Considering floating kitchen cabinets but you aren't sure if you should? This article compares the pros and cons of the different types of cabinets, shelves, material cost, and designs so that you don't have to!
Floating kitchen cabinets and shelves is a great kitchen trend that many people are jumping on, remodeling their kitchen to fit their wants, needs, and ultimate vision. You can do this too but, before you do, getting a good idea of these styles and designs is a must! It is important to know exactly what you’re getting into when you decide to change something as key to a room as storage space is to a kitchen.
That means making sure you’re aware of the positive and negative sides of changing up cabinetry in your home, whether it be the lack of wall space or freeing up space in your kitchen. So, how can you tell the good from the bad? I’m here to help you figure that out!
Floating Cabinets
Floating cabinets are kitchen cabinets that “float” on the wall above countertops. There aren’t any brackets or other visible proof that they are hanging on the wall, typically because the screws that keep them up have been put inside of the cabinet itself. Designs like this are meant to give you plenty of counter space, and floor space if you have floor to ceiling cabinets.
The great thing about floating kitchen cabinets is that they can be designed to your taste. The varieties are almost never ending, with different color combinations, doors, styles, and sizes. They don’t have to cover the entire length of your counter, either, as you can see from this picture. If you only need a few cabinets, it can still look just as good as a kitchen with several floating cabinets.
Pros:
Spacious room for countertops and a clean, crisp look.
Cons:
It puts a considerable amount of weight on your walls. Be sure they are secured on studs to prevent everything from crashing to the ground!
Doorless Floating Cabinets
Doorless cabinets are a fun direction to take with your floating cabinet design but should only be applied on upper cabinets, never the base cabinets of your counter. This is because of the pipes below kitchen sinks, which many would rather not expose, and the fact that base cabinets are commonly used as storage for chemicals and other cleaning supplies.
With doorless cabinets, all of your dishes are out on display. That means if you’re the type of person who prefers the things in your home to be visually pleasing, you might want to consider looking into a matching set of dishes. However, if you have more of an eclectic taste (meaning you enjoy having things that are mismatched or from different styles), that’s okay, too, so long as you don’t mind that it can be seen 24/7.
Pros:
This design can be very clean and open, presenting a modern aesthetic that can blend with your own personal preference.
Cons:
Anyone will be able to see all of your kitchenware with doorless cabinets. If you have any appliances that shake like a jackhammer, dishes might jump off the shelves. (Make sure a lip is installed to prevent this).
Floating Shelves
For the ultimate modern aesthetic, take floating shelves into consideration. Floating kitchen shelves are basically regular shelves but you can’t see any brackets or anything holding them up. These really go after that minimalist and contemporary style, gaining popularity around 2012 according to ultrashelf.com.
Personally, I find this open shelving design to be my favorite. In fact, I’ve even implemented it in my own kitchen! Floating shelves have such a clean and crisp appearance without taking up large amounts of room like cabinets do. The openness can give your kitchen more room to breathe, preventing it from clutter, and allow light in more places. This is definitely a design to consider – I promise!
Pros:
Floating kitchen shelves take up the least amount of room, allowing your kitchen to be more spacious without the cabinetry. Not to mention, you won’t be cleaning any cabinet doors!
Cons:
Your dishes will be out on display for anyone to see.
Floating Shelves & Cabinets Designs
Now that we’ve discussed the different types of floating kitchen cabinets and shelves, we can get into the wide range of design possibilities to help these new interior changes blend with the rest of your room!
“Hanging” Rope
This idea really fits in with a nature-filled Bohemian / Boho aesthetic. Don’t worry, the rope doesn’t have anything to do with hanging the shelf. It’s purely for looks, which means you’ll never have to worry about putting dishes on one end. Adding a rope like this gives the illusion that your shelf is hanging from the ceiling or a hook on the wall when, in fact, it is not. You can stun people with putting a heavy dish on the end and it not tipping over to crash to the floor!
Pros:
It’s a perfect addition to any Boho or nature-driven theme in your home. You get the fun without the risk of broken dishes!
Cons:
This aesthetic isn’t for everyone. You’ll have to work around the rope.
Decorative Trim
If you aren’t a fan of having a solid slab on your walls, try something like this. Adding decorative trim even as simple as you see here can give your shelves or cabinets a little more depth and personality. There are various types of under trim, including straight, wavy, angular, and basically whatever you can request to be made! Or make yourself, of course, if you’re the hands-on type like I am!
Pros:
Trim takes your shelving and cabinets up a level so they aren’t too plain.
Cons:
Not everyone is into trim nowadays, so it really depends on your personal preference.
Hooks
Putting hooks underneath your floating cabinets and shelves provides additional space. We all know how much junk you can stuff into your cabinets, making it cluttered and unorganized. And if you choose to transition to shelving, you might have an even harder time finding a home for everything. Just a few hooks are enough for you to give things a designated spot.
You can hang cups and mugs in particular, making them easily accessible for anyone! There’s also your miscellaneous items that we all just shove somewhere, right? Funnels, scoops, and random dishes or utensils that don’t fit the bill are the perfect choice for those few hooks under your floating cabinets and shelves!
Pros:
Great for cups, miscellaneous storage, and other random kitchen items.
Cons:
Anything made of glass or something fragile can crash into each other if not properly spaced.
Hanging Storage
Hanging storage space is more than just hooks. As you see in this picture, you can hang herbs, clocks, and even dish racks from underneath your cabinet or shelving units! You can have a towel bar installed to hang hand towels from and, of course, we can’t forget pans! Really, you can hang just about anything you want. If you prefer to cook with an apron but don’t want to stuff it into a drawer anymore, try out hanging storage under your shelves or cabinets!
Pros:
Hanging storage on the underneath of your shelves or cabinets will free up your counter and drawer space.
Cons:
It can look cluttered or messy if you hang too many things, or if you don’t like seeing items that don’t match.
Hanging Pans
Let’s get deeper into the topic of hanging pans , since there are different possibilities. Hanging pots and pans instead of cramming them into cabinets has been a trend with rising popularity. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough room for this in my own kitchen. If I did, trust me when I say I would do this in a heartbeat! This is so much more organized and it’s easier to get to the pan you want without dragging everything out!
Pros:
There is less clutter in your cabinets, which frees up space for other items. The pans are more organized and easier to get out for cooking.
Cons:
You really need to be sure that the floating kitchen cabinet or shelf you want to hang your pots and pans from are sturdy and able to support all of that weight!
Lighting
Lighting is a key aspect of any room and what you choose to do with it can transform the space into something entirely different. Having floating kitchen cabinets installed means they can block a significant amount of light from reaching the countertops and backsplash. A way to remedy this is installing small lights on the underneath of the cabinets or even your shelves so that you can work in your kitchen with the proper lighting. There are several different options to choose from, like LED strip lights and puck lights or fixtures that require wiring and proper installation.
Pros:
Additional lighting for kitchens is always welcome, not to mention that you’ll be able to see what you’re doing! Plus, if you leave your shelving lights on at night, you’ll still be able to walk around without turning the big light on. Anyone up for a midnight snack?
Cons:
Batteries can run out, you might have a visible cord or have to run new wiring to set this up.
Glass Holders
Hooks are not the only way you can organize your glasses with a floating kitchen cabinet! There’s only about a hundred different ways you can attach wine glass holders like this one to the floating cabinet or shelf in your kitchen. This is a great way to open up some space in a cabinet, and it doesn’t hurt that glasses like these are always classy when displayed! There are so many various types of glass racks, as well, so you can find the style you want without a doubt.
Pros:
Easy access that frees up space that can be used for something else.
Cons:
You will have to space the units to give any hanging cups or glasses to hang from without being in the way of you or another shelf.
Holiday Decor
Shelves like these or doorless cabinets provide the best opportunity for holiday decorations! Whether it be Christmas, Halloween, or even Valentine’s day, most of us love to decorate for the holidays to get ourselves into the spirit. Unfortunately, spare the themed food, there’s never much you can do in your kitchen. As you can see in this photo, with the hooks underneath the shelves (which we already talked about adding to floating cabinets and shelves) you can string lights up or hang bulbs, or add whatever kind of decorations you like!
Pros:
It’s always fun to be festive during your favorite holidays, and this allows you to decorate your kitchen as much as any other part of your home.
Cons:
You might have to move whatever you previously had hanging or sitting on the shelves to make room for the decorations.
Backsplashes
Backsplashes, like cabinets, are another very important element of any kitchen. It keeps us from scrubbing the paint off the walls, or painting over water lines from streaks of water that we didn’t wipe off in time. That’s why you’ll find backsplashes in houses more often than not, and not only above sinks. So, how does this work with a floating kitchen cabinet? Well, you only have to do half tiled walls! Because the cabinets are above your countertops, you won’t get carried away with tiling and will use fewer tiles altogether.
Pros:
A half tiled wall is more cost effective because you use fewer tiles!
Cons:
This may not be the same for a floating shelf as it is for a floating cabinet.
Floating Cabinet/Shelf Material & Style
Now that you know the different things you can do with your new floating shelf and cabinet, let’s get into the different materials you can use for them, and a couple different styles!
Wood
Wood is typically the first choice for any cabinet or shelving. It might be 100% wood or pressed wood, but it is the most common material to choose from. There are several different types of wood, such as oak, spruce, pine, and so many more. You’ll find options like this at hardware stores , superstores, or wood suppliers if you want to make them custom – a very fun DIY project!
Pros:
There are lots of options to choose from.
Cons:
You can expect a high material cost.
Metal
A less common material, but a very sturdy one. Metal shelving and cabinetry is most commonly found in the kitchens of restaurants. They’re very easy to clean or disinfect, and are less likely to be damaged by the high temperatures of stoves or ovens than other materials.
Pros:
Metal is easy to clean and more durable than other options.
Cons:
These are harder to find than the typical wood materials.
Glass
Glass is another very trendy choice when it comes to shelving inside or outside a cabinet. Particularly when the cabinet is painted white because it adds to the modern / contemporary aesthetic, and to the illusion of the kitchen being brighter and bigger. Using glass will create that ‘clean’ atmosphere that people love so much that we so frequently find in a kitchen or a bathroom! And if you add nice lighting on top of that? I think I’m getting a little inspiration!
Pros:
It’s a really fun choice, and can complete any style or theme you’ve picked out.
Cons:
Glass is, obviously, fragile and dangerous if you aren’t careful.
Block
If you’re into that oversized or blocky look, a thick floating shelf is a great choice. It’s also easier to get a decent amount of area to put the shelving up. Thicker shelves also mean that you can screw hooks in without worrying the end will poke through the top and scratch your dishes.
Pros:
A very sturdy, thick shelf makes it more stable to support heavier dishes.
Cons:
Thicker means heavier, so you have to be sure you have stronger screws.
Rack
This might seem odd, but it’s actually a really neat way to decorate your kitchen whilst making sure it’s still practical and usable. There are so many different types of racks, colors, and materials. This one, for example, makes it so that there isn’t a chance for your dishes to clatter around or fall off.
These copper racks are a great example of that, and even let you use the top of the shelf for whatever dishes or decor you want! Of course, it isn’t a ‘floating kitchen cabinet’ but they can be attached to the bottoms of your cabinet or shelf.
Pros:
Many designs to choose from with different qualities.
Cons:
This idea definitely isn’t one that many people will take to (but that just makes it more unique!).