Shelf Life

Shelves seem such a prosaic item of furniture, often neglected as simply a functional necessity. However, with a little imagination shelving can be a focal point in the kitchen.

The fitted look in kitchens is a thing of the past. Now, with the advent of really huge drawers that support significant weight, there isn’t the same requirement for lots of wall cabinets, and so decorative shelving has come into its own.

Many kitchen designers choose to disrupt a bank of wall storage by using floating shelves. These thick box shelves with hidden fittings create a sense of space and provide somewhere to display artworks or ceramics – a place to introduce personality into the kitchen. They can be subtly lit with LED strips, which can be dimmed or even coloured, to add further interest.

A very current trend is to suspend shelving from the ceiling. This does two things; it creates a subtle division of the space without blocking the light and provides somewhere to store glassware or fine ceramics. Roundhouse designers use suspended shelving in all kinds of clever ways, and in interesting materials such as brass with glazed shelves or blackened steel.

Completely open shelving is also an option; Roundhouse designers have even used scaffolding boards, tubes and clamps to create industrial style open shelving. We’ve also used brass strips from which shelves are suspended to create an interesting detail.

So, if you are planning a new kitchen don’t neglect the simple shelf – it can be a beautiful design that makes a great feature.

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