06/12/2026
Open Shelving Overload — The Dream That Didn't Survive Real Life 🚫
Here's what open shelving looked like on a design blog: perfectly curated dishes, matching glassware, a few cookbooks, maybe a small plant. Clean. Airy. Intentional. Here's what it looks like in an actual kitchen six months later: a thin layer of cooking grease on the plates, dust on every rim, mismatched glasses because some broke, and the quiet anxiety of knowing every single item is visible all the time 👀
The replacement? Glass-fronted cabinets!
"Open shelving can look wonderful, but it requires real discipline. Glass-fronted cabinets offer that same visual softness and decorative quality, but with a little more forgiveness. They protect objects from everyday kitchen grease while still allowing a kitchen to feel layered and personal," explains interior designer Suzie Mc Adam.