashionable contractor Mueller Nicholls Cabinets and Construction
The two stainless shelves are for display only, the storage heavy lifting gets done by the wall cabinets to the left.
So as lovely a fantasy as this may be:
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This is toward truth.
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