Installing DIY kitchen open shelving for under $50.
I am one of those people that would crinkle my nose and shake my head whenever I saw open shelves in a kitchen. After all, I’m a neat freak and minimalist when it comes to kitchen decor. I knew that I would never, ever have open shelving in my kitchen. How do the dishes stay clean? Who wants to see all that stuff?
It doesn’t happen often, but I can honestly say that I was so wrong about them.
I loved my shelf in our Illinois kitchen and knew when we moved in that I would have them in this house.
There was a wine storage cabinet on one of the walls in the kitchen that would never get utilized (talk about a dust catcher), so I decided pretty quickly that it would have to go and wood shelves would take its place.
I had a barn wood shelf in our Illinois house, that we installed during our kitchen remodel. I loved how useful it was, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to do them again. This time though, we would do 2 and try to keep the budget under $50.
I love this kind of project because it’s relatively inexpensive and it’s super easy to do. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to hang the shelves so that I could put my dishes on them without everything crashing to the floor.
The studs didn’t line up on the wall so that we could use shelf brackets the way they are supposed to be used, so we had to improvise. There was a lot of discussion back and forth with the hubs and I, and we finally decided to hang these shelves the same way that we hung the bathroom shelves, with a metal strap on the back of the shelf.
That way we could screw it into the studs so that they were secure.
Before we hung the shelves though, I had a bit of work to do fixing the holes and painting the wall.
I went with Benjamin Moore Paper White, which is a very pale gray, and I love how it came out. So much better than the pale yellow that was on all of the walls when we moved in. We’ll talk more about the paint color when I share the whole room reveal.
The kitchen shelves were going to hang a little different from the bathroom shelves, so we used shelf brackets to add a farmhouse touch. Since the metal straps are doing all the work, the brackets are mostly for looks.
The metal strap is barely visible behind the wood and, from across the room you can’t see it at all. .
Just like the shelf in our Illinois kitchen, these hold our everyday dishes and glasses and a few plants. I didn’t want to be dusting a lot of stuff so 2 small shelves were the right choice for me.
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The barn wood moved with us from Illinois so our only expenses were the metal strap for $10 and 4 shelf brackets, which were $7.95 each. That’s a total of $42 for just the shelves. Both the metal strap and brackets were purchased from The Home Depot.
This is a super easy DIY that you can do in your own home. If you don’t have barn wood, you could easily use a piece of pine and stain or paint it.
So this is it for me. I’ve almost used up my whole supply of barn wood so I won’t be building anymore shelves.
I’m almost positive. 😉
Now I have to finish painting the rest of the kitchen and dining room walls. Once all the painting is done, I’ll be ready to give you a proper tour of the space.
Thanks so much for stopping by!!!
Other projects you can check out…
Thanks so much Vel, I appreciate it. I’m loving the way they turned out.
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Pat. Reading your comments always brings a smile to my face.
I’m loving the shelves and the rustic feeling of the barn wood. I think I need to show some restraint though and not add anymore. You know what they say? Too much of a good thing… 🙂
Thanks for stopping in and I hope you have a great weekend.
Awwww, you are too sweet, thanks Tracy! Love that you are doing your ceilings. I’d love to see when it’s done. 🙂
A coffee bar sounds like a great idea, Sherry! I’m sure your floating shelves will look awesome.
It is a very nice change. Thanks so much, Brenda!
Thanks Laura, I love them too. Black, white and gray sounds like a great color scheme. I’m sure they will look awesome!
I know, right? 😉 I was so happy to take that cabinet down.
Awww, thanks Melanie. I hope you’re able to give this project a try. I’ve love having mine and they really are super easy to do.
Thanks so much, JoAnne. I’m so glad that we finally have this wall done. 🙂
Fabulous job! Can you please come to our house and help me create a beautiful kitchen like yours?
Looks great and much nicer than the cabinet. I have a wall by the kitchen window I might use this on. Now to find barn wood. :}
You did it again! Looks so much better with the open shelves dear! Perfect!
Your shelves made such a difference – I love them. And the barnwood adds such a welcome bit of color and texture to the walls and cabinets. I know when you are finished (if we’re ever finished) with your re-do, it will be a wonderfully cozy and welcoming home. I’ve told you many times how much I love your little cottage, and the more you do to it, the more I love it. I would be so happy with a little home just like this.
I love everything you do. I am still working on doing my ceilings, like you did in your last house. I just don’t have enough time and money to get it done just yet but it will get done. Thank you again for sharing.
I just took down the same type cabinet. We don’t even drink wine so it was a total waste. We do however drink coffee so….. I am replacing with white floating shelves & making it a coffee bar.
Brenda, Florida
The shelves look so neat and clean. What a nice change.
Love the shelves. I am going with a similar look in my kitchen, but got the black shelves from Ikea. My color scheme is black, white and grey.
Those look so much better than the cabinet!
This is jaw-dropping gorgeous! I have a place in my family room for such shelves and do actually have the barnwood….hmmmm
Your shelves look amazing, Kristi. I love the rustic touch of the barn wood. You and hubby did a great job!