Cupboards, Open Shelves, and China Hutches
The country house is brimming with open shelves. I know, you know how I loathe open shelving! But if you don’t know by know, I can not stand them. In small doses, yes. In every room, no thanks. While we were looking at the house, I objected to all the open shelving right away. I was assured by my dear husband that “You can easily have doors put on those cupboards.” I rolled my eyes, said “It will be so expensive.” And the Mr. said “It’s a few pieces of wood. Really, how expensive could that be?” I am here to tell you that those were famous last words.
As you know, in recent years both shelter mags and on HGTV it has become a “trend” to take all the doors off your cupboards during a renovation to create open shelving. Yes, I did just use the word trend in quotations. Don’t get me wrong. It’s pretty in photos, and dreamy in blogland, but in real life they are a mess.
I just don’t get it. No one is that neat, except for a choice few whose entire lives revolve around making their home a museum to live in. Okay, so I might be that neat. Actually I know that I am that neat, but the fact that my dishes, vases, and pretty stuff will need extra dusting, washing, care, and arrangement every time I blink or dare use something off the artfully displayed shelf – well, they lose me. I can not be a slave to my stuff.
You remember when I realized that the china hutch was too tall for our new dining room ceilings, right? Did I also mention to you that the Mr. loved that an entire wall in the old kitchen didn’t have upper cabinets? We kept that open feel when we renovated, but now I am dangerously low on closed cupboard space.
I don’t want to be contradictory, but I should make it clear that I am absolutely all about glass front cupboards. I love to look at dust-free collections. But I swear to you, every time I stack one of the open shelves in the house full of anything – even if it is full of my favorite stuff – I am visually stimulated to a point that I would not even consider putting a glass front cupboard in the same room.
Obviously this is something I need to “get over” since we’re not going to be adding doors to our open shelves any time soon, but this affliction leads me to think that instead of purchasing a traditional china hutch for the dining room that perhaps I should be looking at a closed pantry cupboard for my stacks of dishes.
Speaking of being contradictory – I can not believe I am using that word twice in a post - Yesterday I said I wanted to post only when inspired and then here today I up and wrote a post. Yeah, I know. Ha! Such is life, no? I just want to say thanks for all the kind comments, e-mails, and facebook messages you sent yesterday. They truly warmed my heart and made me realize that as creatives we all go through moments of introspection. Writing a blog walks the line of writing a journal if you let it. And making a shift in the focus of your career – in front of everyone – is something I have never done before. A brand new experience for the social media age. Thanks again for being there. You guys are the very best. xox
Images via Greige Design, Houzz, Ginger-Ella, The Estate of Things and Purple Area via we heart it, Stacy Style, Jayson Home & Garden, Pine Sampler Furniture, and the last is my own. Those sorts of moments make me want to make art! Aren’t those peachy colors just awesome with the greyish brown of the tree trunks? Seriously. That’s a color palette for something right there! A hand-knitted sweater, perhaps?
Posted by Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo / Dream Decorating and Personal and The Country House and Uncategorized
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joyce on 04 Jan 2011 at 12:23 pm
Twitter: @jgoden
Yea!!! So good to see you back on the horse…Being a lifetime artist, I have left myself open for public criticism of my work most of my life….the trick is to be thick skinned and warm hearted (learn that from my Dad, God Bless his soul)…
It kinda like hanging your dirty clothes (underware included) from a flagpole…One of the perks of being a artist is you dont have to be pc. people like you or they dont if they dont its their loss…..
Anyway great blog post, gorgeous home (I’de like solid doors on my pantry shelves)…beautiful pic of the sunrise/set….decided yesterday to paint a sunrise/set, using honeysuckle, turq. + other pinks oranges and blue with grey mts…starting it today.
peace and luv-joyce
Maggie [The Freckled Citizen] on 04 Jan 2011 at 12:34 pm
Twitter: @magmaeA
I had open shelving at one point in my life. I was living alone in a tiny, adorable apartment and had minimized all my possessions as much as possible. This meant that on my open shelving I displayed the only dishes I had or needed – I think I could serve for six people (which of course I never did anyway, on my tiny 3×3 table – I was the master of hosting dinner parties at other people’s homes!). It worked then because I had so little, and I used everything enough that things stayed washed and dust-free. Now, though, at this point in my life? Impossible. But sometimes I think back to those two white shelves and my Waechtersbach dishes in an array of bright colors and smile. Ahhh, the simplicity!
I have no doubt you’ll find the right storage solution for your needs – you always do!
Pam[mixedUPdesign] on 04 Jan 2011 at 2:02 pm
Twitter: @mixed_UP_design
Yesterday while I was watching the HGTV marathon of “For Rent,” I became increasingly jealous of all the apartment makeovers. Then I came back down to earth and remembered that what they were showing were not lived in spaces. I LOVE the look of open shelving, but I hate to dust, so I don’t think I could ever have them in abundance. They sure are pretty though for those with the patience to deal with them!
Susan on 04 Jan 2011 at 7:33 pm
Twitter: @fleurishing
I love open shelving, in moderation. I can’t wait to tear ours down in our new house! I have the patience to keep it clean, all of our dishes are white & simple, and we only put out what we use on a daily basis. Great to see you posting so soon!
Deborah Merriam on 04 Jan 2011 at 10:57 pm
Twitter: @ecoDomestica
That photo with the wicker baskets? I can tell you that baskets actually work to hide clutter, provided that they’re almost as tall as the shelves so they act sort of like drawers. I know because it’s how I dealt with the open shelving in our bathroom (not the guest one, the one we actually use day-to-day): a stack of identical squarish wicker baskets from Ikea. I organized the unpretty toiletries (ie, all of them) by type, threw them into the baskets, and labelled each basket with a stationery tag hung using grosgrain ribbon from the basket’s handles. One shelf is reserved for neatly folded towels. We have lived in the house for ten years now, with two young children, and it’s still tidy (with only one purge during that time).
It’s pretty much the only way, apart from filling them with books, that I’ve seen open shelves work in real life.
For real estate staging (and I assume magazine styling?) purposes, the rule of thumb is to pack away at least two thirds of what is on any given shelf. Who lives like that???
That said, the yellow kitchen with the English-country-style plate-rack shelf? Want want want!
Rowaida Flayhan on 05 Jan 2011 at 6:30 am
Twitter: @www.twitter.com/Rowaida
Hi Amy! I love the cabinet made by the company that made your kitchen cabinet great idea to paint it!
Open shelves and cabinet with white dishes looks so pretty but not very practical in a kitchen always cooking.
I would like to share with you pics from a new apt we bought and furnishing, the kitchen is simple and modern by Poggen Pohl http://www.flickr.com/photos/rowaidafl/sets/72157625248176329/
Love your post!
Renata Gross on 06 Jan 2011 at 11:32 am
Twitter: @rgartdesign.com
I know… I know… They are pretty in the magazines!!! But in real life you would need a maid everyday (in my opinion) to keep them like in the magazines! I couldn’t deal with all the dust, greasy from my cooking, and… my cat’s fine and long fur sticking on it! Not for my practical life! But they are have a lovely look in the kitchens!