IMO a piece of art and forget the open shelves which BTW will need cleanoig often in that space .

As a non-pro who has just added floating shelving in the kitchen, i'd advise you to mock one up out of coardboard or a cereal box and place it at the lowest height you are considerig -- and make sure you won't hit your head while standing at the sink and leaning forward while using teh sink.

I agree with Sammie J. Two shelves lower down.

I am usually not a fan of open shelving in a kitchen, but when you are crunched for space you do what you can to add storage.

I would gather the dishes and things you plan on placing on the shelves and see how much space is needed.

Why?

What do you plan to put there? Can you reach any but the lowest? Three with narrower spacing would give you a better shot at accessing two shelves (and the third would need to be for accents/rarely accessed items) but they'd look better with shorter items (glasses, mugs, small bowls) on them rather than tall items like wine glasses or pitchers. If you're using them just for display/staging, then two will give you more flexibility of what you can show off there and also be less to clean.

I like the idea of putting up art. The last thing you want to do is block your light over the sink. I had an upper over a sink in a rental and I hated it. It was always dark. I would have really hated it if I wasn't short.

Since you will be using the items on second shelf, consider its height accessibility and three shelves might allow it to be a bit lower. Downsize is that top shelf will be a dust collector if not using items and could feel a bit busy if stacking lower two shelves with dishes vs being decorative.

Thank you all for the feedback, which has been really helpful! Our latest thinking is that we will do two shelves a bit lower down than originally pictured. We have a small kitchen, so it was either having shelves or a small cabinet over the sink, and we liked the idea of the shelves for a somewhat more open feel by the sink. Thankfully, the light was installed out a bit from the wall so that the shelves will not interfere with it. We love the look of open wood shelves, and recognize that we will need to take some steps to keep them clean. If I remember to do so, I'll post a photo here once it's done for any interested. Thanks again!

Two shelves. Keep in mind you will have items on the shelves so they will not "look too bare" once styled.

How about a plate rack; a very European look❣️

Or, kculbers, a European drying rack with slots for wet dishes!

I have considered an over the sink drying rack for my kitchen.

Two shelves, but I'd make them 8" deep and not 11". Use the shelves for smaller storage needs, e.g. salt and pepper shakers, spice jars, etc.

Hi, any chance you could post a picture of final result?