In a cute kitchen like yours, I think open shelves would look darling :)

A touch of extra cleaning though but of course thats a minor issue when it comes to creating "the look" LOL

Anna.C

Great pictures! It is so interesting to see that open shelving is really the big thing in kitchens now, isn't it.

Kim, I completely gutted my little kitchen when I first bought my house (it was necessary, as it was completely hazardous in its previous condition) and re-did the whole thing on a SERIOUS budget. Excluding the fridge and range, I think the whole thing cost about $1000. I did mostly open shelving (with one short row of uppers for storing food) and freestanding floor units with VCT flooring, so the whole thing went very quickly (at least once we had done the demo work and replastered the walls). Anyway, the end result is http://www.doorsixteen.com/2007/11/08/the-kitchen/" REL="nofollow">here. If you're interested in any of the details, feel free to contact me. Kitchen renos don't have to be expensive or technically complex (we did all the work ourselves, minus the sink plumbing), contrary to popular belief!

I love this post! I have always wanted open shelves in my kitchen. There is a wall I'd like to tear down (if I owned my place) so the kitchen was open to the living room. I love the idea of shelves because I have cute dishes.

This is gonna be such fun watching your new place evolve! I'm sure it's going to be so fab.

We are slowly replacing are kitchen due to funds, I really want open shelving but living in Seattle we are prone to earthquakes. I would rather not have my dishes all over and broken should one hit so the shelves are out :( But I will live vicariously through this post and your kitchen upgrade!

Open shelves and pot hooks are nice and make a room much larger. There are also glass doors, which are easier to clean. It all depends on how neat you really are. I'd never be able to pull it off. But I want that blue glass and steel island. Oh la la.

I like the new kitchen. Looks nice. Hanging shelves on the walls instead of cabinets would save money. You could always add upper cabinets later. If you are still thinking of doing an IKEA kitchen, you know that they have tons and tons of stuff to pick from!!!! You are going to have a blast at this new place. :)

You are all REALLY making me hope I can afford a kitchen redo. Anna at D16, your kitchen reno is FABULOUS and very inspiring! Thanks for sharing and I may contact you because whatever kitchen I get will be from Ikea so I'm sure you'll have some great tips for me.

Jessie - I am SOOO excited to redo a new house, and I may be emailing you for Ikea kitchen tips as well since you have very recent experience.

Ahhhhh.....how much fun is this! Sure, go for it, get comments, suggestions, that's the fun part.

Right now, your kitchen is all potential! First question is, are you keeping appliances where they are or are you open to moving them? I have to watch myself, I'll ask you 50 questions right here!

Love those inspiring open shelves. They do get dusty. You could do a combination of short cabinets for dishes/glasses and shelving above, that's an option too. Very modern looking. Looking forward to more kitchen info!

I love your new place (sssssh I've seen photos) and I just know what you are going to do to it will be too too fabulous. These kitchen ideas are great!

I love the pictures, your Idea File is well under way.

Have you considered suspended shelving? With it you can open the kitchen to the living room and keep the storage for all your wares.

hello, I believe open shelving is indeed lovely but I would not want the dusting. Maybe you could do a combination of the two. Lower part open shelving up above closed (where you can't reach every day).
In your kitchen, if it was me to decide, I think I would widen the opening to the living room as much as possible and wrap the cabinets around the corner (and a bit around the window as well, maybe?) with the smaller, narrower window, and build the cabinets all the way up to the ceiling (to give you more storage). We rebuilt our kitchen recently too, and had similar issues to deal with. We added a row of frosted glass cabinet doors up high with inside lighting to make the cabinets less "closed" and not so large looking. We are very happy with the result. You are welcome to check out our project blog for images I just uploaded today.

Thanks everyone for the great comments. I welcome them more than you know.

Susan, I KNEW you'd be asking some questions, MRS. KITCHEN EXPERT. :) Appliances can move, if not too costly for hookups. Actually, the fridge has to move. It's against the wall to the right as soon as you walk in. It might even be what's the white thing you can see in the bottom right corner of the photo. If that wall comes out, or at least has part of it cut out, then the fridge needs a new home. Probably on the wall where the window is.

kitchann, suspended shelving might be a great idea if I can only cut out part of the living/dining room wall. Thx!

aj, I like the idea of open shelving with cabinets above because that will block some of the dust. I am not a big duster so it's an issue. Your kitchen is AMAZING by the way. Love what you did with your cabinets. I don't think I can make the opening to the kitchen wider because I'll lose bottom cupboard space. I love your lighted glass cabinets high up. Would be fab if I decide to do cabinets to the ceiling. LOTS to think about!!!

Again, you're all potential, and you can do a great job on a budget. I did mine on a major budget a few years back. I'm thinking of doing it again maybe in 08. I don't know what it is about kitchens, they're just FUN.

Is it me or has the comment box changed? I don't see where it allows a url..had to put in my google account. Hmmmm...

My favourite inspiration from your list is Colin Streater's. I think it looks modern yet warm and chic.

Good luck with your reno!

Cyb