Remember yesterday when our shelves looked like this?
Then I had fun arranging them (if you’re at work, you can watch this without sound and still get the idea):
If you watch the clip you’ll see I can reach almost everything on those top shelves, except a few items tucked into the corner by the window. It’s easy enough to sit on the counter to grab those when I need them.
I honestly expected to be yelling for John every time I needed something from up high. He’s our household chef, so that probably wouldn’t have happened often. Instead, reaching everything myself has been an unexpected bonus. If he’s not around, a step stool works too, but so far I haven’t needed one much.
Now the shelves are full and very much a work in progress, but they feel cheerful and useful. Plates and bowls get used, stacked and restacked, so the display is always changing. I’ve accepted that perfect styling isn’t realistic in a functional kitchen, so nothing is glued down or set in stone. Think of this as one of many iterations — things will shift as we use them, add molding, or patch the ceiling, and that’s part of the fun.
When I filled the shelves I deliberately tried not to overthink it. Overanalyzing can ruin the process of styling a shelf or bookcase, so I largely went with first instincts: grouped items by use, kept frequently used things within easy reach, and placed decorative pieces where they felt balanced. This will evolve over time, but I focused on function first — that’s what will keep the open shelving practical day to day.
The brackets are shallow compared to our 12″ deep shelves, so there’s plenty of usable space and the hardware doesn’t interfere with storage. That was a relief.
For function, I put dessert bowls and plates on the bottom right shelf and larger dinner plates, cups and cereal bowls on the bottom left. These are nearest the dishwasher and require no cabinet doors, which makes unloading and grabbing things quicker. The top shelves hold less-used items like a cake stand, larger serving bowls, a vase, and a special bottle — things that can sit a bit longer without being used and are still easy to rinse off when needed.
From the office doorway the room now looks completely different. We’re still waiting on a new stainless dishwasher, which will help the visual balance, and I’ll take more photos to show how the shelves frame the window and the cabinet spacing. I had a picture-taking lapse earlier, so I’ll share that view soon.
For comparison, the room used to look very different from the same spot. It’s striking how much the space opened up once the shelves went up.
I’m delightfully sentimental about small design harmonies we didn’t plan: the curves of the brackets echo the rounded penny tile and the pendant shapes, which nicely soften some of the room’s more angular features like the range hood and peninsula. Those happy accidents make the design feel cohesive.
Having pretty glassware out in front has made us actually use it more, and I enjoy seeing those pops of color — blues, greens and yellows — mixed with functional dishes. This is not a magazine-perfect staged scene; it’s a real, usable collection of items with a few decorative accents. If we were shooting for glossy photos, we might add more ornamentation, but we value practicality here.
We debated adding a third row of shelves but decided against it. The second shelf line aligns nicely with the top of the doorway and adding more above that would feel heavy and be hard to reach. As for bracket placement, we aimed for visual balance: a set of three on one side didn’t feel right compared to four on the other, so we chose a layout that looked balanced and lined up well with wall studs. The screws hit solid structure, and the shelves feel very sturdy.
In short: we love our tiled wall with bracketed open shelves. The framed art atop the shelves reads “Love Life” and “Squeeze The Day,” which suits the space. Open shelving and all the finishing choices might not be for everyone, but they work for us. The photography team has been equally delighted — although some things look better in person than on video, so we’ll welcome visitors when book craziness calms down. You’ll know where the cups are if you stop by.
On another note: the tulips are still alive! Thanks for the flower care tips — I’ve been meaning to drop a penny in the water while Clara watches so we can see them perk up.
There’s still crown molding to add and a patched ceiling to finish, plus a pendant planned over the sink, so the kitchen remains a work in progress. We’re excited about the cork floors and can’t wait to see how everything comes together.
Because I couldn’t resist, I played around in Photoshop to imagine crown molding, a pendant over the sink, and a floor color. The mock-ups don’t capture real texture, but they were useful for visualizing the next steps.
So yes — I was surprised that my 5’2″ reach covers nearly everything on the upper shelves. That was a pleasant surprise and makes the open shelving genuinely functional. The photoshoot crew worked elsewhere while we filmed, so there were no interruptions during the time-lapse. In summary: yay shelves. What have you been hanging or styling lately?
Psst — next up: a post about donuts.
UPDATE: We couldn’t love our open cabinets more. Check out a bracket tweak we made and an update about how they function.