Sleek + Sophisticated: Floating Shelves
Whether our next kitchen is in a house we live in or a house we flip, I’ve made a resolution that our kitchen is going to have open shelving of some kind.
Right now I’m kind of obsessed with floating shelves, as opposed to just glass-fronted cabinets or open shelving. They always look crisp, clean and sophisticated, don’t you think? And the best part is that they work in every style of kitchen and they’re more affordable than regular cabinetry.
For me, the perfect combination would be a ton of closed storage and a few floating shelves sprinkled in for either display or those dishes and glasses that we use every day. {Like that phenomenal kitchen from last week!}
Are you ready to feast your eyes on some scrumptious kitchens?
First, a few stainless steel beauties . . .
{ Amoroso Design }
{ Houzz }
{ Phoebe Howard via Decor Pad }
{ Amoroso Design }
I have to admit that dark-stained wood is my favorite look:
{ Apartment Therapy – how cool are those sliding glass panels? }
{ Angie Hranowsky }
Classic white is always in style and allows the shelving to blend into the background:
{ Lonny }
{ Decor Pad }
{ Angie Hranowsky }
{ Anne Coyle via Decor Pad }
{ Houzz }
{ Elle Decor via MadeByGirl }
Floating shelves in natural wood tones give a beachy, understated look:
{ House of Turquoise }
{ Decor Pad }
And floating shelves are so cool when they span a corner, don’t you think?
{ Samantha Pynn via Decor Pad }
{ Anne Turner Carroll via Decor Pad }
{ Pal + Smith }
Would you ever rock a set of floating shelves in your kitchen? Keeping them clutter-free would be a total pain, but do you think the sacrifice is worth it?
I like the look of them when they create a little nook. It’s a cute way to display dishes, vases, and other items. I think I would still have to have some shelving too. Every girl needs to be able to hide some clutter in the kitchen. :)
I also like the dark wood look from Apartment Therapy and enjoy the little corner nook from Decor Pad.
Nicole´s last blog post ..rolling back
These gorgeous pictures certainly make a case for open shelving. I am kinda a slob, so keeping them clutter free would be a real challenge! However, floating shelves could be (maybe not easily) moved to another location if the need or desire arose. They certainly look new and fresh! Great photos, Liz!
i love the look of open shelving, but am i the only one whose house can get a little dusty? how would that work with the shelves being open? also, i’d be nervous about my dishes falling or getting knocked off of the shelves and breaking. looks great in a magaizine photo, but i don’t know if i’d try it in real life.
The open shelving look is such a huge trend right now, it looks lovely when styled, and you’re right, the floating shelves look best. From a practical standpoint, they don’t work for me, I’m not organized enough to keep them looking simple and pretty all the time, plus I need the storage of upper cabinets !
Centsational Girl´s last blog post ..Summer Skin Essentials
I personally love the white for most of the rooms in my house. It allows what’s on the shelf, rather than the shelf itself (hehe, love rhymes!) stand out.
But, I’m also somewhat of a 2-year-old at times, which means I really like shiny things. The stainless would be the way I’d go in the kitchen!
Sarah @ The Ugly Duckling House´s last blog post ..Weekend Update
Floating shelves really seem to open up a space compared to cabinets.
I love floating shelves, they are so sleek and stylish – they look great everywhere! I really love them in kitchens and plan to install a few floating shelves in our kitchen in the future. I prefer white floating shelves, although I love the look of the stainless steel ones.
I’d love floating shelves in our kitchen to hold my cook books and cake stands :)
Katrina´s last blog post ..Dog Days of Summer
Love the look, just not sure I’m tidy enough to really pull it off! of course, a combination of closed and open storage helps remedy that.
Averill (Odi et Amo)´s last blog post ..Speaking of Lucite
I LOVE floating shelves! The only problem is that they require to much hardware to stay up. Living in an apartment where we have a limited amount of holes we are allowed to put in the walls, it puts a damper on my floating shelves idea. I will have to wait to own my own casa, I guess.
I love those lucite bar stools!!!
Two Lovely Spaces´s last blog post ..Pending Project…
These are wonderful kitchens. Thanks for sharing. I’m feeling inspired. I don’t know if I could go with open shelving, I fear that it woudl always look sloppy. But, I am definitely drawn to them.
Kim´s last blog post ..You are my sunshine
I am currently renovating a 160 year old home. On the wall with the 36″ range and range hood there is going to be 3 floating shelves on both sides of the range. Any suggestions on how far apart to put the shelves in the vertical direction? The are 2inches thick and stained peppercorn. They will hold up to 150pounds and were actually less expensive than buying cabinets. The look is really less crowded and cluttered.
Mark,
Try a little experimentation before you fully commit to placement, it will save you a lot of trouble in the long run! A great way to do this is to use painters tape to approximate the shelves – stick it on the wall and eyeball it to see how you like the placement. That being said, I would start them about 18 inches above the countertop and leave about 12 inches between each shelf – of course, that’s not an absolute and depends on how high your ceiling is and the height of the items that you want to place on the shelves. Good luck, hope that helps!
~ Liz