Preparing for Your Floating Shelves
The real value in floating shelves is that you have to tweak the environment around it in order to fit your new design feature. You may actually have to change your cabinetry a bit. Floating shelves have the ability to work with multiple styles of cabinetry in one kitchen. Open shelves serve as a sort of transition point between the two designs, giving you variety that traditional kitchens do not have without seeming too avant-garde in your efforts.
In order to create a sense of depth in your kitchen, you may also consider cutting back on the strength of your color schemes. Because floating shelves create an interesting type of optical illusion in your kitchen, you don’t want to draw the eye to too many places. If you need a bit of professional assistance to understand the particulars of depth perception and feature setting, don’t hesitate to invest in it. The rather small upfront cost will deftly pay off in the end when you have a great looking kitchen that translates through trends into legitimate design.
Dealing With Your Budget
At the same time, you want to be sure that you have the right amount of money in your budget left for your central features. In most cases, when you place floating cells into your design, it will be a central feature. You have someone who can do DIY cabinetry? If not, make sure that you partner with the right cabinet designer. You do not have to spend all of your money on the upkeep before you actually get to the main course.
However, if your upgrade only requires a bit of repainting, you may actually look to do this yourself. There are plenty of resources that will show you how to properly repaint your cabinetry so that your kitchen will be ready for the open shelving you will place there soon.
True Floating Shelves vs. Bracket Shelving
Now that you have everything set for your floating shelves, you will want to stay informed of the different kinds of options you have for open shelving. Brackets are not true open shelving, but they definitely work in the same way to the untrained eye. You can actually build shelves that slide over brackets in the wall to simulate the effect of floating. If you are looking to tile the wall behind the brackets, you can create this look on a budget without having to invest in true floating shelves.
On the other hand, if you want to go all the way, you can invest in true floating shelves. Make sure that you invest in the sturdiest materials all around, because an open shelf is only as strong as its weakest link.
Refining the Look
After you install your open shelving, you want to make the finishing touches cements the look into your design. You may have to remove certain doors and hardware. Remember to ask a professional opinion before you commit to anything big. If it turns out that you have to do this, it is definitely helpful to label everything that you remove for future reference.
Any beings or scrapes that you find you can easily fill with wood putty. This will help your old cabinets look new and update them to the look of your new shelving. It will also help with the overall finish of your kitchen, giving it a consistent look. Instead of looking like you replaced only the shelving, it will look as though your entire kitchen got an upgrade. You can also achieve this effect by sanding the cabinets if they need it.
Our custom cabinetry and millwork is designed to work well with any kind of open shelving that you may desire. We’ve been around for long enough to know what questions to ask, partnering with leading designers and contractors to get the job done right. We operate strictly under three foundational elements – integrity, quality and transparency. That means being upfront about the details that matter most, and sticking to our promise. Call Kitchen Art Design for advice or to get your next project started.