Letting It All Hang Out: The Beauty of Open Shelving

Everywhere I look these days – in magazines, on blogs, on TV – design-obsessed people are singing the praises of open shelving. I definitely understand the appeal of open shelves. With the right accessories and design, they combine function and style in the best way. At the same time, open shelves intimidate me. I’m not perfectly neat – who is? – and it seems like a short leap from cool storage to unattractive clutter.

But even if open shelving isn’t a feasible design option for my house, I can always dream of the day when I’m neater. Until then, here are some of my favorite examples of open shelving:

Kit Pollard

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Built-in shelving is ideal around a bed - who needs a nightstand when you've got shelves? I love the use of color here, too - all the bright pinks and oranges next to the clean white.

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The bathroom is a great spot for open shelves - they're perfect for photos and little glass jars filled with cotton balls and Q-tips. Here, I like how the dark wood contrasts with the light walls - the overall effect is crisp.

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I really like how these shelves wrap around the wall - it's a cool effect. I love the green, too - so much that it's the color of my basement.

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Modern Kitchen Cabinetry

This is a great way to add a little extra storage to any kitchen - it would be simple to add a freestanding shelving unit to an island. Here, I especially like storing red items next to the gray - it's a great contrast.

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On the other hand, if it's decoration, not actual storage, that you're after, these glass-filled shelves are amazing. They're so pretty and clean.

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Open shelves become that much more important when the space is tiny. Here, a bookshelf adds much-needed storage and even though it's packed, it looks cute tucked into the corner.

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These shelves are incredibly cool. The little splash of naturalism is so unexpected next to the modern furniture - I love the rough/clean contrast.

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Orange is one of my favorite colors and I especially love how it works with the white shelves and neat accessories. The shelves could look messy, but don't since the accessories are so similar in color.

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Maybe one of the secrets to keeping shelves clean is to leave them empty. I like these room-dividing shelves. The black gives them some gravitas and since their empty they break up the space without making either room feel closed off.

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I love this little hidden built-in shelf. It's a great use of space in an unexpected spot and the use of color is so perfect.

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It seems like one trick to keeping open shelves neat and clean is to make sure they're not deep enough to fill with junk. These shallow shelves are perfect for little cups - and I love the way they add just a little color, but they don't overpower.