to be or not to be: open shelving.

white modern kitchen with open shelving. / sfgirlbybay

the thing about buying an old house is that there are always renovations to make. you want your house to suit you perfectly, so it’s difficult to not look around constantly thinking how you might go about upgrading. sigh. now that i’ve finished my bathroom remodel, next comes the kitchen, and ouch does it get expensive. i’ve got ikea cabinetry in my current kitchen and it’s pretty nice, but what i’m debating about is taking down some of the existing cabinets and open up the kitchen a bit with open shelving. i have lowered ceilings but if i knock those out i’ll have beautifully beamed ceilings like these pictured up top. i really love the way this looks, and i like my dishes and glassware enough to display them out in the open. i know everyone speaks of the hassle of extra cleaning, but i plan to keep it pretty minimal as far as exposed storage. so, to be or not to be opening shelving — that is the question of the week. would you like to weigh in?

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