Shelves for the kitchen: types, materials, color, design. How to arrange? What to put?

Types of kitchen shelves

There are several varieties.

Open

They contribute to the visual expansion of the room and make it much freer. However, the contents of open structures constantly require perfect order and frequent cleaning. In this case, to make maintenance less laborious, it is recommended to install a more powerful hood.

Closed

Such models are distinguished by the presence of rear and side walls, complemented by sliding, lifting or swing doors.

In the photo there are closed rectangular shelves with a colored facade in the interior of the kitchen.

Hinged

They become an excellent addition to any free space in the kitchen or easily fit even into a wall. Hanging shelves can have a wide variety of purposes, which affects the depth, height and location of the structure. Products equipped with hidden fasteners have a particularly beautiful and trendy look.

Floor standing

It is a fairly strong model that can withstand any load. Floor-standing shelves with legs, great for placing a microwave oven, multicooker and other household appliances. These structures are mainly made of metal or wood and are sometimes equipped with wheels, which makes them more mobile.

Tabletop

Such products can be stationary or folding and have several tiers. They are located against the wall on the countertop and provide a convenient place for mugs, jars of spices or cereals, bread boxes, sugar bowls or even a vase of flowers.

Built-in

Such shelves, built into a niche, an extreme module of a kitchen unit or an island, provide a competent use of the available space and bring variety and creativity to the atmosphere.

Racks

These organizers with a certain number of shelves, which are united by one box, easily complement any kitchen design. Shelving provides efficient organizing of things such as crockery, recipe books, fruit and vegetable baskets and small household appliances.

Hidden

They are distinguished by a facade that merges with the surrounding finish, a set or, for example, a kitchen apron. Hidden models are especially suitable for those who prefer a laconic and discreet interior.

Material

In the manufacture of shelves, it is permissible to use almost any materials:

• Wooden. They have a truly luxurious appearance, are environmentally friendly and, if necessary, lend themselves well to restoration.
• Plastic. They are considered a fairly economical solution that allows you to achieve an interesting kitchen decoration. Plastic structures are often positioned over a table or sink for drying dishes.
• Metallic. Despite their graceful configuration, such products are capable of withstanding a fairly heavy load. Stainless steel shelves or sophisticated metal grilles do not burden or overload the interior, making it truly stylish.
• Particleboard / MDF. When choosing such models, it turns out to significantly save money and at the same time create a very beautiful, simple and practical design.
• Drywall. Plasterboard products have a wide variety of shapes that you can design with your own hands. These shelves are more suitable for storing small accessories and are sometimes equipped with spotlights.

The photo shows the interior of the kitchen with hinged open shelves made of wood.

Also, quite often in the interior of the kitchen, there are shelves made of tempered glass, which look very fragile, but at the same time they can withstand almost any load. These transparent structures can have hidden fasteners, which creates the feeling of objects floating in the air.

Sizes and shapes of shelves

In a small kitchen, corner shelves, complemented by various accessories, look especially appropriate. Such products occupy a minimum of usable area and organically blend into the environment. Quite an original design, high structures up to the ceiling, which consist of several tiers, have. They not only look very stylish, but also offer a convenient arrangement of many essential items.

In the photo there is a straight narrow shelf made of wood in the interior of the kitchen in light colors.

A particularly interesting design of the kitchen space can be achieved using horizontal multi-level models, which can be long enough and occupy the entire wall or only part of it. Also, there are not only wide, but also narrow shelves, perfect for a variety of decor and contributing to significant space savings.

The photo shows the interior of the dining room, decorated with open shelves to the ceiling.

What to put on the shelves?

Popular filling options.

For dishes and pans

On the shelves for dishes, convenient storage of plates is possible, which can be placed in a slide or interestingly laid out in a row. Such models can sometimes be equipped with special anti-fall cross bars. For glasses and bottles with alcoholic beverages, they use various vertical holders, swivel, hanging or side shelves, which often act as an additional accessory to the bar counter.

Decorative

Designs that involve different decor, for example, original candles, photo frames, lamps, flower pots and other cute trinkets, significantly soften the atmosphere of the kitchen and endow it with a special taste.

For TV

With this design, you can achieve a very beautiful design. When choosing a shelf for a TV, it is desirable that it blends harmoniously with all the rest of the furniture in the room, thus, it turns out to create the most comfortable and neat interior.

Food

Very often, for seasonings and spices, they use shelves-holders or use a whole niche for storage. Depending on the size of the structure, it can be filled not only with numerous jars, but also with tea boxes, containers with cereals, bottles with vegetable oil or sauce. For fruits and vegetables, products in the form of a rack or a shelf with metal baskets are especially appropriate, which takes up little space and can sometimes be equipped with wheels.

In the photo, a wooden desk shelf in the form of a ladder for storing tea and coffee.

For household supplies

Shelves with hooks are a very practical accessory that combines two functions at once. Such products are also suitable for placing sponges and, for example, hanging towels.

For kitchen appliances

For various equipment in the form of a small toaster or microwave oven, pull-out structures, shelves with hinged doors, floor-standing or hinged models are used.

How to arrange in the kitchen?

Methods for placing shelves in the kitchen space.

Over the table

A free wall above the table is often decorated with shelves for decorative items or various small jars of spices. In this area, models with invisible fasteners that merge with the surface of the wall and become one with it will look very advantageous.

The photo shows the interior of the kitchen with decorative shelves located above the dining table.

In the corner

Corner structures will perfectly fit into the interior of both small and more spacious kitchens. Such products are triangular or L-shaped, provide significant space savings and, thanks to various design ideas, give the atmosphere a stylish and unusual look.

Over the sink

For such placement, choose shelves or dryers made of materials that are not afraid of moisture, temperature changes, mechanical damage and high loads. Sometimes, to prevent the appearance of marks and stains, a special decorative coating is used.

In a niche

With the help of this option, it turns out to get away from the template interior design, and also make the most rational use of the space. The dimensions of the shelves are selected depending on the dimensions of the niche, and the material in accordance with the style of the room.

On the apron

This placement near the work surface with a sink and stove is not only original, but also reasonable. Thus, you can place food and items needed in the cooking process at hand.

In the photo there are square shelves in the design of the working area with an apron in the interior of the kitchen.

Under the ceiling

Thanks to the additional storage space under the ceiling, it turns out to organize a practical and stylish design. The main advantage of such a solution is the preservation of useful space below. Rarely used dishes, household appliances are placed on such frame shelves, towels, potholders and so on are hung up.

Over the door

It is a fairly relevant option for the kitchen. The mezzanine above the door provides a convenient place for storing boxes or baskets with the necessary things.

On a free wall

When placing shelves on an empty wall, the main thing is to observe a sense of proportion, so as not to burden the external appearance of the room. For example, quite often the structure is hung in a free space between two cabinets to create a single furniture composition, or simply placed in a linear, checkerboard or chaotic manner.

Above the sofa

Such a solution is able to endow the kitchen interior with a special zest and a sense of order. Above the sofa, it is better to install less bulky and not too long or rounded models with an attractive decor.

Color spectrum

The kitchen looks really stylish and modern, decorated with shelves in white or gray shades, which are especially appropriate for creating an interior in the style of minimalism. Also very effective are designs in black or wenge colors, most often complementing both modern design and furnishings in a classic or English style.

The photo shows a two-level table shelf, made in a shade of chrome.

For interiors with light finishes, interesting contrasts are often used in the form of products in rich colors. Models in chrome color are considered no less expressive interior solution, which favorably emphasize the overall design of the room and highlight its accents.

Design ideas

Thanks to the backlit models, it turns out to significantly expand the functionality of the kitchen space. These luminous products are complemented with a system of LED modules, spotlights or sconces, they are also sometimes decorated with a mirrored wall, which allows you to give the room a special soft and diffused shine.

Quite an extravagant solution is represented by unusual designs that have a non-standard shape or multi-colored design, which contribute to the creation of, if not always practical, but quite creative design.

The photo shows the interior of the kitchen with hinged green shelves of an unusual shape.

In order to emphasize the originality of the interior, carved products are used. Warm and cozy material with all kinds of patterns, especially harmoniously combined with a variety of jars, clay pots, wicker, wooden decor and other kitchen utensils. Forged shelves look no less advantageous, giving the atmosphere a certain rarity, solidity and chic.

Photo of open shelves in the interior of the kitchen

Open shelves make the kitchen interior more expressive and at the same time very cozy and homely. The beautifully arranged tableware gives the setting a special personality.

A stylish and modern design option is the asymmetric arrangement of open shelves. Such a solution is not always convenient, but it undoubtedly attracts attention. With a sufficient amount of lighting in the room, open structures can be placed even in the area of ​​the window opening.

Options in various styles

Examples of design in popular style directions.

Scandinavian style kitchen

The Nordic style primarily involves models made of mostly natural materials. Semi-closed combined shelves with drawers or open shelves with decorative items that emphasize this direction, for example, such as paintings with animals, black and white photographs or green plants, look very impressive here.

In the photo there are wooden open shelves located above the sink in the Scandinavian-style kitchen.

Provence style shelves

In this interior, they prefer vintage wooden structures with an aged appearance or choose the most simple products in white, beige and other natural colors. Particularly relevant decor for closed shelves in the Provence style will be curtains with a floral pattern.

Loft style

The loft-style kitchen space is complemented by more massive shelves made of wooden boards or metal, which have an unfinished appearance. Concrete or brick structures are quite a bold design solution. In the design of these products, rusty pipes, various cranes, bolts, screws and metal rods are used.

Country style kitchen

For a rustic design, it is appropriate to use semi-antique designs, characterized by simple design and decor in the form of forged and openwork elements. Most often, there are a large number of accessories and kitchen utensils on the shelves.

High tech

High-tech hi-tech is characterized by models made from more modern materials, such as glossy plastic, glass or metal, combined with chrome elements or lighting equipment. The filling should be minimal and include only items with a direct functional purpose.

Classical

For classics or neoclassicism, glass showcases or shelves and shelves made of natural wood are especially often chosen, which are decorated with carvings or forged metal plates stylized in gold, bronze or brass.

Photo gallery

Kitchen shelves can be an alternative solution and replacement for many furniture items. Such designs take up a minimum of usable space and contribute to an ergonomic design.