After cabinet doors were removed (Kitchen has since been UPDATED! See the open shelves I have now)
I love open shelves. They might not suit everyone, but they suit me. I’m not head-over-heels for my kitchen, yet small changes make a big difference. Eventually I’d like to return to a white kitchen, but that will wait. As a quick fix after we moved in, I removed several cabinet doors — it took about five minutes.
Taking off a few doors was an easy way to break up the wood tone and display my favorite white dishes. It didn’t transform the entire room, but seeing those dishes every day makes the space more pleasant. Someday I’ll paint the cabinets white, replace counters and backsplash, add new knobs and perhaps install glass doors on some shelves. For now, I’m content; I can live with it.
before we moved in and before cabinet doors were removed
Here’s what the cabinets looked like when I first toured the house. The removal of just a few doors added interest, charm and personality to the kitchen without a major renovation.
Since removing the doors, I’ve had lots of questions about open shelving. I’ve written about open shelves before, but the same concerns keep coming up. Below are answers to the most common questions I receive.
1. Don’t your dishes get grimy from the stove?
No. The dishes on display are our everyday dishes — we use and wash most of them daily or weekly. Because they’re in regular use, they’re constantly cleaned. If the shelves were only for decorative items I’d be cleaning nonstop, but we keep functional pieces there.
Dishes that aren’t used often are wiped before use, which is something you might do even with cabinet doors. Items that sit untouched will collect dust whether they’re behind doors or not. A quick rinse or wash takes seconds and is worth the convenience and look of open shelving.
2. Do you go out to eat instead of cooking?
No. We cook at home regularly. Open shelves don’t mean we stop using the kitchen — they just make it easier to grab what we need.
the refrigerator chalkboard project
3. Do you have a maid who takes the dishes down and washes them daily?
No. We do the dishes ourselves. It’s manageable — no maid required.
4. I love the look of open shelves but mine would never look that organized. How do you keep them neat?
It’s easier than you might think. A stack of white dishes almost always looks tidy because the pieces coordinate and stack neatly. I choose items that simplify my life, not complicate it. I wouldn’t display mismatched boxes or clutter on open shelves — those belong in closed storage.
5. What happens when your family puts away dishes? Don’t the shelves get messy?
My family knows the basic rules: stack dinner plates together, salad plates together, bowls together. That’s all the “styling” required. Most everyday dishes live in the same two cabinets, and the routine keeps things orderly. I’ve trained them well.
6. What should I put on my open shelves? I never know what to display.
If you’re unsure: use white or coordinating everyday dishes, metal or glass baking dishes and baskets — these always look good. Boxes of crackers, medicine bottles and random plastic containers generally look messy and are better hidden.
I use baskets on baking shelves to corral less attractive items, and I display canisters, baking dishes and pans where they’re both useful and attractive. Even when something is slightly out of place, it still reads as charming and lived-in.
7. How do you cover the holes where the cabinet screws were?
I didn’t bother. The small holes are hardly noticeable. I could fill them with wood filler, but sometimes living with small imperfections is fine — life goes on.
8. What did you do with the cabinet doors you removed?
I repurposed them as shutters for above the fireplace after painting them. Removing the doors solved two problems: it refreshed the kitchen and provided material to cover the TV niche above the mantel. It felt like a worthwhile change.
If you want to know about the wall paint, you can find the paint colors elsewhere.
9. I prefer everything behind closed doors — don’t open shelves stress you out?
Open shelving isn’t for everyone. I like a mix of open and closed storage. Having everyday items visible makes the kitchen feel authentic and functional to me, and I enjoy being able to grab things quickly. If you appreciate a more eclectic, working-kitchen look and can accept everyday clutter from things you love, open cabinets are worth trying. You can always reattach the doors if you change your mind.
Have you tried open cabinets? Are you hesitant to start? What’s the worst that could happen — you can always put the doors back on or reuse them as shutters later.
And here’s how our open cabinet looks today! 🙂 You can see the full kitchen remodel in its updated form.
Related kitchen posts:
White kitchens
Kitchens: 5 Take Away Tips
How to have open shelves without daily staging