We hung open shelving in the kitchen this week! It was a decision I touched on in this post, and we’re so glad we went this route. After living in a construction zone for the past 5 1/2 weeks, it felt so good to have real plates and glasses accessible and pretty fresh cut (as in cut the day we ordered them!) flowers to admire. I needed this.
The open shelving project was easy and relatively inexpensive for the punch it packs in the kitchen. We settled on these brackets because of their low profile and ability to hold a 12″ shelf (a little deeper than most standard opened shelving)–which we needed for our larger plates and pots we wanted to store on the shelves. We got silver, as opposed to their other black option, in hopes they would tie into the stainless appliances and they do–so perfectly! For the shelves themselves, we found an old reclaimed piece of pine at the lumber yard. We loved the scars and imperfections and, lucky for us, it had been sitting outside for so long, they didn’t even charge us for the wood! We had them plane it down to 1″ thickness and a 12″ depth and 36″ width (that did cost us about $40).
The planing down to size took the natural weathering color away, but left behind all the best marks. We tested a bunch of stains and settled on two coats of Provincial stain after a coat of wood conditioner. It felt aged but still warm.
I picked up one of these staining pads for $2 at Ace and I am thrilled with how painless (and lint free!) the process was.
We got at least one bracket from every shelf into a stud, but the other side we used heavy duty anchors that will hold over 100 pounds, so we can feel confident our dishware will stay put.
We actually tackled this project on Chris’s lunch break, and as soon as he headed back to work I couldn’t help but load up the shelves with a few plates, glasses, pots and bakeware. It’s not necessarily what will be here when the kitchen is done, but it’s perfect for getting an idea of how things will look–complete with flowers. May we always have fresh flowers in the kitchen!
I think it’s one of those things, for me, that’s easier once you are happy with the space you have. Like, it’s easier to fix my bed every day now that our bedroom is coming together. It’s even more enjoyable to do laundry now that our laundry room is done. And while it has been a goal of mine to always have fresh flowers in our home since 2013 (!!!), I know it will be easier now that our kitchen is just about done and I want it always to look its best.
When The Bouqs Company reached out about sponsoring one of our kitchen projects, I was thrilled with their concept. The flowers are cut the day you order and shipped the next day, so you’ll receive them sooner and they’ll last longer. They were shipped directly to our front door (in Idaho!) from a sustainable, eco-friendly farm on the side of a mineral rich, active volcano in Equador.
We’ve had this Marshmallow bouq, with the prettiest white Ranunculus flowers and Larkspur accents, for over a week now and there is no drooping–it seems like the blooms just keep getting bigger! I love that there’s no teddy bears or cheap candy and the pricing is flat and affordable with free shipping–always. I’m already planning on ordering another bouq for the kitchen reveal, and another and another just because.
Special thanks to Bouqs.com for sponsoring this project. If you’d like to try the fresh flower delivery service, they are offering our readers 20% off your order using code GETBLOOMS. (offer expires 9/17)
40 COMMENTS
Jenny
3 years ago
We’re getting ready to install some open shelving in our kitchen above a coffee bar we’re adding to a currently unused corner. I’ve been referring to your blog for inspiration! Could you share how far above the counter did you hang the lowest shelf and then how far above that did you hang the highest shelf? Thanks!
Julia
3 years ago
AUTHORI believe the lowest is about 18″-20″ above the counter and there is probably 12″ between the shelves.
Erin
3 years ago
Hello, Just came across your blog. Love your kitchen! Where did you find your brackets that are holding up your open shelving. Looking for cool silver or gold brackets. Thank you!!
Julia
3 years ago
AUTHORBlue stone shelving.com
Kara
3 years ago
Since this post is from two years ago, I’m not even sure you will see the comment, but can you tell us what kind of heavy-duty anchors you used? I am planning on doing open shelves in my kitchen for a similar purpose to yours, with a similar length and depth, but I have plaster walls. I just want to make use I use the right kind of anchor because I also think we will only be able to get into one stud. Thank you!
Julia
3 years ago
AUTHORWe really like the metal anchors that screw into place.
Julia
4 years ago
Beautiful! What is the color of paint you’ve used in the kitchen? Is it the same in your family room with the shelf behind the couch?!
Julia
4 years ago
AUTHORIt is! Hazy skies by Benjamin Moore.
Rebecca Woolfe
5 years ago
Hi Julia! I love everything about your blog. Your home is lovely :) Would you mind sharing the white paint color that you used for your trims? And the hood cover – is it Hazy Skies as well or a white color? I can’t tell :) funny enough after a zillion hours pouring over paint samples and googling and pinterest searching I had settled on Hazy Skies and then found that it was used in your home!! Full circle because of course I have so many pics from your kitchen already saved for inspiration when we do our kitchen renovation next month haha :) thank you!!
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHOROh that’s funny! The hood is Valspar for Ace Soft Wool. (the same white as the laundry room) For trim, I just use off the shelf white.
Christa
5 years ago
Loved this post. I found your kitchen redo when researching brackets for our kitchen reno. I ordered the brackets and hope to be hanging shelves soon! The extra details about the wood was really helpful. And the flowers are lovely too.
Theresa
5 years ago
I love these! I am planning to do the same in our kitchen, but I would like our shelves to be a bit longer than yours, about 4 feet. The website says the brackets are good for a max of 39″ wide, do you think I could add a 3rd bracket in the center for more support? Or would you recommend just using a different bracket all together? We also want the shelves to be 12″ deep and I love the look of the brackets you used.
Thanks!
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHORYou can definitely use a 3rd bracket in the middle–do it!
Victoria
5 years ago
Nothing I love more than open shelving in a kitchen. Oh, and flowers.
katie
5 years ago
Beautiful! I just love all the details!
Didi
5 years ago
Love your blog. But lately I’ve been feeling like a lot of your choices are “inspired” by Dana’s home over at house tweaking.
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHORI’ll take that as a compliment! Haha. We often joke with one another we could cohabitate effortlessly because our styles are so similar.
Annie
5 years ago
I’m a fairly new reader but OMG I love your blog! We have very similar styles and I adore your new kitchen (so far!) and your laundry room. I love the different metal finishes and industrial/natural touches. I also love that you show things in real time in detail. I just wanted to send some encouragement/fan mail. :)
Annie
P.S. Your dog may or may not have an influence on me as well. Charly is so darn cute.
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHORThe sweetest note. Thanks so much, Annie!
Evelina
5 years ago
I would love to try Bouqs out! I can’t think of anything better to have delivered to my front door!
Suzette
5 years ago
I’m so jealous of your new kitchen. It’s beautiful!
Lauren B
5 years ago
I like your shelves! I think the concept of complete upper open shelving would be a disaster for our family- but our kitchen is seriously about a quarter the size of yours. However, just because it’s not for me, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it! We are definitely taking notes for our own kitchen because we just love the progress you’ve made. As for the Bouqs, I’ve actually used them several times. I definitely don’t spend that much on flowers for myself (thanks Costco and Trader Joes), but the quality is impeccable for sending to family and friends. And pricing is definitely competitive with other online flower orders.
Kimberly
5 years ago
I love the shelves! Could you explain how the brackets work though? Like does the top bracket click down over the shelf? I want to do this for wall to wall shelving in my laundry room but wouldn’t be able to if you have to slide the shelf in from the side. Hope that makes sense.
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHORThese brackets don’t open. You can either slide it in from the side, or we slid one side in from the center and then slid the other side in and centered the wood. I hope THAT makes sense.
Michelle | Birds of Berwick
5 years ago
We got to Costco almost every week and every time I stop and buy a $9.99 bouquet for the house. I can usually get 2 or 3 arrangements out of the size they are and LOVE to have fresh flowers in the house! We have the ugliest kitchen awaiting renovation, but I’ve always got fresh flowers on the counter anyway. I have sent bouqs to a couple of friends too and they’re raved about them. Nice for gifts, but the $10 “bouqs” from Costco last so long and I know they’re from local florists as well, so I go with that for my house.
Oh… and love the open shelving!
Leah
5 years ago
A sponsored post about flowers with a kitchen redo is a bit of a stretch. I can’t read your blog anymore.
Lucas
5 years ago
k bye.
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHORSorry you feel that way, Leah. We’d rather our sponsors back a project rather than have a fully dedicated post to something that doesn’t fit into what we’re currently working on. And we’re so grateful The Bouqs Company was on board with that.
Mia
5 years ago
I get you Leah. Thought it was a bit of a stretch too.
Meagan Briggs
5 years ago
So much eye candy going on in this kitchen!
Staci
5 years ago
I love the way all your dishes tie in to the same color pallete as your whole home. Definitely intentional and definitely lovely. I would love to have all of my whiteware out on display but then again, my coffee mugs are a crazy colorful mishmash of sentimental ones and souvenirs which make me happy, but also make me happy behind a closed cabinet door.
Every time I see a post from The Bouqs their flowers are sooooo gorgeous and I love the sustainable gowning locale, but the crazy inefficient carbon footprint they must have (overnighted form Ecuador?) gives me enough reason not to shop.
Can’t wait to see the final reveal!
Emma
5 years ago
This is such an important point!! Probably an awkward thing to deal with on sponsored posts but eco friendly, sustainable, and overnighted from Ecuador don’t belong in same sentence together unfortunately.
Annnyway I can’t believe how fast your kitchen is coming together!! So impressed. Cannot wait for the big finale!!
Julia
5 years ago
AUTHORSorry if wasn’t clear, these flowers are cut the day they are ordered, but they aren’t overnighted. Ours took about 4 days to get to us.
Emily
5 years ago
I have to agree with Emma. Even a 4-day turnaround is an awfully big carbon footprint just for fresh cut flowers on your counter. It’s great that the farm is eco-friendly and sustainable, but the business plan just isn’t, rendering the farming practices pretty meaningless.
The kitchen is lovely though!
Lori
5 years ago
Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous! I love everything about it, your taste is incredible! Can wait to see the final review! Can you please come and make-over my kitchen?
Shauna
5 years ago
I am loving how fast your kitchen is coming along and so far your choices have been beautiful! I was looking forward to seeing the open shelving as I love them but I’m afraid I was slightly disappointed in these, I like how you guys do things slightly differently but at first I thought they were the IKEA brackets that seem to be everywhere and seemed small for that wall. I know they aren’t on closer inspection. I was just hoping for some cooler looking brackets or something. I’m not really sure, haha. I hope they grow on me because I love your house and style so much. Keep up the good work with the rest of the kitchen!
Katy
5 years ago
When I first read the title of the post, I wasn’t sure how the open shelving was going to look with the rest of the kitchen but honestly, you hit it out of the park! I love it! Upper cabinets would have been overwhelming in the space and the smaller, more open ones look great! I’m so excited to see it finished!!
Katy
http://www.alittledailyhappiness.com
Corine Pugmire
5 years ago
Those shelves! I can’t get over them. And fresh flowers! Gorgeous and add so much to the space in such a simple way. I loved seeing Bouqs Co on Shark Tank but forgot about them until now!
Lilly
5 years ago
I’m falling in love everyday more and more with your kitchen. Enjoy your beautiful blooms!
Lauren M
5 years ago
The kitchen has come along so quickly and looks great! You two should be proud of yourselves!
I started using The Bouqs Co after I saw them on Shark Tank…I’ve been impressed every time I’ve given or received their flowers!