Kitchen shelves: types, materials, color solutions and design. How to place them and what to place on them?

Types of kitchen shelves

There are several varieties.

Open

They help visually expand the room and make it much more spacious. However, the contents of open structures constantly require perfect order and frequent cleaning. In this case, to make maintenance less labor-intensive, it is recommended to install a more powerful hood.

Closed

Such models are distinguished by the presence of back and side walls, complemented by sliding, lifting or hinged doors.

The photo shows closed rectangular shelves with a colored facade in the interior kitchens.

Wall-mounted

They become a wonderful addition to any free space in the kitchen or easily fit even into a partition. Wall-mounted shelves can have a wide variety of purposes, which affects the depth, height and location of the structure. Products equipped with hidden fastenings have a particularly beautiful and ultra-fashionable appearance.

Floor-mounted

It is a fairly durable model that can withstand any load. Floor shelves on legs are perfect for placing a microwave, multicooker and other household appliances. Such structures are mainly made of metal or wood and are sometimes equipped with wheels, which makes them more mobile.

Tabletop

Such products can be stationary or folding and have several tiers. They are placed against the wall on the tabletop and provide a convenient place for mugs, jars of spices or cereals, a bread bin, a sugar bowl or even a vase of flowers.

Built-in

Such shelves, built into a niche, the outer module of a kitchen unit or an island, provide a smart use of the available space and bring variety and creativity to the environment.

Shelves

These organizers with a certain number of shelves, which are united by one box, easily complement any kitchen design. Shelves provide effective organization of things, for example, various dishes, recipe books, baskets for vegetables and fruits, as well as small household appliances.

Hidden

They are distinguished by a facade that merges with the surrounding decoration, furniture or, for example, a kitchen apron. Hidden models are especially suitable for those who prefer a laconic and discreet interior.

Material

Almost any materials can be used to make shelves:

• Wooden. They have a truly luxurious appearance, are environmentally friendly and can be easily restored if necessary.
• Plastic. They are considered a fairly economical solution that allows you to achieve interesting kitchen decoration. Plastic structures are often placed above the table or above the sink to dry dishes.
• Metal. Despite their elegant configuration, such products can withstand quite a large load. Stainless steel shelves or refined metal grates do not weigh down or overload the interior, making it truly stylish.
• Chipboard/MDF. When choosing such models, you can significantly save money and at the same time create a very beautiful, simple and practical design.
• Plasterboard. Plasterboard products have a variety of shapes that can be designed by hand. Such shelves are more suitable for storing small accessories and are sometimes equipped with spotlights.

The photo shows a kitchen interior with hanging open shelves made of wood.

Also quite often in the kitchen interior there are shelves made of tempered glass, which look very fragile, but at the same time can withstand almost any load. These transparent structures can have hidden fasteners, which creates the feeling of objects hovering in the air.

Sizes and shapes of shelves

In a small kitchen, corner shelves, complemented by various accessories, look especially appropriate. Such products take up a minimum of useful space and blend organically into the surrounding environment. High structures up to the ceiling, consisting of several tiers, have a rather original design. They not only look very stylish, but also suggest a convenient location of many necessary items.

The photo shows a straight narrow wooden shelf in the kitchen interior in light colors.

A particularly interesting design of the kitchen space can be achieved using horizontal multi-level models, which can be quite long and occupy the entire wall or only part of it. There are also not only wide, but also narrow shelves, which are great for a variety of decor and contribute to significant space savings.

The photo shows the dining room interior, decorated with open shelves to the ceiling.

What to put on the shelves?

Popular filling options.

For dishes and pots

On the shelves for dishes, it is possible to conveniently store plates, which can be placed in a pile or interestingly laid out in a row. Such models can sometimes be equipped with special crossbars that prevent them from falling. For glasses and bottles with alcoholic beverages, various vertical holders, rotary, hanging or side shelves are used, which often act as an additional accessory to the bar counter.

Decorative

Designs that involve different decor, for example, original candles, photo frames, lamps, flower pots and other cute trinkets, significantly soften the kitchen atmosphere and give it a special taste.

For TV

With this design, you can achieve a very beautiful design. When choosing a shelf for TV, it is desirable that it harmoniously matches all the other furniture in the room, thus, it is possible to create the most cozy and neat interior.

Food

Very often, for seasonings and spices, they use shelf holders or use an entire niche for storage. Depending on the size of the structure, it can be filled not only with numerous jars, but also with boxes of tea, containers with cereals, bottles of vegetable oil or sauce. For fruits and vegetables, products in the form of a rack or a shelf with metal baskets are especially appropriate, which takes up little space and can sometimes be equipped with wheels.

The photo shows a wooden tabletop shelf in the form of a ladder for storing tea and coffee.

For household items

Shelves with hooks are a very practical accessory that combines two functions at once. Such products are suitable for storing sponges and, for example, hanging towels.

For kitchen appliances

For various appliances in the form of a small toaster or microwave, pull-out structures, shelves with hinged doors, floor or wall-mounted are used models.

How to arrange in the kitchen?

Ways to arrange shelves in the kitchen space.

Above the table

The free wall above the table is often decorated with shelves for decorative items or various small jars of spices. In this area, models with invisible fasteners that merge with the wall surface and become one with it will look very advantageous.

The photo shows the kitchen interior with decorative shelves located above the dining table.

In the corner

Corner structures will fit perfectly into the interior of both a small and a more spacious kitchen. Such triangular or L-shaped products provide significant space savings and, thanks to various design ideas, give the interior a stylish and unusual look.

Above the sink

For such placement, choose shelves or dryers made of materials that are not afraid of moisture, temperature changes, mechanical damage and high loads. Sometimes, to prevent marks and stains, a special decorative coating is used.

In a niche

With this option, you can get away from the template interior design, and also use the space as rationally as possible. The size of the shelves is selected depending on the dimensions of the niche, and the material in accordance with the style of the room.

On the apron

This placement near the work surface with a sink and stove is not only original, but also reasonable. In this way, you can place food and items needed for cooking at hand.

The photo shows square shelves in the design of the work area with an apron in the kitchen interior.

Under the ceiling

Thanks to the additional storage space under the ceiling, it is possible to organize a practical and stylish design. The main advantage of such a solution is the preservation of useful space below. Rarely used dishes, household appliances, towels, potholders, etc. are placed on such frame shelves.

Above the door

Is a fairly relevant option for the kitchen. The mezzanine above the door provides a convenient place to store boxes or baskets with necessary things.

On a free wall

When placing shelves on an empty wall, the main thing is to observe a sense of proportion so as not to weigh down the appearance of the room. For example, quite often the structure is hung in the free space between two cabinets to create a single furniture composition or simply placed in a linear, checkerboard or chaotic order.

Above the sofa

Such a solution can give the kitchen interior a special twist and a sense of order. It is better to install less bulky and not too long or rounded models with attractive decor above the sofa.

Color scheme

A kitchen decorated with shelves in white or gray shades, which are especially appropriate in creating an interior in a minimalist style, looks truly stylish and modern. Also very effective are designs in black or wenge colors, most often complementing both modern design and furnishings in a classic or English style.

The photo shows a two-level tabletop shelf in a chrome shade.

For interiors with light finishes, interesting contrasts in the form of products in rich colors are often used. No less expressive interior solutions are considered to be chrome-colored models, which favorably emphasize the overall design of the room and highlight its accents.

Design ideas

Due to models with backlighting, it is possible to significantly expand the functionality of the kitchen space. These luminous products are complemented by a system of LED modules, spotlights or sconces, and they are sometimes decorated with a mirror wall, which allows you to give the room a special soft and diffused glow.

A rather extravagant solution is unusual designs that have a non-standard shape or multi-colored design, which contribute to the creation of a design that is not always practical, but at least quite creative.

The photo shows a kitchen interior with hanging green shelves of an unusual shape.

Carved items are used to emphasize the originality of the interior. Warm and cozy material with all sorts of patterns, especially harmoniously combined with a variety of jars, clay pots, wicker, wooden decor and other kitchen utensils. Forged shelves look no less advantageous, giving the interior a certain rarity, solidity and chic.

Photo of open shelves in the kitchen interior

Open shelves make the kitchen interior more expressive and at the same time very cozy and homely. Beautifully arranged dishes give the interior a special individuality.

A stylish and modern design option is asymmetrical arrangement of open shelves. Such a solution is not always convenient, but it certainly attracts attention. With sufficient lighting in the room, open structures can be placed even in the window opening area.

Options in different styles

Examples of design in popular styles.

Kitchen in Scandinavian style

Nordic style primarily involves models made of predominantly natural materials. Here, semi-closed combined shelving units with drawers or open shelves with decorative items that emphasize this direction, such as paintings with animals, black and white photographs or green plants, look very impressive.

The photo shows wooden open shelves located above the sink in the kitchen in Scandinavian style.

Shelves in the Provence style

In this interior, they prefer vintage wooden structures with an aged appearance or choose the most simple products in white, beige and other natural colors. Curtains with a floral pattern will be a particularly relevant decor for closed shelves in the Provence style.

In the loft style

The kitchen space in the loft style is complemented by more massive shelves made of wooden boards or metal, which have an unfinished appearance. A rather bold design solution is structures made of concrete or brick. Rusty pipes, various taps, bolts, screws and metal rods are used in the design of these products.

Country style kitchen

For a rustic design, it is appropriate to use antique structures that are distinguished by simple design and decor in the form of forged and openwork elements. Most often, there are a large number of accessories and kitchen utensils on the shelves.

High-tech

High-tech high-tech is characterized by models made of more modern materials, such as glossy plastic, glass or metal, in combination with chrome elements or lighting equipment. The filling should be minimal and include themselves only objects with a direct functional purpose.

Classic

For classics or neoclassics, glass display cases or racks and shelves made of natural wood are especially often chosen, which have decoration in the form of carvings or forged metal overlays, stylized as gold, bronze or brass.