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Open Shelving Pros and Cons

Kitchen with slab backsplash, hammered metal range hood and open shelvingOpen shelving is one of those design elements people tend to either love or hate, so if youโ€™re one that loves them โ€“ this article is for you. โ€œGoing with open shelving provides an opportunity to break up the look of cabinets upon cabinets in the kitchen,โ€ says Normandy Designer Kathryn Oโ€™Donovan. โ€œTheyโ€™re great for introducing color and texture into the space with minimal commitment, giving you the ability to swap objects in and out easily.โ€

โ€œCabinetry gives you the opportunity to hide clutter, whereas with open shelving itโ€™s all out there for people to see. To avoid a cluttered look, Iโ€™d recommend leaving as small of a footprint as possible for items. For instance, if youโ€™re using the shelves for plates and cups, donโ€™t place the items individually but rather in stacks,โ€ commented Kathryn. โ€œYou also want to avoid the shelves being covered in trinkets and such, which can clutter the shelves in a hurry.โ€

โ€œOpen shelving can work with any style kitchen, providing the shelves and brackets reflect the style youโ€™re going for. For example, you wouldnโ€™t want fussy, detailed brackets for a modern kitchen,โ€ notes Kathryn. โ€œOverall, Iโ€™d say open shelving is a fun way to bring some drama to the kitchen with scale, color and texture; theyโ€™re not a design element youโ€™re going to find in every kitchen.โ€

Open shelving isnโ€™t just for your kitchen, it can work well in other areas of your home such as laundry rooms and mudrooms. If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen or contemplating more extensive changes to your home, set up a time with Kathryn to talk about the possibilities.ย Check out theย photo galleryย or follow Normandy Remodeling onย Facebookย andย Instagramย for even more home tips and inspiration.

white upper cabinets, open shelving, farmhouse sink, decorative tile backsplash ย home wet bar with open shelves

open shelving on textured white wall tile in kitchen. Home dry bar with walnut cabinetry and floating shelves. home wet bar with blue cabinets, floating shelves, and blue backsplash tileย  Shallow soffit and built-in wood floating shelf book case

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