It seems that everyone wants a kitchen island – after all, it is the most luxurious centrepiece that can make your kitchen go from drab to fab!
You’ve seen them in the movies and you’ve probably wanted one since you were a teenager, dreaming about the perfect home. Well, kitchen islands can honestly turn into a nightmare. Even though it is sought after, it is not always as practical as we would like it to be.
On the other hand, open shelving in the kitchen is a much better (and cheaper) option! Plus, you can still have the classy kitchen you’ve always wanted.
Here are 5 advantages of having open shelving in the kitchen:
Advantage No.1 – It doesn’t stop conversation
Unlike kitchen islands, open shelving doesn’t have conversation killing characteristics: a kitchen island allows you to put the focus on food preparation, which is fine if you want to be Jamie Oliver in your next life.
However, if you are entertaining, this is not always such an awesome experience. The conversation will stop just so that people can see you preparing food.
With a kitchen upgrade such as open shelving, the focus will be less on you showing off your Naked Chef skills and more on entertaining your guests whilst preparing snacks.
Advantage No.2 – It doesn’t make the cat feel at home in the kitchen
Yes, it might be cute when the new kitten jumps up and down on kitchen counters or islands, but not so adorable when the same adult cat steals a chicken from the bowl you want to cook from!
Open shelving prevents that problem by giving cats or any other animals absolutely no space to make themselves at home in the kitchen!
You can say goodbye to those war-like afternoons where you have to fight with the cat in order to utilize the space and the equipment in your own kitchen.
Advantage No.3 – It doesn’t become a mess-magnet
If you have a kitchen island, you should know how it goes: you come home from work, throw the latest post letters on the counter, the next day you might be cooking up something and you throw the dishrag on the counter, the following week the kids might decide to bake and leave the dishes on the counter… the point we’re making is that it becomes storage for clutter.
Open shelving doesn’t pose this clutter problem. There is just enough space for the necessities and it isn’t as convenient or appealing to mess-makers to just drop their things and go.
Advantage No.4 – It doesn’t make appliances look weird
Remember those activities we used to do in pre-primary school where you have to pick a picture of a range that doesn’t match? That is basically what will happen to your appliances if you opt for a kitchen island instead of open shelving.
Placing an appliance in the middle of a kitchen looks awkward and out of place.
Most kitchen appliances are not designed for you to only see those back parts and this can look very unappealing when they are in full view on a kitchen island. Plus it will only contribute to the clutter effect of the island.
Advantage No.5 – It doesn’t become redundant
Let’s be honest: how many times do you actually sit around the kitchen island?
The stools around it are not built for comfort and if it is not used, it only takes up more of your space. And even if people want to sit, there will always be one person standing: you, preparing food!
Open shelving is definitely a much better option when it comes to storage and organization in your kitchen. With the right design and décor, it can look just as luxurious as the kitchen island of your dreams.
