Country Kitchen Shelving Ideas
Country homes are pretty, warm and inviting, yet still ultimately utilitarian. This is especially true in the country kitchen. Like most elements of country decoration, storage should be both practical and decorative at the same time. Look for natural, aged materials with character and use some ingenuity when decorating your country style kitchen.
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Open Shelving Units
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Hang the storage shelves out in the open. Don't bother hiding them behind doors or curtains. In a country kitchen, items are kept on hand where they are easily in reach. When designing your kitchen, consider nixing the upper cabinetry in favor of open shelving, and making an open pantry. If you have a pantry closet, consider removing the door.
For simple shelves, use wooden boards. Select rustic wood boards, such as unfinished knotty pine, or old barn wood planks from a selvage yard with weathered, cracked paint still on them.
If you are opting for a shelving unit or baker's rack, select one made of wood or wrought iron to keep in line with the country feel.
Select Something Unusual
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Old country homes are not usually a place you find new, store-bought shelving units from the local home decorating shop. Be creative and convert something unexpected into shelves.
Consider a weathered garden potting bench, a bedroom dresser and hutch, or a row of cubbies from an old schoolhouse. For something really unexpected, mount an old bench, church pew or even ladder back country style chairs on the wall for shelving.
In place of shelving, create a rack out of an old wrought iron gate. The more rusted and aged, the better. Mount it on the wall and hang hooks on it to hold pots, pans and cooking utensils.
Decoration Shelves
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Let your kitchen tools and supplies make up the bulk of your decor. Again, country kitchens are practical. The opposite of minimalist, in a country kitchen, well-organized clutter is a welcoming and warming sight. The objective is to make your household items the object of your decor to create the feeling that the kitchen is well used and everything in it is made with love.
Get a selection of mason jars to store food in. Even if you don't can your own food, they can hold everything from flour to snacks to spices. Put pretty labels on the jars. Use flower pots to hold utensils or bundles of herbs. Get an assortment of woven baskets to hold your baked goods and fresh fruits. A collection of cookie jars or old-fashioned baking tins also makes a great addition.
Mix in a few pretty items, such as an antique clock or tea set, a vase of fresh-cut flowers, a few candlesticks or framed photographs.
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