Let’s take some shelfies—photos of our shelves—rather than selfies.
We don’t have Beyoncé around to photobomb them, but we did finally install Ikea floating shelves in the kitchen, and the change is dramatic. There are still a few big tasks left, like painting the cabinets, but removing the dark upper cabinets and adding open shelving has brightened the space and made it feel much more open.
After removing wallpaper, re-hanging crown molding, patching and priming, painting the walls, trim, and ceiling, upgrading the lighting, and hanging the new shelves, the area looks and feels completely different. The photos don’t capture how much brighter it is in person—the room feels at least twice as light and noticeably larger.
We chose Ikea Lack floating shelves and positioned the bottom shelf to align with the remaining cabinet on the left side of the window, about 18 inches above the counter. That alignment creates a visual relationship between the elements and the standard shelf sizes left a couple of inches of breathing room around the window, which we liked. The second shelf was spaced about 14 inches above the bottom shelf by eye. That distance allows plenty of room to store items on the lower shelf without feeling cramped, while still keeping the top shelf within reach for anyone who’s not very tall.
To hang the shelves, we first held the bottom shelf in place and checked that it was level.
Once level, we marked the top corners and drew a faint horizontal line across the wall to guide placement.
The longer shelves come with a metal hanging brace and screws. The brace has multiple holes along its length so you can find and secure it into studs, making the shelf extra sturdy. The instructions recommend several screw-to-stud placements to distribute the load.
I placed the brace along the pencil guide, measured in a few inches from each side because the brace is slightly shorter than the shelf, and temporarily held it with a single screw in the middle to keep it in place. That freed my hands to use a stud finder and drive in two long screws into the studs on either side of the brace. A helper held the level while I tightened the screws to ensure the brace stayed perfectly horizontal.
Small metal plates that act like heavy-duty washers go under the screws driven into the studs. We used two of these plates into studs and added a third attachment point with an anchor in the drywall for extra stability. Once the brace was secure, the shelf simply slides onto it and is secured with three screws into pre-drilled holes in the shelf.
I initially tightened the screws by hand with the provided allen wrench, which was slow, so I switched to a power drill to speed things up. We repeated the same process for the upper long shelf.
The smaller side shelves were easier to install. They use heavy-duty wall anchors driven into pre-marked spots that match where the shelves sit. Unlike the longer shelves that are screwed into studs at multiple points, these smaller ones can be popped on and off easily, which is convenient because we’ll remove them temporarily when it’s time to paint the cabinets.
So far the shelves have been very sturdy. The strength depends on using good anchors and hitting studs when possible. If a shelf isn’t perfectly level, it might wobble, so measure carefully and use a level for the best results. As the kitchen evolves, the arrangement of items on the shelves will change too—adding a small framed photo above a stack of plates or placing a taller decorative item on the bottom shelf can introduce more visual interest and height variation.
For now, the shelves are highly functional. I filled the lower shelves with everyday dishes and mugs we use frequently and placed decorative items like a potted plant or a pitcher-turned-vase on the upper shelves. That keeps frequently used items within reach while letting us showcase pieces we enjoy seeing.
From another angle, the improvement is obvious. Unloading the dishwasher is faster with open shelving, a perk we missed from our previous house. Because the shelves are white and reflect light, they don’t block the window or darken the room the way the old upper cabinets did.
Update: The manufacturer states that each of the longer shelves can support a significant amount of weight when secured into studs; we anchored ours into studs and they’ve held up well so far, even with a good amount of china on them. Our experience with similar shelves in another part of our home for several years gives us confidence in this approach.
It’s a huge change from how the room looked six months ago, and we’re excited to continue lightening the upper cabinets and deepening the color of the lower ones. We’re in the middle of sanding and priming this week with the goal of unveiling a refreshed kitchen soon.
Anyone else tackling last-minute home projects ahead of the holidays? Do you have a big project planned this week? We often end up doing something major right in the middle of the season’s busyness, but the payoff is worth it.