I get where you’re coming from—open shelves can be a pain if you actually use your kitchen a lot. But I’ve found that with the right ventilation and a solid cleaning routine, they’re not as bad as people say. Sometimes design is about compromise, right? I love how open shelves look with nice dishes or glassware, but I keep the everyday stuff behind closed doors. Maybe it’s just about finding that sweet spot between style and function.
Totally agree—design is all about finding that balance. I’m always asking myself, how can I make a space both beautiful and sustainable? Open shelves can actually help with that if you use reclaimed wood or low-VOC finishes. But yeah, dust is real. Have you ever tried grouping things by how often you use them? Keeps the cleaning manageable and makes the kitchen feel more intentional. Curious if anyone’s found a way to make open shelving work in a super busy household without it turning into chaos...
WHERE DO YOU EVEN START WITH HIRING SOMEONE TO DESIGN YOUR HOUSE?
Open shelves look amazing in theory, but in practice? Honestly, in my house, they just end up as a graveyard for mismatched mugs and random gadgets. I get the sustainability angle—reclaimed wood is great—but unless everyone in the house is on board with daily tidying, it’s a losing battle. Maybe if you only put stuff you actually use every day out there, it’s manageable... but I still think closed cabinets save a lot of headaches. Dust doesn’t care about your design choices.
WHERE DO YOU EVEN START WITH HIRING SOMEONE TO DESIGN YOUR HOUSE?
Isn’t it wild how open shelves look so dreamy in photos, but in real life they’re just... chaos magnets? I always wonder, do people with those perfect kitchens actually cook, or is it all for show? I’ve seen clients swear they’ll keep things tidy, but a month in, it’s back to the cabinet life. Maybe the trick is being brutally honest about your habits before picking a design. Do you really want to dust every week? Or is that just wishful thinking?
WHERE DO YOU EVEN START WITH HIRING SOMEONE TO DESIGN YOUR HOUSE?
Open shelves are such a trap, right? I built my own kitchen and thought, “Yeah, I’ll keep it all neat—looks amazing in the plans.” Fast forward six months, and those shelves were basically a graveyard for mismatched mugs and random gadgets. I ended up retrofitting doors just to hide the mess. Maybe the bigger question is: how do you figure out what you’ll actually use vs. what just looks cool in a magazine? Anyone ever regret going too trendy with their layout?