Having a functional kitchen is a necessity, and for many, this is a space that will need to serve a variety of purposes. Whether your kitchen doubles as a dining area, a spot for entertaining, or a place for homework, taking the time to design the shelving can make a big difference to how you feel when you use the room.
Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite kitchen shelving ideas to help you create a space that is well organized and serves all the purposes depending on your needs.
1. Rustic Elegance
If you want to create that perfect rustic or farmhouse kitchen vibe, then using reclaimed wood is an absolute must. Finding long planks of wood that have been saved from old buildings will give you the most gorgeous wooden shelves.
I just love that it’s okay if they have little imperfections or don’t all match. That’s really the charm of working with reclaimed wood.
There are a couple of things you’ll want to watch out for, though. Make sure there are no potential hazards like splinters, sharp edges, or bits of old metal hardware that could accidentally cut someone.
It’s also super helpful to find wood pieces that you can make flat and level without too much hassle. This just makes it easier to stack your kitchen items on them.
Sometimes when you’re using reclaimed wood, you don’t get a ton of choice in the wood type or the length of the boards. Because of this, you get to be creative with the shelves you build!
You could have one long, stunning shelf that runs the entire length of your kitchen, or maybe a few shorter, independent shelves. It’s all part of the fun.
2. Embracing Minimalism
A floating shelf is one that seems to hang on the wall without any visible support. This creates a look that is basically like it’s floating on the wall, which is so cool! The modern trend right now is to swap out upper cabinets for floating kitchen shelves.
Be careful, though, if you decide to take out all your cabinets and put in floating shelves instead. While this look is absolutely beautiful on social media and in design magazines, it isn’t always super functional in real life.
The first issue is that there’s nothing to protect your plates or other kitchen items from grease and food particles that get into the air when you cook. This means everything can get dirty pretty much all the time.
The other problem is that there’s no place to hide any clutter. If you happen to be someone like me who has a million kitchen gadgets, this is probably not the best storage solution for you.
3. Embracing Openness
Maybe the idea of going all in with open kitchen shelving doesn’t quite feel right for you. That doesn’t mean you have to abandon open shelves completely! You can always incorporate a single open shelf or just a couple of them into your kitchen design.
One of the most popular open shelving ideas I see is to take out one cabinet and replace it with two open shelves. Another amazing idea is to connect your upper cabinets with some shelves right above your sink.
If neither of those seems to fit, you could think about adding an open shelf that mounts to the underside of your upper cabinets. So many great options!
4. Maximizing Storage Space
Most modern homes today are built with kitchen cabinetry. This usually includes base cabinets that sit on the floor and upper cabinets mounted on the wall. A countertop is placed on your lower cabinets, creating that all important work surface in your kitchen.
I think kitchen cabinets are such a convenient and smart way to create storage because the doors hide everything you’re keeping inside them.
If you happen to be right in the middle of a kitchen remodel, this is the absolute perfect time to design a new cabinet system. You can look for ways to use modern innovations to make more storage out of what is usually dead space in a cabinet setup.
Those corner spaces are the most common culprits; they can be hard to reach, dark, and often become the place where kitchen appliances go to be forgotten. Instead of letting that happen, you could install cool features like pull out drawers, pull out shelves, or even a Lazy Susan.
5. Incorporating Industrial Elements Into Kitchen Shelving Ideas
If you love that industrial look, you’ll definitely want to bring an open shelves design into your kitchen storage plan. You can totally choose to have a mix of some cabinets and some open shelves to get the best of both worlds. Using an industrial design theme helps it all look completely natural.
I think the best way to get your industrial shelves is to just make them yourself. You can start with a wood shelf that’s the right thickness and length for your space. Then, just buy some black pipes and use them to build your own support brackets for the wood plank. It’s a great project!
Another option is to go for all metal shelves. Look for the kind you would normally see in a commercial, office, or manufacturing setting. These will give you such an authentic industrial feel.
6. Organized Pantry Solutions
So many modern kitchens have a separate closet that works as a pantry. For some, it might be a small space just deep enough for a few shelves. For others, it’s a shallow area that opens up wide with full sized closet doors.
And for the luckiest homeowners out there, the pantry is a whole walk in space with the most amazing kitchen storage. I used to dream about having a walk in pantry!
No matter what size your pantry is, the best thing you can do is really make the most of the space you have. Try to find a storage system that fits your space, works with your personal organizational style, and can hold everything you need it to. You might need a combination of shelves, drawers, or racks to get it just right.
7. Hanging in Style
Not every shelf has to be mounted to the wall, you know! If you have high ceilings, then you’ve got plenty of room for shelves over counters that aren’t against a wall. If your kitchen has a peninsula style counter or an island, you have that great counter space with room above it to hang some open storage.
You will need to make sure your kitchen shelf is supported on all four corners. This creates a really cool platform that you can access from all sides. You can then use that space to display decor or some of your more attractive cooking tools, like those gorgeous copper pots.
8. Functional and Decorative
A shelf bracket is the piece that supports your shelf, gives it strength, and lets you mount it onto your kitchen walls. But your brackets don’t have to be just functional pieces! Because you can see them, you can also make them wonderfully decorative.
For a craftsman, rustic, or farmhouse style kitchen, you can pick out a wood bracket. They often have lovely carved scrollwork. Modern and industrial kitchens will look fantastic with metal brackets, which have a sleek and streamlined style with very little detailing.
For those more elegant or luxurious kitchens, they usually have beautiful brackets that are gold with lots of intricate designs worked into them.
9. Contemporary Charm
If you’re hoping to create the feel of a truly modern kitchen, then you should look for some unique shelving. I love shelves that are connected to long metal brackets; they give this cool illusion that the shelves are hanging from the ceiling.
Or, you could have a wall with slots that lets you mount and move shelves around as you need them. This allows you to have several different storage solutions for specific things, like a spice rack, your glassware, mugs, or cookbooks.
If you are wanting a white kitchen that looks modern and upscale, think about using some alternative materials. You could have shelves that use tiles on the front and top, or even have stunning marble shelves that blend right in with a marble backsplash.
10. Sleek and Stylish
You can make your kitchen feel like a professional commercial kitchen by swapping out the shelving for stainless steel ones.
These are great because they help your kitchen feel bright by reflecting light, and they are also so easy to care for since you can just wipe them down. You’ll also discover that stainless steel is the most sanitary option because it’s non porous.
Just make sure you only use high grade stainless steel for your shelves. If you don’t, you run the risk of the metal rusting or corroding. That would look gross and be a health hazard. Commercial grade metal is also thicker and stronger, which makes it less likely to get scratched or dented.
11. Versatile and Flexible
Not everybody has tons of wall space for mounting cabinets and shelves. And if you live in a rental home, your landlord might not want you putting holes in the walls. For both of these situations, a free standing shelving unit is absolutely the way to go.
To help keep your kitchen feeling open and airy, look for a shelving unit that doesn’t have sides or doors. This lets you see right through the unit to the wall behind it. It also makes it the perfect spot for displaying some of your favorite kitchen decor pieces.
Not all shelving units have to be big, either; you can find a small unit that just sits right on your counter.
12. Efficient and Space-Saving
Is there a specific spot on your counter where you love to work? If so, then maybe it’s time to add a wall shelf or two right above it. This way, you can keep the items you use most often within easy reach. The shelf or shelves don’t need to be huge. They just have to be large enough to hold your cooking staples.
You can also use your wall shelf to set up a designated workstation. This is just perfect for any coffee lovers out there. And it doesn’t have to be a plain straight shelf, either. You could get corner shelves that are shaped like a triangle and fit perfectly into a dead space that isn’t being used right now.
13. Smart and Practical
Kitchen shelves are not just about creating pretty pictures or an attractive design. They are also meant to give you extra storage space. So don’t forget to think about how your shelves are actually arranged. This could be on the wall, inside your cabinets, or in your pantry.
To really maximize your storage space, your shelves should match the items you plan to store on them. You could organize items by their size. That way, you can have a shelf for shorter things closer to the one above it.
Another idea is to create a series of narrow shelves where each one stores a wine bottle on its side. This not only uses the space in the best way, but it’s also the best way to store wine.
