This Is Why I’ll Never Give In to The Open Shelf Cabinet Trend

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When it comes to design trends, I’ve always liked to follow the latest obsessions. I thoroughly enjoy scrolling through Pinterest for hours, learning about what types of home design, foods, or even fashions are the talk of the town. I think trends are creative, and it’s fun to see someone else’s take on a popular idea. However, as I continue to get older, I’ve come to realize that I don’t actually have to follow the trends myself. It’s one of the reasons that I don’t use a top sheet in my bed, and it’s also why I refuse to use open shelving in my kitchen.

If you’re not familiar, open shelving is a new popular design trend among the living and kitchen space. Instead of hiding your supplies behind cabinets and drawers, the designer can artfully place their kitchen supplies on the shelves—giving it that modern farmhouse feel that everyone seems to be going for these days. You can put your favorite mugs, dishes, glasses, cookbooks, and even cooking supplies on display for the world to see. It sure is beautiful to look at, and some would say that it’s practical to have your supplies right there in front of you. But in my opinion, it’s the opposite of practical.

Let me give you some context. During my first two years of marriage, my husband and I lived in this tiny studio in Brooklyn. We made the space work, and for those two years, we quite enjoyed our little home. We also cooked a lot of meals in that tiny kitchen, which I am eternally grateful that the kitchen actually had a wall to separate our “bedroom” area. Why? Well, for the same reason that I refuse to ever use open shelving: Cooking oil!

Now, this tiny kitchen didn’t have open shelving, but the cabinets were older and hardly closed all the way. My heritage is mostly Italian, so I tend to cook with a lot of olive oil—especially right on the stove. During our first few months in this studio, I noticed how the oil from my cooking started to seep into the cabinets and onto all of our dishes, leaving a small layer of oil on all of my items. Between the cooking oil and all of the dust accumulating (again, the cabinets did not close all the way), I was constantly wiping down the entirety of my dishes every few months. It was a nightmare.

We thankfully have upgraded apartments and somehow landed a one-bedroom that was newly renovated. The cabinets actually close, the stove has a backsplash, and my dishes are safe and dry. Sure, my kitchen would look absolutely gorgeous with open shelving. But when it comes to practicality, I’m happy to no longer wipe down all of the items on my shelves every few weeks. To be frank, I’m looking forward to the day when closed cabinets are back in style.

If you love cabinets just like I do then you’re going to love these 30 cheap kitchen add-ons that you can DIY. They’re a complete game changer!