Deep drawers are a total game changer, right?
I get the hype around deep drawers, but I’ll be honest—sometimes they turn into bottomless pits for me. I swear, I’ve lost more spatulas in there than I ever did in my old cabinets. And about open shelves, yeah, they look cool, but unless you’re running a dusting marathon every week, it’s just not practical. Give me a good old-fashioned closed cabinet any day. At least my mugs stay out of sight and out of mind.
Deep drawers are awesome for pots and pans, but yeah... it’s easy for stuff to disappear in there if you’re not careful. I always suggest drawer organizers or dividers—makes a huge difference. As for open shelves, I hear you. They look great in photos, but in real life? More dusting and less hiding clutter. Closed cabinets definitely have their perks, especially if you’re not into constant tidying.
Title: Kitchen Redesign Adventure: Worth the Hype or Not?
Deep drawers are great for heavy cookware, but I’ve seen a lot of folks end up stacking too much and then forgetting what’s at the bottom. Drawer organizers help, but sometimes a simple pegboard system inside the drawer works even better for keeping things upright and visible. Open shelves—yeah, they look sharp in magazines, but in real homes, dust and grease build up fast, especially near the stove. Closed cabinets might not be as trendy, but they’re way more practical for most people. Curious—has anyone tried mixing both open and closed storage? Wondering if that’s the sweet spot or just more hassle.
I actually went for a mix of open shelves and closed cabinets in my kitchen redo last year. Here’s how it played out: I put open shelves for stuff I use daily—plates, mugs, a couple of plants. Everything else went behind doors. Honestly, the open shelves do get dusty, especially near the stove, just like you said:
“Open shelves—yeah, they look sharp in magazines, but in real homes, dust and grease build up fast, especially near the stove.”
If I had to do it again, I’d keep open shelves away from the cooking zone. Closed cabinets are just easier to keep clean. The combo looks nice, but it’s a bit more upkeep than I expected.
Funny timing—I just wrapped up a kitchen flip last month and wrestled with the same open vs. closed debate. I’ll admit, I got sucked in by all those Pinterest-perfect shelves, but reality hit fast. I put a couple of floating shelves above the coffee station, thinking it’d be a cute spot for mugs and a few cookbooks. Looked great for about a week... then the dust and random splatters started showing up. I swear, even with a vent hood, grease finds a way.
I hear you on the upkeep. I’m not the tidiest person, so I started regretting the open shelves near the stove almost immediately. Ended up moving the cookbooks to a closed cabinet and just kept the mugs out. Now, I wipe those shelves down every few days, but it’s still more work than I bargained for.
One thing I did like, though, was how open shelves made the space feel bigger. My kitchen’s not huge, so having a few open spots broke up the wall of cabinets and made it less boxy. But if I’m being honest, if I ever do another kitchen, I’ll probably stick to open shelves only in spots far from the cooking action—maybe just for display stuff or things that don’t get used much.
It’s wild how different the “magazine look” is from real life. Those stylists must have someone dusting every hour. If you’re thinking about a redo, I’d say go for a mix, but be strategic about where you put the open shelves. And maybe keep a microfiber cloth handy...
