Kitchen shelves are not intended for bags of flour, boxes of cookies, and all your other everyday food items, simply because they aren’t so nice to look at. What you do find in great numbers are pretty things, things you want people to see. Flowers, fine china, even ordinary tableware, provided it’s made up of well-coordinated sets. That’s why, in most kitchens, open shelves are pure luxury. They’re show-offs. This simple farmhouse kitchen’s open shelves display plain white plates, mixing bowls, and a few canisters of sugar and flour. The shelf corbels—those triangular buttresses at the ends—both provide extra support and contribute to the country feeling in this space. Shelves can be an art-form. In this example, two standard brown cantilever shelves blend into a brown background but are set off with the brilliant display of daisies, earthenware, and little glass bottles. These shelves provide tons of space for your nice things. If you want one wood item in your kitchen, try making that item the open shelves. So, you can’t exactly overload the kitchen with a massive, spectacular array of shelves, as in other kitchens. Just three tiers of natural wood cantilevered shelves for some everyday (but attractive) plates and glasses, and you’re good to go. Why are foodstuffs are not displayed in open shelves today? Partially, as already noted, you don’t want to show off your cereal boxes. But also because back in the “olden days,” cabinets with doors were used to keep out vermin. Doors were there for a very good and practical reason, not just for show.
