I understand why you are thinking uppers, but think what you will lose! That beautiful clock, the artwork, the sconce (😭). An open shelf would lift up your toaster oven, blender, and canisters. A shelf above it would hold your cutting board and copper bowl, and still give you room for artwork and that precious photo. I’m not a huge fan of open shelves for every kitchen but I think in your kitchen they would give you the lift you need for items you already store ”out” of cupboards. You wouldn’t even need to move that clock!

OH, also adding, wouldn’t it be beautiful if you could repeat that wonderful curved profile you have on your counter (and sink, and backsplash) instead of adding a rectangular piece of wood with sharp edges. You could stain the shelf to match your lower cabinets or paint it the same color as your wall.

Great kitchen.

Remove all artwork, framed pictures, even the clock. Tackle the function of your space first. Then layer your wonderful decorative objects back in.

Step one: Deal with your lighting situation. You counter space is at a premium - no need for it to get hogged by a lamp. Add another wall sconce where the clock is and consider shelves with under shelf lighting.

Get a solid shelf for your countertop appliances. Is your lovely turquoise oven something you want to lift up and down for each use? My Breville is heavy and I wonder if this little beauty is too. If you leave it on the counter, consider if it can live with a shelf above it or not. I know there are clearance issues.

Once you get your lighting and an appliances shelf situated (I like a shelf next to the fridge) you may or may not have space for all of the decor that is now there.

Can you show more of the space, especially that entire wall? Uppers seem to make the most sense, both esthetically and functionally. The kitchen appears very minimal with interesting details but the amount of items on the counter and walls distract from that. Curious about the one small piece of stone used as partial backsplash, what does that look like without the stuff in front of it?

The stone is actually for a sink but placed there to see if i liked it. i like the shelf lip it gives me and will consider adding. i am very minimal, and appreciate clean simple space.

Dont mind the mess in the vintage cabinet. 🙈

It needs the lamp gone! It needs the framed picture hung. If you need storage then open shelving could be cute there but I would not hang shelves just to fill wall space. Make them sturdy, and spaced so the appliances can all sit on them when not in use and give yourself some counter/work space.

You don't need to hide the oven, blender and coffeemaker. You can put the blender in a cabinet if you don't use it often. You need to remove the art and the lamp and any other clutter. My guess is you could use some open shelving where you could store things decoratively --- attractive canisters for flour and sugar, a collection of pretty mugs, etc. You then stick everything on the counter that you aren't using daily in the cabinet space you've freed up. You can hang a papertowel holder under the bottom shelf and have some lighting there, too.

Agree. it wont be just a filler shelf. I actully use the 3 appliances daily. No issue with not enough space to work. No art is unframed…I actually really like this

I adore your kitchen. Thanks for sharing more pics. Vintage minimal is my favorite.

Your ceiling is so high. I would not randomly hang cabinets. There will be a huge gap between the top and the ceiling unless you get some serious custom made cabinets.

The light above your sink is interesting and nearly disappears. Can you hang one above your countertop area to the right of your fridge? If it is on a dimmer you can still get the imtimate glow your lamp provided. (Goodbye lamp.)

Your base cabinets are beautiful. What is your backsplash made of?

Such a nice kitchen with really interesting details! I like the backsplash on the range wall, repeating it to the left of the sink will look great. Seeing the entire space I lean towards leaving the walls as they are, maybe adding more art, leave the toaster and coffee maker out but put everything else away and add a plant or flowers. You definitely have a great sense of style so whatever you do will likely look good.

Nice mockup! I have an Amish cabinet genius. Was blown away when he showed up with rounded bases to compliment the sink lines.

The over sink light is Vega minor and provides excellent light.

I do have to laugh…nobody likes my lamp.😓

This was my gma house 1915. The light is connecyed to Alexa and a great nightlight.

I also really like the sliding door cabinet you showed us. It seems to be style appropriate for your kitchen & is a great compromise between open shelving & big wall hung cabinets. I’m trying to visualize how large to make a cabinet like that. My first thought is it would work on the wall next to frig & maybe it should be as long as the base cabinet below it is. Going into corner wouldn’t work for me because I / you won’t be able to access anything in the corner. I wouldn’t want to remove the sconce on sink wall because of the matched set. So, one cabinet with sliding doors on wall under clock. I do like the lamp in the corner too. 😉 But, I might see if it could live on that pretty cabinet by the back door. Love your table cloth & especially love the 2 vintage red refrigerator storage pieces with glass lids on your counter. I hope you have the set - the turquoise one & the larger yellow one. I remember my mom having them! So very cool that you have your grandma’s house! circa 1915!! Any chance it’s a Sears & Roebuck house? My paternal grandma’s was & it’s still in the family too.

ETA: My grandma had that Last Supper art that’s over your vintage cabinet too. As a child it used to scare me to death! I can’t say why either - no memory of that. 😁

So…my mom painted the last supper in 1950’s and hung in the same place since then! I do not have the matching red pieces. I use one for my dogs vitamins and the other for salt. the orange lidded is kibble. I didn’t know there were more! My goal was to not buy anything for this house and use just my gmas items, as it was only to be a summer home…but it was a complete gut and the kitchen had nothing salvageable and now its my permanent home.

I will wire up the matching sconce and remove the corner lamp. I saved a piece of original wood from the reno I will install, see if it works and backup option the cabinet like I posted maybe with a corner appliance garage?

Not a sears home, however familiar with them. Love that you were able to keep yours in the family.

Vintage Pyrex refrigerator storage

I hope the above link works. If not, search the words - the entire set seems to sell for @ $100 give or take

I see them!! Now curious why my gma didn't have them.

On the quest for the yellow and blue.

And to think I came here for wall advice! lol

No cabinets! Keep the lamp. IMO every kitchen should have an antique little lamp in the corner. lisedv's mockup is wonderful. No need to hide appliances that you use daily. You could relocate paper towels under the sink.

Ursulines Apartment · More Info

Yes, curtain off the space under the sink. Love it!

I already removed the PT. I dont even use them so no loss! And sink skirt is on the list😊

Can you try putting the lamp on the table that is under the window to the left of the fridge?

Your space is completely charming! This may be a long shot but I'm wondering if the center section in the tall, white cabinet can be repurposed to hold your coffee maker and blender, like an appliance garage that you can close if you'd like. Cups and a coffee canister could be stored on the shelves above, along with the small items on the counter.

It looks like the cabinet may have an enamel work surface which could be covered with a mat to allow for drips. I don't know your tolerance for utility over preservation but if the cabinet back is wood and there isn't currently a power source, a small hole could be drilled where cords could be threaded through to a power strip behind the cabinet. The flour bin is large and bulky, maybe there is a way to remove it and store it if you need the space.

Slim, stick-on, under counter lights are available on Amazon for spots that aren't hard wired. They're motion activated and have to occasionally be recharged by popping them off and plugging them in for a short time.

I think you're right that the kitchen corner needs something and being able to corral lots of small objects in the closed storage piece that you like will help achieve your goal for minimalist and clean. I also support your fondness for keeping the lamp. :)

Last observation - the space under the window might be an opportunity for a taller table or cabinet. Something that won't interfere with the vents underneath and an alternate spot for the displaced items if you decide to use the white cabinet. These are too wide, but they illustrate the idea.

I love the lamp 😍

The cabinet was a wedding present to my gma in 1940! It does have an enamel counter, which closes up and I had electricity sent to it. Originally it was supposed to be the coffee station…but so were a few other places.

The pile on there is recycle electronics and thrift store stuff. usually its cleared off and open. the flour bin looks good when all else is gone, but it comes off/out.

The vent is return vent and I actually will get rid of the small table when I find a new home for it.

What about a nice antique low cabinet or console under the window for coffee station and toaster?

Your sink is a marvel too. Original I’m sure. That’s just like what was in my gma’s kitchen. Along with a marble countertop for rolling out dough & pull out flour & sugar bins in place of base cabs, Many cookies came out of that kitchen & fed her 35 grandkids from 7 of her 9 kids.. Those refrigerator storage sets - your grandma probably had the 4 container set & the others broke over the years. They’re quite collectable as a full set. Space saver too as the blue & 2 red ones fit on top of the lid of the yellow large one! Beautiful floor in your kitchen too!

I couldnt justify marble and went with quartz. All the ‘cabinets’ were the metal ones. Some with enamel tops. But nothing was properly functional.

35 grandkids! 9 kids! Wow…what a blessing for her. Mine definently had a lot of unique items and still boxes in the basement of things. One day…

I like your lamp too! But then I appreciate what you’ve made of that space. Can’t wait to see what you do with it. The short cabinet is a pretty cool idea.

I love that Hoosier- ish cabinet…and your pup!

It’s a Sellers. never saw one like it before. i did remove the top 2 doors so I could look at my gmas wares. Buddy…always wants in pictures!

Cute brackets for the single shelf

https://www.rejuvenation.com/products/winona-shelf-brackets-set-of-2/

The lamp will light up the dark area that the shelf creates