Will I regret open kitchen shelves?

[Handsnotwands]

Will everything get disgustingly greasy and dusty even if I put frequently used things on them?

Yes probably

Yes

IME yes.

Yes.

It depends how often you cook really greasy food - we did this during lockdown and it's worked really well and looks great, but we don't do much frying etc, so there's not much grease to settle.

Yes. Of course you will, unless you have a cleaning fetish.

I cleaned the top of our extractor fan again the other day, and although we’re not big food friers it was still covered in that greasy, furry film. It’s only been in since august so it’s not as if it’s years of build up. You might only keep stuff on the open shelving that’s regularly used, but the items will still get covered in that film. I would also miss not be able to —fuck— hide stuff in the cupboards.

If you have plenty of storage elsewhere, the shelves are positioned well away from the hob, and you’re ok with cleaning and “styling” the shelves on a frequent basis, go for it, but it’s a trend that I think will disappear because most people aren’t prepared to do those things.

Probably, if you steam veg & cook meat it's inevitable. Cooking habits will determine how much, but essentially it'll be an ongoing job to keep the items clean. Even For regularly used items I feel the need to wash them before using them!

love the look, hate the fuss.

Yes, had kitchen shelves from 2003 to 2010 and never again.

Greasy and dusty.

Eventually yes.
From personal experience.
Even if the stuff is replaced frequently you'll still need to wipe down ALL bits of an open shelf frequently or else. So don't have a lot of open shelves, and position them all within easy cleaning reach.

For us a new kitchen (the current one being the mid 80s one the house had, with a few extra open shelves from IKEA and new cupboard doors...) is on the to-do list, and the experience of how stuff can build up over the years is definitely going to be factored in!!!

Don't do it, one of my biggest regrets is getting a freestanding kitchen island thing with open front and sides. It's just gets disgusting.

Yes. Don't do it

I do.

We have just one open shelf. The cabinets above are high right to the ceiling, and this long one sits underneath. It’s about 15cm deep and 4m long.

Its holds things we use daily and Keeps stuff off the kitchen worktop. 2 Teapots , 2 cups and saucers, 2 glasses, 2 small vases with flowers in, Radio, a couple of small rattan baskets with lids ( to hide pens and rubbish).

we use all the items on it daily so nothing gets greasy. And it isn’t piled up so easy to take off what it there every so often and wipe.

Yes

I'm glad you posted this OP. I've been toying with an idea of doing this but was worried about it getting nasty - so glad I read this!

thank you everyone. it's just as i thought. i do not live in instagram, i do not like cleaning and i low carb so a fair bit of frying

how sad

I love open shelves with glass jars of ingredients. But not for plates or pans etc.

Yes. They get slightly greasy and then every bit of dust sticks to them. Truly awful. They look nice though.

100% yes. That combination of dust and grease is really awful.

Perhaps consider glass-fronted cabinet doors. Clear if you don’t mind keeping the contents tidy, reeded if you do.

I love my open shelves. Got them with new kitchen last year, I have all my eclectic bits nd pieces and cookbooks on them. It gives the kitchen contrasting colour and focus. I wipe them down every so often, it's fine.

Don’t do it!

Op we have them.we aren't clean feels so it isn't because we are cleaning them all the time and they are fine!
Opposite side to hob.above worktop where we keep kettle and pour cereal etc the breakfast and lunch side lol.and it's all completely clean.in one whole we keep those half pint glasses.one for bowls plates( lunch breakie) one has our mugs.one has cofee.tee caddy that kind of thing.not once had a feeling of unclean or greasy.
Closed cupboards on opposite side.

Yes. They'll get greasy and sticky. Look great in magazines, but not practical and will be messy and untidy in real life.

I think there's a reason kitchens have been designed with cupboard doors. Evolution and survival of the cleanest!