I hear you on the open shelving. I tried a combo—one wall with open shelves for stuff I use daily, and the rest closed cabinets. That way, the plates and mugs I grab all the time don’t get dusty, and the “display” stuff is minimal. For hardware, I switched to matte black pulls after getting tired of polishing smudges off the shiny ones. Sometimes you just have to live with a trend to know if it works for you or not...
Does the matte black hardware actually hide fingerprints, or is it just less obvious than the shiny stuff? I keep wondering if I’d regret going that route, since my house is old and the original brass is still kicking around (tarnished, but kinda charming). Also, with open shelves—how do you keep the dust situation under control? My place seems to attract cobwebs like it’s in league with the spiders. I love the look, but not sure if I’m up for the maintenance...
Matte black hardware does a pretty good job at hiding fingerprints—definitely better than polished finishes, but it’s not totally immune. If you’ve got little ones or are a frequent cook, you’ll still notice the occasional smudge, just less glaring. As for open shelves, I hear you on the dust and cobwebs... they look amazing in photos but are a bit of a commitment in real life. I usually suggest limiting them to spots where you keep everyday dishes—stuff that gets used (and washed) often doesn’t have time to collect much dust. The rest? Maybe stick with closed storage unless you’re super into dusting. That old brass sounds lovely, by the way—sometimes mixing metals can actually look really intentional and cool, especially in an older home.
Mixing metals is definitely having a moment, but I’ll admit I’m a bit skeptical about open shelves, especially in older homes. In my place, the dust seems to find its way everywhere, no matter how often I use the dishes. Plus, I’ve found that open shelving can sometimes clash with original trim or molding—there’s a certain visual clutter that doesn’t always play nice with historic details. Matte black hardware is nice, but I actually prefer the patina of aged brass, fingerprints and all... it just feels more authentic to the house’s character. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but sometimes the hype doesn’t quite fit the bones of an older kitchen.
I totally get what you mean about open shelves—my last place had them, and I swear the dust was relentless. I ended up putting mostly stuff I never used on display just to avoid rewashing everything. The patina on brass is gorgeous though, and honestly, it hides smudges better than matte black in my experience. Have you tried mixing in any closed storage to balance things out, or do you stick with the original cabinetry?
