I have always loved a good open cupboard.
Vintage. New. Rustic. A ton of shelves or just a few.
Open cupboards are charming.
Especially when they are stacked with collections like white ware
and they become part of the decor rather than just storage.
Open shelving is one of those things that needs to be pretty as well as do a job.
You can’t have open shelves that are blah. Or not styled.
They won’t add to a room- they will just distract-
and that is probably not the look you are going for.
So what if you have boring blah shelves and they need a little boost?
Like something simple, charming, functional and pretty
and that is under $10 each?
Done.
You might remember those open shelves in the kitchen.
The ones on each end of our upper cupboards?
Did you know that they were once behind closed doors?
Sounds kind of ‘I don’t know if that should be on the blog’ right?
Well it isn’t what you think.
They are part of those original upper cupboards- and they were behind closed doors.
And when we moved in, one of the doors was broken.
I took it off in order to repair it – and when I did- I saw those open shelves and stopped.
And instead of fixing it
I took off the other end cupboard door, painted the shelves, finished the tops
and left them open
You can read about it here.
And when we renovated the kitchen recently-
I knew I wanted to change those open shelves just a bit.
I wanted plates lined up instead of stacked.
Love the look- so neat and organized and just plain pretty.
Can I tell you how many times I have tried to buy those little plate rack displays off the shelves at HomeGoods? Several. To no avail. They were the store display pieces.
But while I zipped through the maze at Ikea-
I bumped into them for $3.99 each
and into my wild and crazy Ikea cart they went.
Side note:
Seriously. Have you shopped at Ikea in store?
Not only do you get lost following the long and winding yellow brick line-
but those carts are dangerous.
They have wheels that roll every which way,
glide across the floor like it is an ice rink
glide across the floor like it is an ice rink
and they have a mind of their own as far as where they want to go
I have seriously felt like I might need some protective gear when shopping before
It is like being in a roller derby.
Love Ikea-
It is like being in a roller derby.
Love Ikea-
but am not a fan of those.
Back to the shelving-
I bought 4 total of the plate rack organizers
and placed 2 of the racks together in each of the bottom cupboard areas.
I painted them white to match.
Then I stacked them with the plates.
and voila!
So simple.
Each shelf was under $8 (2 racks at $3.99 each)
and was made over in about 15 minutes.
Most of which was waiting for the paint to dry.
I love a good inexpensive project with big impact.
and love how they turned out.
They were worth braving the Ikea cart battleground.
😉
Happy Tuesday everyone.
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Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says
Love those and cracking up about the carts. I have been hit before!
Courtney says
Right? They are dangerous! Thanks for stopping by Kim! 🙂
Elizabeth says
I see im 7 years late here in replying but just came across this articLe (love it, BTW!), but anout the IKEA carTs. .. they are European. You steer them From the back wheels, not the front as we are used to. Steer trom the wheels closest To you. That’s The secret to controlling the cart.
Unknown says
I never tire of your gorgeous pictures! 😀
Courtney says
Thank you- appreciate you stopping by Mrs Kose!
JoAnne says
I love the look of your plates in the plate racks, Courtney. We are getting an Ikea close by sometime next year and I can't wait. Thanks for the warning about the carts!
Courtney says
Thank you JoAnne! Enjoy- and yes- beware of the ice skating carts! 🙂
Cindy DIY beautify says
These are exactly what I need in my kitchen too, am always on the hunt for something like this…and I've tried to buy display pieces more times than I care to admit, lol! Of course, I live in the (maybe) one state where there is no IKEA…boo!!
Courtney says
I hear you! They do sell some things online and ship- but also, I think you can find them at organizing stores maybe?
Rosemary-Thyme says
Oh I am just a little envious of your gorgeous kitchen Courtney. It is beautiful. I love how bright it is and the open plates racks are perfect.
Janet
Courtney says
Thank you for your compliments Janet! I am loving the plate racks too- so easy and a great change! 🙂
Anonymous says
The racks look great! IKEA is such a fun place to shop. My daughter sent me a text that they had a glass dome cake plate for 9.99. Have a great day.
Courtney says
I love Ikea too- soo many great treasures to be found! Thank you for stopping by Pamela!
stadtgarten says
This looks beautiful and a very good idea with these shelfs.
Have a nice day, Monika
Anonymous says
Absolutely stunning. I love the look of an open cabinet. I am dying to go to Ikea. It's a bit of a trip for me but on the bucket list for Sept. Love, Deb
Debbie says
Your kitchen looks wonderful, Courtney…I love the plate racks. Thank you for sharing where you found them!
The nearest Ikea is almost four hours away…but worth the drive.
Enjoy your day!
Debbie
Elizabeth says
Love it !
Unknown says
Love everything about your kitchen. I have a question for you. What color white and what brand do you use?
Shirley@Housepitality Designs says
Ikea is truly a very unique place..it is a bit far from me so it is always a day trip…love the racks in the cupboard…the kitchen is so beautiful…and be careful around those carts…they should come with warnings!!
Kim Smith says
Can i ask about how wide your open cuphold is? I am working with a contractor on designing new kitchen cabinets and I really really like your size. 🙂
Kate says
Love, love,love your kitchen, full of wonderful photos and ideas. I would like information about your range – it looks amazing and no doubt cost an arm and leg. I would like to upgrade my range so am looking to learn about options and how to go about it. Also interested in a range hood to complete the look. Any information would be much appreciated.
Courtney says
Hi there, We have a Lacanche range and we ordered an unfinished range hood from a woodworking shop. Hope that helps!