You’re narrowing down your choices between open shelves and enclosed cabinets for your kitchen. Which is the better option, and why? Open shelves are very much on-trend right now, and can create a fuss-free, minimalistic look. There’s a lot to be said for the time-tested trend of closed cabinets, though, and if you need to tuck away clutter out of sight this is the safer bet for you!
Confused? We’ve put together a list of pros and cons, so you can make an informed decision.
Open Storage Shelves
If you’re a home décor enthusiast, you would have seen—and loved —images of stylish homes with beautifully planned open shelves in the kitchen. Whether they are the floating kind, or IKEA-styled shelving racks, they are at the top of designers’ lookbooks now. You can showcase your pretty crockery and pottery, as well as items that you use everyday. However, before you start to tear down your closed cabinets in a bid to follow this chic trend, do think about whether it will work for you!
Advantages of Open Shelves:
- When done right, this style looks stunning and uber cool.
- Open shelves do not take up much space, making them ideal for small compact kitchens. They do not visually obstruct the eye, making the space appear larger than it is.
- As they require very little material, they are the cost-effective option for budget-friendly kitchens.
- Open shelves allow you to display not just kitchen items, but also show off memorabilia, potted plants, and small eclectic collections of curios. You can be sure that your kitchen will reflect your personality, and no two kitchens will ever look the same.
- Any items that are placed on the shelves are very easy to reach, making this a good option to store tools, utensils and spices that are used in everyday cooking.
- Open shelves blend in with any style of décor, whether it’s a rustic farmhouse vibe, a modern industrial style or a pared-down minimalistic one. You can have plain shelves that seem to float on the wall, decorative ones with ornamental cornices or no-nonsense factory-styled ones that are fitted with brackets.
- What’s more, it’s very easy to find things as you can see everything, all at once!
Disadvantages of Open Shelves:
- Open shelves are a dust magnet, and will also attract grease and grime especially if they are located close to the cooking area. Not just the shelf itself, but whatever is being stored here will get dirty, and need to be taken down and cleaned regularly. If you’re using open shelves to store daily use items this should not matter as much, as they will be cleaned regularly in any case.
- Whatever is placed on your open shelves will be on display for everyone to see, and will determine the aesthetics of your kitchen. Chipped dishes, mismatched glasses, or utensils that have seen the worst of wear can take away from the look.
- Open shelves are only for those who love to organise and stack things up into neat piles, all the time and not just some of the time! Do remember that your kitchen, with all the items in it, will always be on show and must be kept painstakingly tidy. If that’s not possible for you, then perhaps you should not be looking at this option at all.
- Not everything can be stored on open shelves, and you will still need to put larger items—or items that don’t quite fit with your display—somewhere else, where they cannot be seen.
Closed Kitchen Cabinets
Closed cabinets with doors optimise storage, keeping unsightly items away from curious eyes, and presenting a neat and organised look to your kitchen at all times. If you don’t like the ‘boxed’ in look of opaque shutters, you could choose to have shutters with transparent or translucent glass that look lighter and brighter.
Advantages of Closed Cabinets:
- Closed upper cabinets always look neat, presenting a clean outer aesthetic even if the inside is disorganised.
- You can match the cabinet shutters to suit any décor theme, ranging from classic to contemporary. The finishes, handles and hardware you choose will also add to the aesthetics and functionality of your kitchen.
- You can match the shutter finishes to suit your colour palette of choice.
- It is possible to store many more items behind closed doors.
- Clutter and unsightly items are all hidden away and dusting and cleaning do not have to be a tedious daily chore.
Disadvantages of Closed Cabinets:
- If your kitchen is on the smaller side, closed upper cabinets on all the walls can make it look even smaller. In such a case, you should choose to have upper cabinets along only one wall and leave the other walls bare, or opt for open shelves on the other sides.
- Items stored inside closed cabinets can get lost as they cannot be seen easily. This is more the case if the stored items are in disarray, which tends to happen if they are not being used regularly.
- Closed cabinets are a lot more expensive than open shelves.
- Cabinets that extend all the way to the ceiling are hard to access.
- Closed cabinets tend to lack personality, and could end up looking all the same. This is especially true if you opt for cheap, mass-produced cabinets that are not customised to your tastes.
Can’t make up your mind?
There really are no rules, and you can mix and match both options to arrive at the best solution for your home. Try a hybrid style, with a combination of open shelving and cabinets, and get the best of both worlds! You can choose to display the most lovely pieces from your kitchen collection, while stashing away all the items that aren’t worthy of being displayed behind closed shutters.
Your kitchen storage decisions will ultimately boil down to your personal preference. Choose a layout that suits your cooking style, and is a good fit for your décor theme and requirements. If you can’t make up your mind, call a HomeLane designer. We’ll help you build your dream kitchen in the way that suits you best!
