This goes beyond open storage. We're talking completely cabinet-less walls here, with room for art instead of canned goods. What do you think? Modern and clean or too un-kitchen-like?
Of course, you need enough storage elsewhere to keep your walls this bare. There need to be a lot of bottom cabinets or a butler's pantry, for heaven's sake. We're guessing not many of our Small, Cool contestants have the luxury of leaving their walls naked.
On the other hand, all of these spaces feel so peaceful. We'd love to look up from our chopping and see a great piece of art. And we've bumped our heads so many times on open cabinet doors that it would feel nice to move around a room with so much open, blank space.
Even the open shelves in the last photo look more like a staging area for objets d'art than for dishes.
• 1. Completely bare and stark white, from Living, Etc.
• 2. Leaning modern art, from Dwell. (We suspect there may be cabinets to the left, but we still love this big, open wall.)
• 3. Colorful art in a row, from Southern Living.
• 4. Cool concrete, from Canadian House & Home.
• 5. Meticulously styled shelves, from Coastal Living.
Which one is your favorite?
Related: Modern to Traditional: What Kind of Kitchen are You?
(Images: Jake Curtis/Living, Etc.; Roger D'Souza/Dwell; Tria Giovan/Southern Living; Ted Yarwood/Canadian House & Home; Roger Davies/Coastal Living)
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I love it! I think it looks amazing- new future of kitchens. Cabinets are unpleasing to look at anyway!
The first picture is too empty. They need to fill it in or it'll look awkward to most people.
I love no upper cabinets, but don't think I could part with the storage in my house. Or trust my destructive little boys to stay out of the lower cabinets if they have anything other than pots and pans in them.
In 2003 my kitchen went a make-over. I eliminated the upper cabinets and have railings for utensils and one open shelf for canisters. But I added more cabinets and went from six drawers to seventeen.
Everyone asks "Where's your dishes?" They are stored in 24 inch wide drawers and with the flatware in the upper drawer of same cabinet - conveniently located by the dishwasher.
I made artwork for the walls and definitely my kitchen appears bigger, brighter and more tuned to the 21st century although the cabinets are old GE steel cabinets from the 1950s.
Ugh. Walls this empty look make a house look so unlived in. Like the people are ready to leave at any moment. Basically like your first place after college. There's only condiments in that fridge.
I like it. Cabinets on the walls are great storage but they really make me feel claustrophobic.
Love it. Nobody ever knows what's in those upper cabinets anyways.
I think it looks nice, but I don't squat/bend at the knees very well, so I'd almost prefer it the other way around - no lower storage. I know it wouldn't look as amazing, but it's the only way it would work for me!
The aesthetics are kinda cool (though I'd want art on that back wall).
But contra @art, I always know what's in my upper cabinets and have trouble keeping track of what's in the lower ones. I'm tall. I like having my equipment nearer my eye level.
If there were a way to have only upper cabinets and counter top, I would try that aesthetic experiment.
If it works for them and their aesthetic, great, but I find that first kitchen almost stark. If it wasn't for that vase, it would be stark regardless of that "EAT" wall art.
The ceiling in the second picture looks moldy to me, ick! Maybe it's just the tiny tiny kitchen brain I've got going on, but I can't help but think (esp. with the first picture) "where's their stuff?!"
I love the starkness of the first kitchen. With a big kitchen like that you've probably got all the storage space you need in the lower cabinets (my kitchens tiny so I have upper too, but if I imagine moving into this kitchen tomorrow I'd probably STILL have space in the cupboards-and I cook A LOT) and it looks so much better. Also, they might have a pantry?
I think they will have a REALLY hard time when it comes time to resell a home that has a kitchen with NO upper cabinets! They are going to be advised to install them to be able to sell their home!
I think the first one looks like they've just moved in/built the place. It'd make me sad to live like that, I love personality on my walls.
I think the upper cabinets make the kitchen feel cozy, whereas open shelving makes it look like a cluttered utility closet, and artwork makes me wonder when it's going to be destroyed by flying sauce or oil.
Plus, upper cabinets allow you to have more objects at your fingertips. What cook wants to rush into a butler's pantry just to get another pan or serving dish? That's a waste of time that you can't risk when you're cooking complex food. You have to think of functionality as well as appearance, and a lot of the hip trends have nothing to do with efficiency.
artfully arranged shelving, the last photo, is definitely my favorite. a mix of art and colorful useful kitchen utensils & equipment (like photo 4) is my idea of the best possible above-counter display, and good decorative lighting is also a must. personally, i can't limit myself to under-counter storage; i'm too tall and can't be bothered to bend down all the time. so make the cabinets attractive! painted trim, unique hardware, glass doors or open shelves carefully "merchandised" win the day.
Love, love, love the Canadian House & Home one...the concete counters and rustic wall finish. And --eewww!-- what's with the ceiling of No. 2. Looks like black mould.
Love it. I really hate upper cabinets; like Art says, you can lose a lot of things up there... I like a very shallow (but very large) floor-to-ceiling doored pantry filling one wall, and the rest bare. Wide open counters are the best enticement to cooking.