Heart of the Home: Open Shelves

After what seemed like months of swooning over open shelving on Pinterest and Google Images, we decided to weigh out the pros and cons of putting in some of our own.  A few people online mentioned that dishes could get dusty and the shelves could get messy looking-neither a show stopper for us.  Our biggest concern was value of our home for future resale.  With that in mind we decided it would be best to keep some cabinets (to hide the unsightly clutter that we all have) but mix things up a bit and replace a few with some lovely open shelves.  Let the demo begin!  We pulled out the three cabinets to the right of the window, as well as the outdated cornice above the window itself.  Maximum daylight is key in any room.  Next we hung beadboard on the walls.  Have I mentioned that I love beadboarding?  I have?  Yeah, I just can’t get enough of it.  Lastly, up went the shelves and on went a coat of white paint (more Sherwin Williams “Extra White”)  Not only is this project simple to do, it’s affordable too.  What can be better than that?  Here’s another shot of the kitchen “before.”

 And here it is now:

As far as dust and clutter – still not a problem for me.  We use most of the dishes daily, and believe it or not, it’s easier to put them away.  Having everything exposed also forces me to be neat…bonus.  Another pro, I get to dress them up for the seasons.  I still have my “summer” gear out, so stay tuned for a touch of fall to make its way in this week.   Removing the cabinets also makes the kitchen look and feel bigger and brighter. (The cornice really blocked a lot of natural sunlight from coming in, I highly suggest getting rid of it if you have one in your kitchen)  You might also notice that a big table made its way in there as well....another DIY project I'll share that really makes the space so much more inviting.   OK my time's up, kids are awake! Thanks for stopping in,  oh, and please feel free to leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!