One approach is to drill four 1/4" holes, two on each side, for shelf spoons on which you lay a shelf. To make the shelf more secure, you can make notches for the spoons on the shelf ends. If you decide later to remove the shelf, you can simply pull out the spoons and fill the holes. Home Depot sells various sizes of white laminated shelves (example).

The idea above seems good, but I think a shelf there might be annoying when you are at the sink.

This is pretty doable by just screwing through the cabinets, you really don't need anything special. I would recommend washer head screws, longer than you think you might need. Be sure to predrill the cabinets from the outside in.

Having said that, I think you are wrong to do that. I would move heaven and earth to avoid screwing anything through the side of that cabinet, repairing the cabinet when you take out the shelf is going to be 20 times more difficult than repairing the tile.

If I had to have the shelf I would come up with some mechanism to hang it from the upper cabinet. I would probably build a "U" shaped shelf and attach it to the upper cabinet rather than drilling through the sides of the cabinet. This is especially true because I don't think this shelf is as good an idea as you believe it is.

I'd try a damage-free install first, something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/OAPRIRE-Acrylic-Floating-Damage-Free-Nintendo/dp/B07S7LM9KJ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa

There's several kinds of the "3M Command" damage free hanging strips. Available at your local building store, Target, etc.

the tile is nice ..it looks tonal and the grout w a contrast shade!!!! I'd leave it alone really. This way of thinking..."do it such and such a way so later if I change my mind." …….not a fruitful calculation if you ask me...things get messy and problems crop up . You didn't lay a shelf in.......you picked a nice tile that is really upscale in looks...I'd leave it .

No shelf. If you attach to ends of cabinet and change your mind, then you have holes in the cabinet.

Make up some wood brackets that screw to the bottom of the cabinets and paint them to match the cabinets/shelf. Plenty of support and you'll never see the holes if you change your mind.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice. We figured however we put it into the cabinets, those holes are easier to fill than tile holes. The wood bracket under idea is great too because they holes would be under.

We might try to put the shelf a little higher, though. I think we will bring in a scrap piece of wood just to see how it looks and see if it it gets in the way when washing dishes, etc.

Thank you again!

I think a shelf attached to the bottom of the cabinets would be too low. I'd consider a glass shelf that followed a grout line higher up. My IKEA cabinets have glass shelves with side supports that also fasten to the shelves to prevent them from dislodging.

The shelf doesn't have to attach to the bottom of the cabinets, only the brackets. The shelve(s) could be any height.

Thank you guys. We wanted to do wood to add some warmth to the room, but I do know what Ikea glass you are talking about. I am adding another picture that maybe someone can help with. We do have a very unsightly light underneath that I would like to hide. I was thinking a trim at first, but was not sure how that would look if we did not add a trim to all the cabinets. What would be a good solution to hiding this light when looking at the kitchen straight ahead?

Thanks!

Replace the current light with a shallow LED under-counter light (example) or LED tape lights. Mount the new light at the front (i.e., below the upper-cabinet doors) so it is hidden from view. Note that if you install a solid shelf below, the shelf will cast a shadow onto the countertop and sink.

I wouldn't do a full depth shelf, but maybe 6" deep, attached to the side cabinets and caulked to the wall.

I did glass with a full length support on the cabinet sides. The glass store made it for me using the proper type and thickness of glass.

We figured however we put it into the cabinets, those holes are easier to fill than tile holes.

I don't mean to be adversarial, but I disagree completely. Replacing a tile is a 15 minute and $15 DIY job, getting a paint and sheen match on cabinets is something I would not even try and I have years of experience doing it. I would just respray the entire sides of your cabinet as that would take 1/10th the time of trying to match them.

However, the problem isn't drilling through your tile and that wouldn't work either. You need to accomplish what you want without drilling through the sides of your cabinets. Which can easily be done.

You can make it look like it was a planned part of the kitchen and not an afterthought while preserving the sides of your cabinets.

Or something like this..

@bry911 thank you for the advice! I do appreciate it. We are not experts. I do have the color the cabinets were painted, the prior owner left it for us. I thought taking off the tile would be hard because it is in there pretty tight with the mastic and stuff, but I appreciate your comment and the pictures!

@wdccruise I did not think about the shadow! Thank you! Mounting the front is such a better idea. Thanks

Creative Design Cabinetry that is so smart! The shelf does not have to take up the hole space .thank you!

I do have the color the cabinets were painted, the prior owner left it for us.

It is doubtful that the paint will match now unless they were just painted. Even so, it is unlikely to match when/if you decide to remove the shelf.

Can we see the final project? I would like to place a shelf above my sink as well.