Modern kitchen design is the topic of todays' RoomStyling.net blog. Connie Edwards from WaypointLivingSpaces.com has already spent more than 30 years in the kitchen and bath industry and will share her design ideas for dish storage with us:
Open storage for dinnerware is so popular today. Pick up any shelter magazine and you will see what I mean. Now that surprises even me because you’d think that people wouldn’t want to store their dishes where they would collect dust daily. And frankly, not all everyday dishes are attractive. But so it goes.
If open shelves aren’t quite right for you, consider cabinets with clear glass inserts and mullions to display your dishes. Choosing glass inserts with a small pattern will help obscure the contents if they aren’t all that perfect.
Of course you can always put dishes behind glass doors and that’s a great look and solves the dust part of the problem. But, we’re talking about putting dishes on open shelves or in plate racks. Here are some tips that will make this trend go more smoothly for you:
Tip #1: Only use frequently used dinnerware. If they’re used regularly, it stands to reason that they will be washed all the time and will never become dusty.
A contemporary open shelving unit in Waypoint’s Cherry Spice is suspended from shorter wall cabinets by chrome tubing. The three inch thick shelf has a modern, substantial look.
Tip #2: Old or brand new, when dishes are out, they become part of the kitchen décor. Choose a color or pattern that works with your design theme or even adds a much-needed touch of color.
Two Wall China Display cabinets are stacked, one on the other, to create easy to reach dish storage. The color and pattern of dishes on display are important to the look of any kitchen. They should be interesting and can add a real color accent to even a simple kitchen like the one shown here in maple with a linen white finish.
Tip #3: Place the shelf low enough so that dishes are easy to reach on a daily basis…maybe even for the kids. If the dishes are easy to reach, an open shelf is a practical place to store them.
So while there are a few things to think about before planning open storage for your everyday dishes, it’s a great look. And despite all my cautionary words, you will laugh to know that in my last remodel…I put my everyday dinnerware on an open shelf. Right there for all the world to see. And guess what? I love it!
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