• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Stacy Risenmay
  • Home
  • About me
  • PRESS
  • Contact Me
  • My Book
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About me
  • Project Gallery
  • Our House
  • PRESS
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Open Shelves In The Kitchen

    By Stacy 28 Comments

    It seems like forever since I took down the upper cabinets... maybe because it was! Shane and I decided to take them down in an effort to make this space appear larger by adding open shelving. That is why we also painted it a bright white. The kitchen is SUPER tiny. As in most people have closets bigger than our kitchen. It is the one room I wish I could add on to it but we will have to settle for making it FEEL bigger.

    Shane was hesitant at first to take down the cabinets (if you recall from our He Said She Said video). Heck, even I was wondering if we would miss the cabinets. But now that it is all said and done, we are both SO GLAD we just went for it!

     

    kitchen open shelves

     

    I bought the brackets for these shelves from IKEA (which I spray painted matte black) about 9 months ago and had a very specific look I was going for. When I realized that the opening was bigger than I thought and that regular boards were too thin to fit correctly inside of the brackets, I had to come up with a plan B. The space where the wood goes into the bracket is 1" and even though boards say they are 1" by whatever, they are really about ¾ inches thick due to them being sanded down. I could have used stair treads since they are 1 inch thick but they are rounded and I really wanted a more rustic look. I headed to a local lumber yard that sells rough cut lumber and picked out some pine boards that would be thick enough as well as having the beautiful saw marks that you can see well below.

     

    rough-cut-lumber-for-shelves-edge

    Ikea bracket(affiliate link)
     

    I have four shelves all together. There are two on each side of the window above my sink.  I still have to go through all my cabinets and the pantry and figure out where everything will go, but I sure have had fun playing around with styling them!

     

    kitchen-shlef

     

    Shelf Tutorial

    This was my first time using a biscuit joiner and I have to say it was really easy and I am now HOOKED! I cut the boards to the legnth they needed to be and then cut 45 degree cuts to make an L shape. In order to connect them I needed to cut out grooves for the biscuits.

    First I laid out the boards and drew a line across the seam where I wanted a biscuit to go. Every 6 inches or so is good.

     

    mark-boards-where-you-want-biscuit-joint

     

    There are three sizes of biscuits. I chose the largest (20) given the size of the project. I lined up the pencil mark to the line on the joiner and cut the wood (see arrow below).

     

    line-up-pencil-mark-with-line-on-joiner

     

    Pull the trigger and get the blade up to full speed before pushing the blade into the wood.

     

    biscuit-joiner

     

    If you are working with a large piece of wood it is best to clamp it to your work space.

     

    clamp-boards-to-work-surface

     

    In case you are not aware of what a biscuit is, it looks like this. It is compressed and once it gets wet from the wood glue it expands and makes a tight joint.

     

    wood biscuit

     

    Once the shelves were all glued and had dried, I stained them using Provincial from Minwax. If you are a long time reader you are probably thinking "What? You didn't use Dark Walnut?"  Yes, I have been a long time lover of walnut but have been branching out lately. Plus I didn't want the shelves too dark since I wanted to see the saw marks and other imperfections. Provincial and Early American are my go to stains for a medium brown.

    Make sure to use the wood conditioner before staining. It makes a big difference! It will make it so the wood accepts the stain more evenly and it isn't splotchy. I talk more about that in my entry table post.

    provincial-stainAfter I stained, I sealed them so they would be easy to wipe down.  As far as the installation goes, I knew the brackets on the end would not be enough especially at the corner.  I have used the type of floating shelf bracket like this before (see below) and wanted to do something similar to help distribute the weight.  I couldn't use these exact ones because they were too big so I opted to use really big, really long screws. I drew a line where the shelf would go and then screwed several screws along each line making sure there were some close to the corner. In our case, these walls are all exterior walls so they are pure brick and concrete. But if they had been regular walls I would have screwed into the studs.

    Normally I would just drill a hole into the shelf that was the same diameter as the bracket/rod and then slide the shelf on, but because I was pushing the shelf into the corner I had to notch out a larger section. However far out your rod bracket (or screw) sticks out from the wall is how long and deep your notch has to be.

     

    floating-shelf-bracket

     

    (Source: Natural Accents)

     

    The stack of plates alone weighs quite a bit and the shelves have held up really well.

     

    industrial-floating-kitchen-shelves

     

    I am quite sure it will wear off, but I have been more accepting of having to do dishes because I can stare at my cute shelves :)

     

    kitchen-shelves-with-IKEA-bracket

     

     

    Would you ever do open shelves? Do you already have them? I am curious how people like them after living with them for a long time. Leave your thoughts below!

     

    I teamed up with Minwax to bring you this post. The ideas, thoughts, and tips are all my own! Follow Minwax on Facebook for even more project ideas.

    You will also like:

    • Wooden Cheese Crate {tutorial}Wooden Cheese Crate {tutorial}
    • MY OFFICE REVEAL!!!!!!!......finallyMY OFFICE REVEAL!!!!!!!......finally
    • Glass Light Shade Vase: Three Ways!Glass Light Shade Vase: Three Ways!
    • My Organized Pantry!My Organized Pantry!
    • Card Catalog Side TableCard Catalog Side Table
    • How to Refinish A TableHow to Refinish A Table
    • Modern Tree Stump PlanterModern Tree Stump Planter
    • My Home Office Reveal!My Home Office Reveal!

    « Handmade Gift Ideas
    Agate Candle Holder {Styled X3} »

    Filed Under: DIY & Tutorials, Favorites, Home Decor, Power Tools, Staining 28 Comments

    Subscribe

    for your weekly DIY fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elizabeth H

      December 08, 2015 at 6:15 am

      Beautiful shelves. Love your ideas. Not sure I could do open shelves as I am messy but my kitchen is tiny too. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

      Reply
    2. Pat C

      December 08, 2015 at 6:51 am

      These are just gorgeous!

      Reply
    3. Randi

      December 08, 2015 at 8:26 am

      Those are so beautiful! I love the idea of open shelving!

      Reply
    4. Mindi

      December 08, 2015 at 8:48 am

      These are just beautiful Stacy! I love them!

      Reply
    5. Cath M T

      December 08, 2015 at 8:56 am

      Love, love, love these. Every decision you made was spot on. Beautiful project. And I'm so impressed by your willingness to learn new skills with power tools and DIY tricks. How did you drill into the brick wall? I have been stymied by this problem myself and gave up on attaching anything to a brick wall. I have open shelves in the kitchen (built by my brother, not me). Very handy for grabbing things quickly. My shelves have become a cluttered mess because I jam too much stuff on them, as I do everywhere in the house. They are not, by any means, the artistic statement you have made. Downside is they attract dust and grime (wish I had a range hood) and I find tiny dead gnats and things in less frequently used dishes. But it definitely is grab and go without opening a cabinet with sticky fingers and rummaging.

      Reply
      • Stacy

        December 08, 2015 at 1:31 pm

        Thank you! There are drill bits made for drilling into brick and concrete. They work great when new but the downside is they dull faster than other bits. I went through two doing these shelves since there was a lot of drilling.

        Reply
    6. Steph @ The Silly Pearl

      December 08, 2015 at 10:27 am

      These corner shelves would be perfect in our kitchen. And I love the stain you chose!

      Reply
    7. Ashley @ Simply Designing

      December 08, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Wow! These are beautiful!!!

      Reply
    8. Malia

      December 08, 2015 at 8:33 pm

      Your shelves look beautiful!

      Reply
    9. Leanne

      December 09, 2015 at 10:00 am

      I love corner shelving! These turned out so beautiful and they're so original. I can't wait until I have a house again and I will be referring back to these.

      Reply
    10. Amanda G

      January 17, 2016 at 8:36 pm

      Love the shelving idea. Any idea how much weight the shelves will hold? I want to do shelves of mason jars full of dry goods in my pantry but want to make sure the shelves are sturdy enough to hold the weight.

      Reply
    11. Will M

      February 28, 2016 at 11:05 am

      They look great!

      Something for your readers: Stock lumber from your local big box hardware store is not quite the dimensions that they say. 1" by lumber is really 3/4" thick. The other dimension is 1/4" shorter until you reach 8" wide, then it's 1/2" shorter.

      What she ended up getting from the lumber yard was 4/4 (Four quarter) which is actually the width it says it is. 1 1/2" would be called 6/4 (six quarter) and 2" thick would be 8/4.

      Love the shelves! Will probably steal this idea for my kitchen.

      Reply
    12. martha

      March 20, 2016 at 8:23 pm

      i bought the brackets from ikea that you have used. i too have found will have to custom cut the shelving. i do not have a corner to go around but i did by the supports where 2 boards can join to make it longer. i do not want the shelving for any thing heavy just to have for placement of a large painting and some things i would like to display. every thing else will be in deep drawers. i am glad that i used penterest and used the works open shelves kitch ikea that is how i found this posting. i did find ikea has stainless steel shelving that will fit this bracket. thinking maybe i might go that route.
      thanks again

      Reply
    13. Karisa | Petite Modern Life

      May 24, 2016 at 10:16 am

      This is JUST what i was looking for! Can't wait to share this with my husband and have him finally convinced to take down my corner cabinets :)) thank you!

      Reply
    14. Sheila White

      July 09, 2016 at 10:18 pm

      I love the open shelves and have really been thinking about doing them in my dream apartment inside of my dream barn.
      Both which are just dreams at the moment.

      Reply
    15. Lyndsay

      August 05, 2016 at 2:41 pm

      These are GORGEOUS! I'm very excited to do this project for a little coffee bar in an awkward, unused space in our kitchen. I'm a little confused on how you supported the corner, however. Do you have pictures of that process? How many "really long screws" did you use in total? Do the screws go into the wall/shelf at an angle? Any help or resources are much appreciated!

      Thank you,
      Lyndsay

      Reply
      • Christina

        April 28, 2018 at 2:53 am

        I would love help with this step too (sorry, I know this post is super old). Just not sure how you attached the corners to the wall? What were the screws attached to? Any help you can give would be great! Thanks!

        Reply
        • Stacy Risenmay

          April 28, 2018 at 8:12 am

          I screwed 5 inch screws into the wall. My walls are cement and brick so I used a masonry bit to drill holes. For traditional drywall, make sure and find studs.
          I didn’t screw the screws all the way into the wall. Only about halfway.
          I had drilled holes into the shelves themselves. The screws that stuck out went into the holes in the shelf.
          There are shelf brackets that do the same thing (instead of using screws). There’s a picture in the post.
          The ones I had were too thick for these shelves so I opted to use screws instead.
          I hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.

          Reply
    16. Koko

      September 22, 2016 at 9:47 am

      I love them! I would be more incline to do dishes too staring at these adorable shelves. I love the color and the smart way you put them up. It's always driven me nuts when buying wood...a 1x2 isn't really a 1x2 etc. A tiny kitchen can be a good thing when you can make it look like a jewel box and you have! Wonderful job.

      Reply
    17. Sammy [oh hello sam]

      December 09, 2016 at 7:41 pm

      love these! what type of spray paint did you use for the brackets?

      Reply
    18. Sarah

      March 07, 2018 at 7:43 pm

      I have a space exactly like yours and will do these. I wanted them for awhile now but you blog confirmed that I like the look and will do it soon.
      I do want to get a biscuit joiner but I'll use some long drilled holes and dowels for now.

      Thank you for inspiration. I'm a not just a housewife as well:)

      Reply
    19. Megan

      April 19, 2018 at 8:07 pm

      Did you use the 7.5 in or 10 in brackets?

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Meet the Blogger Series- Stacy Risenmay - Farmhouse on Boone says:
      September 27, 2018 at 4:01 am

      […] love our little kitchen! I decided to take down some of our upper cabinets and put up these DIY corner open shelves. There is another set on the other side of the sink. It has really opened up the space! People […]

      Reply
    2. Unique DIY Floating Corner Shelves Ideas – DIY & Crafts says:
      July 24, 2019 at 3:48 am

      […] notjustahousewife.net […]

      Reply
    3. 25+ DIY Corner Shelves | Shelf in Corner - Speaking Apple says:
      September 16, 2019 at 11:54 am

      […] you need to maximize storage as much as the possible and beautiful look is also an essential part. Not just a housewife will provide you tutorial to how to make […]

      Reply
    4. Unique DIY Floating Corner Shelves Ideas • DIY & Crafts says:
      June 1, 2020 at 4:16 am

      […] notjustahousewife […]

      Reply
    5. DIY Corner Shelf Ideas For Your Next Weekend Project – PinkDIY.com says:
      June 27, 2020 at 7:42 am

      […] and other things close at hand or so you can keep herb planters close to the windows. Check out notjustahousewife to find out how to make stylish shelves like these […]

      Reply
    6. 40 DIY Corner Shelves Ideas to Make (with Plans) says:
      July 3, 2021 at 9:13 am

      […] See Instructions here → […]

      Reply

    Comment Below! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    stacyHey! I'm Stacy and am a DIY addict. I love to get my hands dirty, whether it's sawdust, paint, or dirt. My goal is to help YOU learn to fix up your home and yard. No matter the style or size, I think everyone should love their home. And it doesn't takes a big budget to get there. Let's DIY together!

    Subscribe to My Blog!

    Search this site

    categories

      

    Subscribe

    Footer

    Welcome! I'm sharing our adventures as we fix up our 1938 cottage. Whether it is big or small, I think everyone should love their home and I don't think it takes a lot of money to make a space your own

    About Stacy

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    My Favorites

    copyright

    All images and content are copyrighted via Stacy Risenmay unless otherwise stated. If you'd like to share my work, please link back to this blog.
    Thank you for visiting!


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Stacy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

    Categories 

    • Home Decor
    • Outdoor Projects & Gardening
    • DIY & Tutorials
    • Kid Activities
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Cleaning
    • Houseplants
    • Staining
    • Painting
    • Power Tools
    • Holiday Ideas

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

     

    Privacy Policy
    Welcome! Thanks for visiting.
    Hi! I'm Stacy and I want to help YOU become a DIY rockstar! Sign up for my email list so each project, tip, and trick will go directly to your inbox :)
    Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Pinky promise :)
    Welcome!
    Hi! I'm Stacy and I blog about fixing up our 1938 cottage. Join the thousand of others who get my posts sent to their inbox for FREE!
    Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.