Designing Open Shelving into the Kitchen

Open shelving is a great opportunity to maximise storage, make the most out of free wall space and create a beautiful feature within the hub of the home.

As a trend going forward, open-shelving is replacing kitchen upper cabinets and making a bold statement where you can showcase your favourite things. They are inspired by hotels and retail spaces and create a clutter-free worktop environment.

This type of shelving can reflect your tastes and lifestyle, so let us show you here at Nicholas Bridger how we can introduce it to your kitchen space, and get you on the open shelving trend to bring you the perfect balance between functional and attractive.

NB- “I believe in the personal touch. My wealth of expertise in kitchen design has been gained through many years of practical experience in all aspects of a business I love. This means that my customers benefit from advice given by a knowledgeable designer who is passionate about kitchen furniture and customer satisfaction.”

This type of shelving allows all of your important items to be easily accessible and a storage solution to your kitchen with no restrictions. They can make a space appear bigger and brighter, and with everything in plain sight, your guests will be able to reach for that glass to pour the wine, making a more welcoming atmosphere.

Open shelving is a great way to get organised. They are perfect for a walk-in pantry for all the kitchens essentials and display those jars in a neat and tidy order. Budding chefs are able to see all of their ingredients for an inspiring dinner to create. Additional crockery and utensils can also be stored away to keep the worktops clear and keep the minimalistic kitchen design that is of today.

Different heights of shelves can keep things interesting and are ideal for a utility room, to keep storage baskets and metal tins all in one place.

Our project in Billericay below features a utility room just off from the beautiful kitchen where full-length open shelves at different heights make way for a storage area. Our client has put all the necessities in one place to make doing the laundry a breeze.

Shelves are the perfect excuse to bring nature into your kitchen, with an indoor herb garden, or a leafy plant. Bursts of green will help breathe life into your space, as well as purifying the air making it alot healthier that’s perfect for you and your family. You can also easily grow herbs in your kitchen space using the shelves, cooking healthy dishes and serving as a natural beauty in your homes décor. Keeping plants where you can enjoy looking at them makes it easier for you to keep an eye on them when they need watering.

Adding different textures to the display helps bring depth to the space and makes them stand out. Our project below in Bishop’s Stortford has been designed with two interesting open shelves. A solid wood open shelf houses the wooden chopping board adding to the wood aesthetics of the design and the artisan open shelf bringing nature in to decorate the space.

Styling the shelves with the perfect colour to fit in with your scheme is a great place to start. You want to please the eye of all who enters and make it a real design statement. Painting the shelves in a neutral hue is a perfect base to start with, or go full-on bold and paint them the same colour as your kitchen cabinetry. It is all about the finishing touches!

Our client below in the Hutton project opted for artisan shelves to match the colour of the cabinetry in their walk-in-pantry. These were hand-painted in Basalt by Little Greene, which is a deep and mysterious colour that adds lots of drama and character to the kitchen space.

To decorate your shelves a little further, you could add hooks to hang a selection of mugs and/or small pots and pans for extended storage. Adding art, photo frames or a small mirror will showcase your favourite pieces. To create depth place these behind jars or small bowls.

We design bespoke kitchens @ Nicholas Bridger Handmade Kitchen Company with kitchen ideas that suit your tastes and requirements. We can build open shelving in and around the kitchen units hand-painted in the colour of your choice. Contact us today to find out more on the design trend of 2019 – we look forward to hearing from you.