Went to a friend's open house in Denver. Their kitchen had a full wall of open shelving. Looks amazing, but I can't stop thinking about the dust.

4 comments

4 Comments

Have you ever actually lived with open shelves? The dust thing is way overblown. I've had them for years and you just use the stuff. Your plates and glasses get pulled down and washed before you use them anyway. A quick wipe of the shelf every couple weeks takes two minutes. The look of having your nice dishes out beats a closed cabinet any day, it makes a kitchen feel open and personal.

ray3562mo agoMost Upvoted

My friend in Phoenix had open shelves in her condo kitchen. She said the real issue wasn't dust, it was grease from cooking. Even with a good vent fan, a thin film built up on everything, especially her glassware. She ended up having to wash every single glass before using it, even if it looked clean. She switched to upper cabinets after a year because it got so annoying.

simonp762mo ago

My cousin tried open shelves in her apartment and had the same exact problem. She mostly cooked simple pasta and chicken, but that oily film still coated her favorite mugs. It got so bad that her cookbooks on a nearby shelf started feeling weird and sticky. She told me the constant rewashing of things that were already clean just wore her down completely.

wilson.joseph2mo ago

Honestly, did she cook a lot of greasy food or was it just normal stuff? That film is the worst, it feels sticky even after you wash it.