Open Shelving, Drawers, and Hardware: A Straight-Talk Storage Guide

Open shelving photographs well. That's the honest reason most homeowners ask about it. But whether it works in your actual kitchen — the one where you cook dinner five nights a week and don't want to dust plates constantly — is a different question. Here's what open shelving is actually good for, where it tends to create problems, and a few things worth thinking through on the drawer and hardware side as you plan a storage strategy.

The Case For Open Shelving

Open shelving does two things well: it opens up a room visually, and it puts your everyday stuff within easy reach. If you've got a small kitchen or a galley layout that feels boxed in, pulling a run of upper cabinets and swapping in shelving can genuinely change how the space feels. It also forces a certain discipline — you can't shove clutter behind a door, so the shelf either stays organized or it becomes an eyesore fast.

According to NKBA planning guidelines, open shelving works best for frequently used items and display pieces — everyday dishware, glassware, cookbooks, a few nice bowls — not for bulk storage or anything you don't want on view [Evidence ID: 6a9cf481f3c5b6f448a102db]. That's the tradeoff in a sentence: open shelving rewards curation and punishes clutter, since contents stay visible and need to stay organized and clean.

The Case Against It (Or At Least, Against It Everywhere)

Here's the part that doesn't make it into most inspiration photos: open shelving near a cooktop or range is exposed to grease and heat over time. NKBA guidelines specifically recommend keeping open shelving away from cooking surfaces, or reserving it only for items that get cleaned regularly, and using closed cabinetry for storage near the range instead [Evidence ID: 6a9cf481f3c5b6f448a102dc]. That's a real, recurring concern in kitchens where shelving sits close to the cooking zone — grease and airborne residue tend to settle on open, horizontal surfaces, which means anything stored there needs more frequent attention than it would inside a closed cabinet.

So the real question isn't "open shelving: yes or no." It's "open shelving: where." A run of open shelves on a wall away from the cooktop, holding glassware and everyday plates, is a completely different proposition than open shelves directly above or beside a range.

Drawers: A Few Things Worth Weighing

While shelving gets most of the design attention, drawers handle a lot of the practical storage load in a typical kitchen, and there are a few homeowner-level considerations worth thinking through when you're deciding how much drawer storage to build in versus lower cabinets. Many homeowners find that deep drawers under the counter make it easier to see and reach pots, pans, and small appliances than a lower cabinet with a single shelf, since nothing is stacked out of sight in the back. Shallow drawers near the prep zone are a common choice for utensils, knives, and other frequently grabbed items.

If you're weighing open shelving against more enclosed storage, one approach some homeowners land on is putting the visual, display-friendly storage up top — where open shelving makes sense per NKBA guidance — and keeping drawers below for the storage that needs to stay out of sight or close to the heat source. Whether that combination is right for your kitchen depends on your layout, cooking habits, and how much you want visible versus hidden.

Hardware: A Detail Worth Slowing Down On

Hardware is often decided last, and it's one of the first things people notice day to day. Pulls versus knobs, finish, and size are personal preferences, but they're worth thinking through rather than picking in a rush. Some homeowners find bar pulls easier to grab one-handed on deep, heavier drawers, while knobs feel sufficient on lighter cabinet doors. Finish is also a consideration near the cooking zone, where hands are more likely to be wet or greasy — some people prefer finishes that show fingerprints less. These are matters of personal preference and daily use, not settled performance facts, so it's worth handling samples before committing.

If you're mixing open shelving with closed cabinetry, hardware is also one of the ways to visually tie a kitchen together, since open shelving itself won't carry any hardware to match.

Putting It Together in a Real Layout

A workable storage strategy usually isn't open shelving instead of cabinets — it's open shelving in addition to cabinets, placed deliberately. Keep it away from the cooktop and range per NKBA guidance, use it for things you actually use and don't mind displaying, and let closed cabinetry and drawers handle the storage that needs to stay out of sight or close to the heat source.

If you're sketching out where open shelving makes sense in your kitchen and where it doesn't, the easiest next step is to start planning your cabinet layout directly — you can upload your current cabinet list and get a clearer picture of what changes are realistic for your space. Head to /cabinet-list-upload/ to get that started.

For more on how cabinet and storage decisions fit into a broader remodel, the Cabinets & Storage hub covers related topics, and our Custom Cabinetry for Kitchens and Baths in Broomfield page walks through what custom cabinet work involves for local homeowners.