Open shelving is all the rage in home decor. It seems like it’s everywhere we look and I have to admit, I love it!
My only problem is I don’t live in a magazine. And I live with other people. And clutter stresses me out. And I don’t really want to replace perfectly functional kitchen items for the sake of uniformity in my open shelving.
So four problems, really.
But seriously, while open shelving is extremely eye-catching, and enticing for the openness it creates there are three points of concern I just can’t get passed when I consider adding open shelving in my home.
3 reasons to avoid open shelving
1} Open shelving requires some level of uniformity, because belongings are always on display
This is more pressure than I care to live with. Plus, I live with three hoarders so it’s hard to get rid of anything, because everyone of them seems to have multiple favorite .
If all of your dishes and cooking utensils coordinate and stack beautifully, then go! Take those cabinet doors off and show everyone! I applaud your dish organization and decorating capabilities.
2} Open shelving must be dusted regularly, and most things will need to be wiped down or rinsed before use
Raise your hand if you want more chores in your life!! No one? No takers? Well, I hate to break it to you, but open shelving requires a lot more attention in the dusting department. Anything that sits out will collect dust over time, and I don’t want my dishes to be among those things.
I simply don’t possess the patience or desire to rinse every dish on the shelf before I put my food on it.
3} Thoughts about the future: this trend too shall pass
My husband and I seriously considered open shelving in our new/old farmhouse kitchen. As much as we love the style, we couldn’t help but wonder what we would do in a few years (or months) when the open shelving trend has lost its luster and we want to hide our clutter in a cabinet.
The only solution we came up with was to have cabinets made to fit the spaces so we can install them at a later date. That way we know our cabinets all match and we don’t have to consider a total cabinet overhaul.
So….what’s the point?
We installed reclaimed cabinets with shaker style doors and called it a day. And I have to say, I’m so glad we did this. My cabinets are classic and that’s more my style anyway.
Do you or anyone you know have open shelving in their home? How to they combat clutter, dust, and the inevitable passing of trends?
