• About
  • Contact
  • Courses
  • Binder Kits
  • Collaborate
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays
  • Courses
  • Binder Kits
  • Media and Press
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Organized-ish

Organized-ish

Progress > Perfection

  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays
Open shelving kitchen pantry keeps you organized and saves money on groceries

Open Shelving- Is It Worth It?

August 25, 2017 · In: DIY Projects, Organize, Styling Tips

open shelving pantry in kitchen

It’s been over a year since I’ve had an open shelving pantry, and three months since I yanked off some of my cabinet doors. Before I started all this openness, I scoured the internet and read all about everything I could possibly find.

I found tons of how-tos, tutorials, tips, and advice, but I also found a lot of differing opinions. In the end, I decided to go with it. If I hated it, I could always change it back. Luckily, I love it. And I won’t be changing it back.

But open shelving in the kitchen isn’t for everyone, so today I’m going to share the answers to all the questions you may be wondering about. I’ll keep it as unbiased as possible, so hopefully the info will help you decide if it’s right for your own kitchen.

**More recently, I wrote a post about my thoughts and opinions on the open shelving cabinets after living with them for one full year. Click here to read my most recent review.**

everything you need to know about open shelving in the kitchen

Question 1.  Doesn’t it get dusty and dirty?

Yep, sure does. But not as much as you’d think.

If you have a full open shelving kitchen with no closed space at all, then yes, you’re going to deal with a war zone of dust, grease, and pet hair. That’s not always a deal breaker, but you do need to be prepared to do monthly deep cleaning of the shelves and lesser-used dishes. I knew this coming in, so I opted for only an open pantry and three shelving sections.

The pantry houses food, which I cook with on a daily basis, and the three wall shelves with the doors removed only hold items we use very often, including plates, glasses, bowls, and serving dishes. By keeping only your daily go-to’s on the open shelves, you really don’t have to deal with dust that often, other than wiping down the shelves once a month with a cloth while the dishes are in the dishwasher after dinner. I like this cloth for cleaning shelves because it grabs up every bit of dust and hangs onto it so much better than a regular duster.

open shelving coffee bar and pet food station

Question 2.  What if all my stuff isn’t pretty enough to be on display?

Valid question. The honest answer is “Do you care?”

It’s really a personal preference. Sure, you can go out and buy all new stuff, make them match perfectly, and throw out your old stuff if you’re focused on looks. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all. But keep in mind that the idea of open shelving is to make things easier, more accessible, and less cluttered in the kitchen.

If you want open shelving only for looks, you should definitely take into consideration your current belongings and budget to purchase new items if necessary. But if your goal in going open is to make cooking, coffee preparation, and organization easier, then don’t worry about the mismatched dishes.

You can see above that the cat food container isn’t so cute and all our favorite coffee mugs are not exactly Instagram-worthy, but having them at arm’s reach overshadows the fact that they aren’t fit for a magazine. Plus, having mismatched stuff is cool and eclectic. Just think of it that way. However, if new dishes are on your shopping list, I love this affordable crisp white set from Chef Gordon Ramsey.

is open shelving practical? find out here.

Question 3.  Is it expensive to convert to open shelving?

Here’s the truth, it can range anywhere from free to double the cost of actual cabinets. I know that’s a ridiculously wide range, but like I said, I’m being honest.

For my kitchen shelving, I went with the free route. I removed some cabinet doors, painted the inside with leftover paint from my interior doors, and filled the holes from the brackets. (You can see my full tutorial here) For my pantry, I took the cheap-ish route. I bought some plain Ikea Ivar shelving units, painted them myself (because the painted shelves were way more expensive), and arranged them the way the best suited my storage needs.

But if you’re more interested in the style of open shelving that Joanna Gaines is shelling out, you better be prepared to put in the money, time, and work. Real genuine open shelving requires first removing your current cabinets, patching the walls, repainting the walls, purchasing high quality heavy-duty shelving, installing the brackets on studs, painting the shelves if they aren’t already, and replacing them if they bow later on. This style of shelving is absolutely gorgeous, and definitely the way to go to get a great looking kitchen, but the investment of time and money is a lot higher.

is an open shelving pantry a good idea?

Question 4.  What are the pros and cons of an open shelving pantry?

This is the biggie. Sure, putting your pretty dishes on display is one thing, but your pantry items are on a whole different level.

Pros include:

* Less likely to have food expire or be forgotten about

* Easier to find ingredients when preparing snacks and meals

* Reduces the amount of needless groceries you buy

* Prevents you from letting your pantry get cluttered and messy

Cons include:

* Food packages aren’t always visually appealing

* Storage solutions (containers, bins, baskets, and jars) can get costly

* Putting food items in pretty containers (and throwing away their original packaging) means you lose cooking instructions and expiration dates

* Dust and pet hair will settle on the shelves, requiring you to clear them off and wipe them down every few months (However, if you have a money-hungry kiddo like mine, you can pawn off this job to them in exchange for a few bucks. In that case, this is more of a pro than a con.)

is open shelving right for your kitchen?

Question 5.  What if I’m not sure I’ll like it?

That’s the most valid question of all. In photos and TV shows, open shelving looks amazing. But you’re just seeing how it looks, not how it feels to own them.

Here’s my best advice, so if you don’t take anything else from this post, at least hang onto this one.

I suggest to every single one of my kitchen remodel clients to give it a thirty day trial run.

Whether you are absolutely positively sold on open shelving, or maybe just a little conflicted, this is something you can try before you buy. I think you should remove your cabinet doors (it’s super fast and easy) and store them in the garage for a full month. During that month, see if it’s possible for you to keep the shelves clean and uncluttered.  See if it makes meal prep easier. See if you don’t mind having your stuff on display all the time. At the end of the month, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge of how open shelving will work for you and your family specifically.

I said I’d keep it unbiased, so I’ll share the honest truth that open shelving isn’t for everyone. For me, partial open shelving works best, because I don’t mind having some things uncovered, but other things I’d prefer be hidden behind doors. But I can safely say that over the last year, I’ve become more organized, more mindful when shopping, saved money on groceries, and overall happier with my kitchen’s functionality.

**And to see how I’m feeling about it one year later, check out my new updated post to see if my opinions have changed**

Still on the fence about open shelving? I created a fun quiz to help you decide if it’s worth trying out.

But before you head over to take the quiz, I’d love it if you commented below with your own questions and opinions on open shelving in the kitchen.

Do you have it? Do you want it? Do you love it or hate it? What’s holding you back from testing it out? I’d love to know!

open shelving, is it worth it?

By: Lela Burris · In: DIY Projects, Organize, Styling Tips · Tagged: cabinets, clean, clutter, declutter, kitchen, open shelving, organization, organize, pantry, shelving

you’ll also love

custom pantry Lela Burris Hart ToolsHow Much Our Custom Pantry Cost To Build
Lela Burris organizer custom allergy friendly pantryTour My Allergen-Safe Ultra-Organized Pantry
space saving clothes hangers for small closet100 Ways To Get Organized

Get Blog Posts In Your Inbox

Every Saturday morning I send out a weekly recap of all the new blog posts. Want in?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cristen Coombs says

    August 26, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    Lela, I love this blog post! You covered everything and brought up every question that should be asked. As you know I have all my cabinet doors off and I’ll never go back. They really don’t get dirty and dusty like you would think, look pretty and the best part? It had made me so intentional when shopping. If there isn’t space for it or a place for it to go I don’t get it! I just don’t have the luxury of shoving stuff behind closed doors anymore!! Again, great post!

    Reply
    • Lela Burris says

      August 26, 2017 at 7:10 pm

      Exactly Cristen! I’ve seen your kitchen on Instagram and every single shelf is perfectly organized. You’re so right about being intentional while shopping. I love that you use baskets on some shelves to corral the little things, too. Your kitchen is the perfect example of open shelving done right!

      Reply
  2. Kim says

    August 25, 2017 at 8:08 pm

    I don’t think open shelving is a fad. I think it’s a classic that is trendy these days, but when it stops being a trend, I don’t think it will look dated. I love the look of open shelving, but I’m not brave enough. The dust. The potential cooking grease. I don’t know if I have the energy for it.

    Reply
  3. Naomie Moore, Castaic, CA says

    August 25, 2017 at 10:24 am

    Absolutely love the look, but not practical for my lifestyle unfortunately. I live in a hot dusty climate with 6 dogs, 6 cats a canary and a dragon. And have every window and door open if it is not blazing hot or freezing cold. The bakers rack is always dusty . . . .always, even with daily dusting. Admire those that have it as it is so pretty and can really be a lovely feature. ?

    Reply
    • Lela Burris says

      August 25, 2017 at 10:40 am

      So happy you shared this Naomie! You’re so right, open shelving is not for everyone, and I’m so glad you mentioned your climate and use of open windows. Great call-out!

      Reply

Leave A Comment Cancel reply

Next Post >

Small Galley Kitchen Update

Primary Sidebar

Meet Lela Burris

Meet Lela Burris
hey-o!

My name is Lela, (say it like LEE-luh) and I'm so glad you stopped by my blog! Whether you're into organizing, home improvement, crafts, or you just think my pets are cute, you'll find all kinds of inspo here.

Tell Me More!

Connect

Get VIP Emails

Search

Shop My Planners

printable planners for home organization

Get Organizing Advice

lela burris organiziedish

Follow Along

@lelaburris

Family isn’t defined by dna, it’s built on lov Family isn’t defined by dna, it’s built on love. Happy Father’s Day to the greatest man I know @___inteebe___ ❤️
He met this four year old little dude who was sick on the couch clutching his Lightening McQueen car. Soon after, Noah told me in the car “Mommy let’s stay friends with him, ok?”
So we did. And here we are ten years later. Nothing makes my heart more full than seeing these two together.
…Except when they gang up on me for asking [dumb] questions about superheroes… 😅
Happy Father’s Day Nigel!
Let’s talk about organizing overwhelm. Yep, we a Let’s talk about organizing overwhelm. Yep, we are going there…
As exciting and freeing and calming it is to get a space cleaned up and organized, it’s also stressful and overwhelming and exhausting. Especially when you’re doing big projects.
After three weeks straight of working on my garage, I was reaching the point of burnout. I got behind on other things, I constantly felt like I wasn’t doing enough, and my to-do list kept getting longer.
If you’re feeling this way today, I want you to give yourself permission to do these two things:
1. Take a break. It is ok to pause a project and take some chill time. Log off of social media, stop looking at your list, and just recharge.
2. Remove things from your list. You might have planned a huge project, but after a while you start losing enthusiasm. At that point, let some plans go. Save them for later in the year, or maybe even never. Projects should be flexible, not set in stone.
What’s something on your to-do list you can let go of today to save you time and stress?
#organizingtips #lifeorganized #momquotes #lifequotes #frontporchdecor
New colors, who dis?! 😍 The summer collection o New colors, who dis?! 😍 The summer collection of @organized.ish Printable Binder Kits just dropped and I am OBSESSED with the Cardinal Hill color option.
Check out the new colors, new website, and new planner available (psst: it’s a Garage Cleanup Planner!) at organizedish.com
#organizedishbinderkits #printableplanner #plannercommunity #planneraddict #plannerlove #plannerjunkie #homemanagementbinder
Meet my organizing dream team! [AD] Every organiza Meet my organizing dream team! [AD] Every organization project I do is different, but one thing stays the same...these five tools from @HARTtoolsUSA.
Whether it's a single drawer, a small closet, or a whole garage, these five tools are with me every step of the way. Head over to my blog post to find out how I use them and snag links to my fave go-to's.
#doitwithHART #homeorganization #organizationgoals #organizingtips #organizinghacks #organizationideas

Footer

Browse By Category

  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays

Get Organized-ish

  • Courses
  • Printable Planners
  • Shop My House
  • Amazon Faves

Blog Info

  • Contact
  • Media and Press
  • Disclosures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Organized-ish LLC © 2022 · Theme by 17th Avenue