Don’t let fear of clutter put you off having some open shelving in your kitchen. It can be extremely neat and streamlined without the feel of just putting junk high up where it won’t be seen. They are a good alternative to the run of wall units seen in old style kitchens. I have a dislike of any wall units in a kitchen. They look dated and close down the area considerably. Also, wall units tend to be too high and bulky stuff in them forgotten about and gathering dust. Sometimes however, you need the storage space and open shelves nicely arranged and made to look sympathetic and individualistic. It will add character to the cooking zone. The space will feel much bigger and lighter with open storage. The contents of the shelving can be re-styled at times to bring variety, grouping attractive items together for best visual effect as well as practical storage use.

The shelves themselves can be made from contrasting materials to the main units. You can have glass, metal, wood or marble. They can be lit for ambience at night, floating or fixed. There is so much choice that you can see how this brings entirely new elements into your kitchen design fairly economically.

If you have a spare wall in the kitchen, shelving can be used as a display area for ceramics that you use, such as salad dishes or more decorative glass or plants to brighten up your working space. It is possible to mix up all these elements in a display on the shelves and change it whenever you feel the mood take you. Open shelves are for the imaginative and artistic to fill and arrange with pride.