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Living Space: Open shelves: Designer trend or decorating disaster?

There may be some middle ground when it comes to open shelves

Open shelves are a love-hate decorating trend. Haters say they're messy and hard to keep up. But when accessorized artfully, open shelves can look sharp and tasteful.
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  • Originally published June 16, 2011 at midnight, updated June 16, 2011 at midnight

By Kathryn WeberTrends come and go, and when it comes to certain trends, there is no middle ground. Of the people who love a particular style, there are equally as many who hate it. That's the way it is with open shelves. Open shelves are making their way into more decorating magazines, but are open shelves right for your home? Some say yes, and some say no, but there may be some middle ground.

PROS

Designers love open shelves, and they're showing up in homes and kitchens featured in decorating magazines, but are they practical? Open shelves lend either a contemporary or a country feeling to a home, making it look either homey or classically streamlined. When shelves are nicely decorated, they offer an easy, practical and attractive way to showcase decorative items and collections.

Open shelving over a work desk, in a bedroom, or living room looks especially good when collectibles and accessories are artfully arranged on the shelves. This makes open shelves a terrific way to showcase art or collected pieces. For traditional-style homes, that homey or neat look may not always work. For that reason, open shelves really do look best in country- and contemporary-styled homes and kitchens where they fit in best and look appropriate.

CONS

In the kitchen, open shelves require a harmonious assortment of dishes to keep the shelves from looking unkempt. If your dishes are all organized and you don't have a variety of dish styles, then the shelves will look good visually. If you have plastic kid dishes or mixed settings, the shelves will look jumbled and messy. Open shelves can also pose a cleanliness challenge with the dust that can settle on the dishes causing them to have to be wiped off before using - a bigger problem if you're away from home frequently.

Homeowners aren't in love with open shelves the way designers are, but they're not the only ones with a dislike of open shelves. Feng shui experts will tell you they pose energetic challenges. In the bedroom or over a desk, the strong edges can emit a harsh energy toward the body or head. This cutting energy, according to feng shui, can cause everything from minor to severe injuries to headaches.

BEST OF BOTH

If you like the look of open shelves, but would like to use them in your decorating that's both easy and spares you the negative energy, try placing them in a bathroom over the toilet. They'll make a handy space for items you use and keep the countertops clear or they can be purely a spot for decoration. Better still? They won't be sending out negative feng shui energy to anything except to the toilet. And it's used to that kind of treatment.

Kathryn Weber is a home and decorating columnist and publishes the Red Lotus Letter feng shui ezine. For more information, contact Weber through her website, www.redlotusletter.com.



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