The idea of open concept living became very popular several years ago with shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Slowly over time, more and more people wanted an open concept home. Instead of doors separating our lives and compartmentalizing what went on in rooms, suddenly, everything was out in the open and visible all at once. Along with open concept living came open concept furniture and products.
Today, we’re going to talk about open concept shelves in the kitchen, and the 4 things to consider before going ahead with such an installation.
1. Keeping up with modern trends
Open concept shelves display everything, without the ability to hide anything. That means your mismatched dishes and eclectic mug collection will stand out like a sore thumb. For some, they won’t care about keeping things the same, but for others, this can create the need for visual perfection. If you like the idea of open shelves, but hate mismatched chaos, you may want to invest in new glasses, chinaware, and mugs.
2. Inability to hide laziness
Though laziness is a harsh word indeed, what we truly mean to say is you won’t be able to slam the cabinet door on a mess you don’t feel like dealing with. Again, open shelves show item clearly, glasses, plates, pots, pans, without the option of out-of-sight-out-of-mind we sometimes want. Rather, it’s key to keep all things neat and orderly.
3. A great place to collect dust
Just like on your luxury vinyl flooring, dust looks for every chance it can get to collect on something. Add to this scenario open concept shelves with dozens of items on them, and you’re in store for endless dusting nearly every day, which will settle down below annoyingly on your luxury vinyl flooring.
4. A real pain to light
In a kitchen with closed cupboards, light bounces easily off the cabinetry, creating a well-lit area. That’s not the case at all with open shelves, as the objects on them will absorb the light and create much more shadows. In essence, this results in a darker kitchen that needs extra sources of light.
Need more advice on interior design or surfacing options like luxury vinyl flooring? Then, come by our Dragon Scale Flooring showroom in Laurel, MD, and speak to our on-site professionals.