The Open-Shelf Storages
Sometimes limitations force us to think outside the box and create solutions that otherwise we wouldn’t have thought of. When we were remodeling our kitchen it was during the pandemic lock down. Most contractors were not working and the best solution for us was Ikea. We designed our IKEA kitchen on Ikea’s online software and when we wanted to pay for everything, it told us that some of the parts that we needed for the pantry and the fridge cabinet were unavailable. So, we just got a large cabinet for above the fridge and a big plywood with the same finish as the upper cabinets (white) to be able to have a place for the fridge and figure out what to do with the pantry later.
Hanging a single cabinet above the fridge allowed us to have creative spaces for the paper towels and a ladder on the side of the fridge as well.
Later on we thought about how to buy the rest of the pieces from IKEA once they are available but since we had customized the side piece it would have been hard to find something to match it without more customization. This seemed like a lot of work and we wanted to be done with it sooner than later and seemed like the pantry that we liked was not becoming available anytime sooner. So we decided to buy something off-the-shelf. I searched online for a long time and found some options that I liked, most of which were china cabinets as I wanted it to have the type of storage that has some display shelves for unique antique or silver pieces that we have and also something that would allow us to have everything but not worry about how it looks, after all pantries are messy. Another idea we had was to put a bar table there but due to our storage needs we ditched that idea early on.
The more I searched, the more I realized that having what I was looking for- a piece of furniture that perfectly fits our space without looking bulky and out of place- is harder than what I thought and maybe I should just change the way I look at pantry and make storage look fun and cool. And that’s when I started looking at open shelvings and storage ideas that didn’t look busy and cluttered. This led to finding a ladder shelf on amazon that was way less expensive that all my other options, provides plenty of space for storage, and perfectly fit our space without looking bulky.
The pantry allowed me to find ways to organize and match objects in a useful and aesthetically pleasing way, a skill I used for the cabinet above the sink as well. A lot of times we see home decor on Pinterest consist of many random useless objects but in smaller spaces like NYC apartments, every space needs to be thoughtfully designed and everyday objects’ design becomes more important. That’s why we see brands like Dusen Dusen, Sophie Lou Jacobson, Quiet Town find such a devoted niche audience in New York. Here are examples of some of my favorite objects from these brands.
I applied the same principles to the open shelving above our sink as well and while the open space houses our paper towels, an element in the kitchen that I often find out of place, people seem to not even notice it there as it blends beautifully with the surrounding area.
