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How to Mix Open Shelving with Your Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchens that feature a combination of open shelving and closed cabinets are becoming increasingly popular. If you don’t like the idea of hiding all of your kitchen items behind closed doors or having to clutter your counters, then mixing open shelving with your kitchen cabinets may be the perfect design solution for you.

Not only does this mix add a fresh look, providing some open spaces and additional areas to display your unique style, but it’s also practical for storage and creating additional space.

Open Shelving Kitchen Ideas

Would you love to use open shelving in your kitchen but aren’t sure how to best incorporate them with your cabinets so that your kitchen has a uniform, polished look? Check out the open shelving kitchen ideas below to inspire your creativity.

1. Add Shelving in Select Spaces

To incorporate some shelves, you can remove some upper cabinets and replace them with shelves. Shelves are also great to place in otherwise hard-to-reach areas, making them more accessible.

You can also install an open shelf across a window. This will enable you to create additional storage space without having to give up the coveted natural light that comes through the window.

2. Place Items You Use Daily on Open Shelves

Keeping items you use frequently on open shelves provides easy access to them when you need them and also makes it easy for guests to grab what they need without having to search through cabinets.

For example, bowls, plates and mugs are ideal for storing on shelves, while items that aren’t used often, such as vases, can be kept in cabinets or on the tops of cabinets.

3. Mix in Decor Items on Your Shelves

Have fun mixing in some of your favorite objects on your open shelves as well. Display cherished accessories, art and framed photos to add some personality and color to your kitchen’s overall design.

4. Match Shelves to Your Kitchen Cabinets

Matching shelves to your kitchen cabinets provides a cohesive and uncluttered look. For example, if you have all white kitchen cabinets, you can choose to go with all white shelves and if you have slate grey cabinets (as pictured above), slate grey shelving provides a rich look.

However, if you want to add in pops of color in an elegant way, you can go with colored shelves that complement your cabinets and seamlessly blend in with the rest of your kitchen decor. Or, stick with one color for both cabinets and shelves, and be deliberate about displaying colorful items on your shelves. For example, colorful mugs, bowls and accessories will add beauty, color and personality to your kitchen in a subtle way.

5. Add Fun Design Elements

Open shelves provide the opportunity to add interesting design elements to a space. For example, you can paint the wall or use decorative wallpaper behind the shelves to add color or incorporate a fun pattern. You might also want to accessorize the shelves with different types of brackets and hanging systems to blend in other design elements.

The combination of open shelves and cabinets is ideal for kitchens but also works beautifully in other spaces, particularly mud rooms and bathrooms! If you need help designing a mix of open shelving and cabinets in your kitchen or another area of your home, use our free online room design tool to get started creating a modern, functional space with storage solutions that work best for you.

From Spare Room to Walk-in Closet and How to Do It on a Budget

Do you need more closet space in your home? If you have a spare room that doesn’t get much use and isn’t serving a purpose, this is the perfect place to create a walk-in closet and give yourself the additional space you need.

Check out our tips below to get some ideas about how to convert a spare room into a walk-in closet on a budget.

Assess the Space

Before anything else, you’ll need to start by assessing your space. Measure your spare room and then gather all of the belongings that you’ll be putting in your new walk-in closet. When you see all of the clothes, shoes and accessories, you can get an idea of the type of cabinets, shelving and/or racks to buy.

With the list of items to store and ways to store them, you can then go about figuring out the best design and layout based on the amount of space you have available.

DIY Design Options

One of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to convert a spare room into a functional walk-in closet is by lining the walls with clothing racks on wheels and with free-standing wire shelving units. This is a great option if you want a purely practical space and don’t care about the aesthetics. Of course, to add more style and personality, you can also incorporate colored or patterned bins and baskets for storing smaller items.

Another DIY budget option is to use a couple of large bureaus (scour flea markets or thrift shops to get unique ones at a good price) for storing clothes and other items that don’t need to be hung. You can use the tops of the bureaus for arranging accessories and displaying jewelry trays.

To have your walk-in closet double as a dressing room, be sure to incorporate a bench, small sofa or an armchair into the design, as well as a full-length mirror.

Consider Investing in a System

If you have more room in your budget, don’t want to DIY, want to ensure your space is maximized and/or want a more finished, cohesive look to your walk-in closet, look into having a professionally customized system installed.

There are a wide variety of options available; some are free-standing, others are anchored to the walls and you can also choose to mix shelves and custom cabinetry. Get started with a free online room design from our experts and see how to create a walk-in closet with high-quality products at reasonable prices.
Transforming a spare room into a walk-in closet is a perfect way to create a purposeful space and improve the overall organization of your home – and you’ll love the peace of mind that comes from minimizing the clutter in your environment!

3 Tips For A Clutter-Free Bathroom Vanity

When you walk into the bathroom, you should be greeted with calm, not chaos. But maintaining order is not always as easy as it seems — and towels and toiletries often win the war against clutter. This is especially true with bathroom vanities, as we tend to leave odds and ends on their countertops and use their cabinets as thoughtless storage solutions for anything and everything.

Surely, we’d all like to put an end to this type of mindless disarray once and for all. Who wouldn’t prefer bare countertops and organized cabinets and drawers over mess and confusion? With these tips, you can stop the endless cycle of cleaning, organizing, and disordering your bathroom vanity and finally be clutter-free.

Choose bathroom cabinetry that accommodates your needs and complements your lifestyle.

When choosing cabinets for a bathroom, it’s important to keep your daily routine and lifestyle in mind. Do you and your partner share a master bath and both get ready in the morning? Then a double sink vanity with clear cabinet separation might be best. This type of divide lets each individual organize his or her own toiletries and belongings, so that every cabinet and drawer has a purpose and every item has a place.

Also consider adding a makeup table when choosing cabinets. One reason many vanities become cluttered is that they are also used for hair and makeup. A makeup table gives you extra space and cabinets specifically to suit these additional items and uses.

If you are choosing cabinets that accommodate your needs and complement your lifestyle, you’ll find that you have adequate storage solutions and a lot less clutter.

Keep the countertop of your bathroom vanity bare.

Clutter attracts clutter, so it is a good rule to just eliminate the possibility of leaving things on top of your vanity entirely. Don’t even allow for the smallest lipstick or comb to make its home there. If you do, it won’t be long before your entire makeup bag, blow dryer and hairspray have found its way there as well.

As a reminder to keep your vanity bare, make it part of your morning routine to wipe down the countertop after getting ready. Just stow a package of all-purpose cleaning wipes right below your sink for a quick spruce up before starting your day.

Put in some under sink organizers and drawer dividers.

If you want to maximize space, there are plenty of great inside cabinet storage solutions that can help you systemize your bathroom cabinetry.

Start with some basic under sink organizers, which are typically multi-shelved units that fit perfectly in your standard cabinets. These let you take advantage of all of that vertical space you’re likely losing under your bathroom sink.

Drawer dividers are also great for keeping cosmetics and other items orderly. Your typical style is a multi-compartment tray that you place right in your drawer.

Most insider cabinet storage solutions don’t require any installation and offer an easy way to combat disorder in your cabinets and drawers.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, bar room, laundry room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood, semi-custom cabinets, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!