Open Shelving: Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve

No more skeletons in the closet! Time to clean out the cupboards and add a little open shelving to your life. You might be surprised at how pretty your things are when exposed in organized fashion. We have a whole Feng Shui series on the health and mental benefits of de-cluttering. Take a look at your home and find a space that can use a little more openness.

Open Shelving in the Kitchen

Most people spend money on good, quality dishware. Why hide it all behind a cupboard? Display your pretty glasses and dishes on a section of open shelving instead. It’s easy to keep organized and adds a nice pop of color too.

Pristine Pantry Project

Much of your dried goods will last longer when stored in air-tight containers. Take advantage of open shelving to put your beans and baking goods on display. It gives your kitchen a wholesome, healthy feel and will hopefully inspire you to do more baking! Baking is good for your spirit and is a productive way to add a little meditation to your day. We like Bed Bath and Beyond’s Bormioli Rocco Fido Hermetic 5-Piece Jar Set because they are durable and have more of a vintage look. They are easy to open and they are dishwasher safe, so they should last a lifetime.

Nice Nook Life

Moving away from the kitchen and into minimal living, put collectibles on display like artwork. Space a vintage pottery collection wide apart on open shelving to distinguish each piece from the other. Take a look at our articles on creating little nooks and displaying art as part of a gallery wall. Take the “less is more” approach and use shelves to add visual interest and depth.

IKEA Hack

We’re digging on these IKEA hacks that are running rampant on the web. One of our favorite ideas is to paint open shelving brackets as an update. Go for the gold metallic look or find a pretty rainbow palette. This turns industrial shelving into a pretty display piece in 10 minutes flat!

Use Track Shelving

Stylizing track shelving can turn an empty wall into a work of art. Create a useful library with open shelving on a neglected wall. Organize books by height, color, and in sets to make it look less like a hodge podge. Apartment Therapy has a great article on using track shelving to your advantage. You can get more out of track shelving than a regular book case by going higher to the ceiling. Much easier on the back some moving time.

Save Space

We kind of have a thing for keeping reading material around. Check out our article on magazine racks and start cleaning up those piles! Narrow open shelving is also a great solution for small spaces. Add a collection of magazines to a guest room or by any seating area. Remember to add a pop of color to your shelves to keep them pretty and fun to look at. This is also a great solution for coffee table books that you’ve collected over the years.

Get it Out in the Open!

Summer is the perfect time to get stuff organized and out in the open. Add a breezy quality to any room with bright open shelving. Put your favorite collectibles on display whether they be books, pottery or dishes. This is also a great place for a few of those plants that you keep picking up at the store! You can change the look whenever your heart desires. It’s much easier than pushing furniture around and is just as fulfilling.