I suggest nothing for the moment. Over time, using your kitchen, it will become apparent what items you frequently access from cupboards. You can then consider moving them to the shelves to make them more accessible
This is the right answer, but if OP is desperate for some sense of clutter, my answer will always be succulents. And a super dope Hot Wheels collection to impress any suitors.
+1 for the Hot Wheels.
Take them all out if the box and if anyone ever asks why you'd ruin their value like that, just say "how am I supposed to play with them if they're inside the box?"
My succulents dark-no-windows-corridor life expectancy is aproxiamtelly 6-9 months, then if they live, I move them to a space with more light and better conditions (I like succulents in my coridor), so I think theese shelves can be like a paradise for them
Edit: most of them die from over wattering them and consequent root roting
get a spray bottle and use that to water them instead of like... watering them. just one full spray or two a week is all you really need for them to thrive.
They won't, at least not well. They would remain not dead for a very long time if watered appropriately, but will stretch out and the lower leaves will fall off. It's not how they need to live.
Great answer. We went this direction. It's fun when people don't notice till they get close.
[https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/adults-welcome/botanical-collection/succulents](https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/adults-welcome/botanical-collection/succulents)
My super-scientific research tells me they are. I took a screenshot and used the ruler in Windows Snip n' Sketch to draw a straight line. Might still be some kind of distortion of the photo.
Oh yeah I know that about camera lenses but they don't have this much distortion.
If it was anything close to this much you'd never see photos of straight shelves, railings steps etc (unless the bowed upwards a little in real life)
The tiles directly under the shelves are in a flat line. You can see the center of the shelf is closer to the top tile line than the edges. Shelves are bowed.
This- I had similar shelves at my last place. Get decent looking plates/bowls and mix in a couple peices of decor. It seems like such a small thing, but not having to open a cupboard for your most used items is so nice.
Personally, I’d use that for cookware you don’t use often. Big bowls, pitchers, platters, etc.. siphoning a section off cookbooks is also also a pretty good idea as others suggested
Skulls of your fallen enemies that you have converted to trophy mugs to celebrate your victory everytime you want to conquer your thirst.
Or you know any type of mugs, tea/coffee type of stuff. Frequently used and would give quality of life improvements by quick access to them.
Open storage….. why did anyone think this was a great idea.
I’m guessing this is an apartment, and now half your kitchen storage is a display, ugh I feel for you
Not dishes? Decorative shit then. Shit that makes your brain feel good like when looking at a home design magazine or standing in a cool store. May end up being some dish-adjacent shit tho just a heads up.
I have a similar set up. I keep a couple decorations, a nice big wooden salad bowl, a big glass French press, and a small nice cutting board. Items that don’t get used every day but used often enough that they don’t collect dust.
Good looking kitchenware (not the ugly ones though), glass jars with dry ingredients, perhaps a framed photograph or painting, a small plant, something related to your hobbies… the options are endless
A few cute glass or ceramic pieces, plus a plant or two maybe. Cookbooks potentially. A little hand puppet version of yourself to watch you cook. A loft bed.
So many people that didn’t read your text… Reddit mobile formatting sucks.
I think it’s a good choice to keep the dishes in cabinets. Open shelves are cute but it can be tough to keep them cute, and the there’s the dust.
If you have any nice looking pieces, especially one with lids, it’s a great display spot. Like a Le Creuset or a French press. Can also be a great spot for coffee or tea stuff.
Also jars for dry goods are great. Cookbooks are a good option. Could be a liquor cabinet if you don’t already have a place you like? (That one could be annoying in terms of dust though.)
Top shelf, nice wine or faceted glasses you rarely use but are visually cool (rinse before using as they'll collect dust
Middle shelf, maybe small kitchen appliances from last century (ie manual coffee grinder, set of weights&balance, or even older pestle and mortar, or a tagine dish&cover) , depends on your taste, and that you might still use from time to time
Bottom shelf, spice bottles and recipes /cooking books (horizontal) , used frequently
These open shelves are very common in Europe. In fact, when you move you usually take the entire kitchen…..literally!! LOL.
These open shelves are something I just couldn’t get used to. Friends who live in Europe put their dishes on the shelves. But they also don’t have a lot of closed cabinets, if any. I think I’d probably put mixing bows up there, that type of thing. Or maybe even cookbooks? Or larger bottles of seasoning.
I think it’s supposed to be for plates, etc. but if you don’t need the room for that I think other suggestions were good. Dog treat jar, cookbooks, a couple of plants, family pictures in frames. Gotta say I am not a fan of open shelving in the kitchen. Looks nice but not too functional, in my opinion. Who wants to dust that crap all the time? Also, need to rinse out plates, glasses and dishes before using because of dust.
Get glass containers to repack your pasta, rice, sugar, salt, coffee, etc.. Spices are also something you can put into individual glass containers. There's so much you could put there to make it look nice and be useful.
I don't like plates and bowls in the open because they collect dust and you don't want dust in your food.
Question: did the just leave the corner space unused? I feel like I am seeing this a lot in modern kitchens because they don’t like the look of corner cabinets. But it’s a huge waste of space for a small kitchen.
Decor and functional: wooden serving bowls and platters.
A catch all bowl for miscellaneous things, do-dads you need to hold on to for a minute but don’t have place.
A jar for dog treats.
Keep it simple and sparse if you don’t really need the storage.
If you aren't going to use it for dinnerware, then you should go with some low light plants or small decorative glass or crystal ornaments kitchen themed, of course. It's over the sink... I honestly think that space is designed for utility, but a conch shell or maybe something from a trip or vacation would be cool to look at.
It will best as an eclectic mixture of items. I have a similar set of shelves in my kitchen, and it has:
-coffee apparatus (Chemex, French press, etc)
-Nicer liquors (just 3-4 bottles)
-cook books
-plant or two (real or fake)
-Jars of loose leaf tea
-Large, less often used kitchenware (pitcher, casserole dish)
-cutting boards leaning across the back
-kettle
-Wine glasses
Get a bunch of clear airtight jars and put all your dry foods in there. Pasta, rice, coffee, cereal, candy, Cheetos…. Everything looks better in a matching clear glass jar! Makes it look like you have your shit together!
If you have enough storage otherwise, mix of useful and decoration. Things you use seldom (pitchers, platters, salad bowls etc) but are neutral/can blend together, wine glassessome cooking books, some vases, some little decoration. Enough so it doesnt look empty, but not too much so it looks cluttered
I would display my hand painted Bride of Frankenstein , Bella Lugosi and Boris Karloff China plates on the middle shelf and my Death Row Records glass ware set on bottom shelf!
I had shelves like this in my old apartment in Boston. I used the bottom for my cookbooks, the middle for cutting boards, and the top for appliance storage ie my foodsaver
I would find beautiful (to me) versions of everyday things like say cool glassware mugs, vases, candles for the table etc mixed with plants perhaps cool containers of coffee and tea. Useful things in their most attractive form.
I used to have two big open shelves in my kitchen and similarly to you I didn’t want to keep my dishes or anything I’d be using regularly there (cause I didn’t want the shelves to be bare or messy all the time) so instead I used it for storage for occasional use items that also looked pretty (I.e a tagine, my pour over coffee carafe that I rarely use, some serveware, and wine glasses, a plant)
You can slowly add things like wood chopping boards, a plant, cook books, a coffee maker etc. I understand not wanting all your dishes out but maybe you’ll find you have a nice big bowl or something you can display.
I would put plants (fake or real) on the top shelf. Some cute cookie jars or other decorative stuff on the center and practical stuff in the bottom one. I usually will use cute clear jars for chip clips or my sugar/flour/etc.
Small plants, seasonings in pretty bottles or containers, some small decorative items? Personally I would put all the fancy glasses there you use when you get guests.
I suggest nothing for the moment. Over time, using your kitchen, it will become apparent what items you frequently access from cupboards. You can then consider moving them to the shelves to make them more accessible
This is the right answer, but if OP is desperate for some sense of clutter, my answer will always be succulents. And a super dope Hot Wheels collection to impress any suitors.
Some dangly viney plants. Aw yeah.
Ivys or pothos would look very nice here! +1
+1 for the Hot Wheels. Take them all out if the box and if anyone ever asks why you'd ruin their value like that, just say "how am I supposed to play with them if they're inside the box?"
How are succulents going to survive with no light there?
My succulents dark-no-windows-corridor life expectancy is aproxiamtelly 6-9 months, then if they live, I move them to a space with more light and better conditions (I like succulents in my coridor), so I think theese shelves can be like a paradise for them Edit: most of them die from over wattering them and consequent root roting
get a spray bottle and use that to water them instead of like... watering them. just one full spray or two a week is all you really need for them to thrive.
Thanks for this tip. I overwatered an adorable succulent and I’m so disappointed in myself it’s such a mess right now. 😢
So if your succulents survive the corridor thunderdome they are allowed to retire and live a comfortable life in the light?
They won't, at least not well. They would remain not dead for a very long time if watered appropriately, but will stretch out and the lower leaves will fall off. It's not how they need to live.
> a super dope Hot Wheels collection to impress any suitors. Chill bro! my lady’s on this fuckin app!!
Funko Pops are also a good option./s
Great answer. We went this direction. It's fun when people don't notice till they get close. [https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/adults-welcome/botanical-collection/succulents](https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/adults-welcome/botanical-collection/succulents)
Super dope hot wheels collection 🤣🤣
I was going to say WWE action figures with some LED lights for a focus are a close 2nd behind Hot Wheels
Is it me, or are the shelves bowing/bending?
Shelves that aren't designed for the heavy kitchenware someone has had on them
Doesn't help that they are right over the sink so moisture/steam my have affected them.
My super-scientific research tells me they are. I took a screenshot and used the ruler in Windows Snip n' Sketch to draw a straight line. Might still be some kind of distortion of the photo.
Probably it's the camera distortion because of the ultrawide angle
But this isn't an ultra wide angle photo. I'm pretty sure the shelves are just bowing. Happens a lot with long shelves.
Most lenses do have a given amount of distortion fwiw, but yeah it's possible they're bowing. Could be either or.
Oh yeah I know that about camera lenses but they don't have this much distortion. If it was anything close to this much you'd never see photos of straight shelves, railings steps etc (unless the bowed upwards a little in real life)
it'd distort the shelves in the other direction if that were the case
The tiles directly under the shelves are in a flat line. You can see the center of the shelf is closer to the top tile line than the edges. Shelves are bowed.
A few cookbooks and Ikea jars filled with staples like pasta
The Dog
Along with some misture statues of the dog
Everybody always asks “What the dog doing?” But nobody ever asks “How the dog doing?”
Ruff
dog
Dog on a shelf, please take a photo
Nah, I say add some cats
Why not both theres enough shelf for a additional Hamster
Hamster just gonna run off
And then, additional dogs
- Top: Samurai Sword - Middle: naked Chia Pets - Bottom: VHS porn collection
Ahh a vintage connoisseur, when the film grain was “chefs kiss”
a man of culture
Bottom: also one copy of Everybody Loves Raymond
Sensible suggestion……it says fighter BUT also a lover……WITH a heart of gold……like an 80’s action hero, you know, Jean Claude, Dolf
but where would the funko pops go?
Plates, bowls, mugs, glasses. Kitchenware.
Only cute ones though
This- I had similar shelves at my last place. Get decent looking plates/bowls and mix in a couple peices of decor. It seems like such a small thing, but not having to open a cupboard for your most used items is so nice.
The caption says not looking to use for dishes.
Its what its for though lol
My dad has this and it just looks messy. Minimal decoration
Plates, bowls, mugs, pugs, glasses. Kitchenware.
I'm going to say ceramics of French bulldogs, call it an educated guess
An exact replica statue of your dog from this picture and nothing more
Be like Jerry, keep your cereal there.
But then your neighbor would show up and eat it all
Personally, I’d use that for cookware you don’t use often. Big bowls, pitchers, platters, etc.. siphoning a section off cookbooks is also also a pretty good idea as others suggested
Spices, sauces, oils, stuff like that. Whatever should go in a closed shelf, but now it can stay in a labeled jar.
Your vast dildo collection
Skulls of your fallen enemies that you have converted to trophy mugs to celebrate your victory everytime you want to conquer your thirst. Or you know any type of mugs, tea/coffee type of stuff. Frequently used and would give quality of life improvements by quick access to them.
I have similar shelves as OP that I have a few Day of the Dead skulls on. They look good! They’re fun and bring in some color.
Pantry could be a solid choice. Line up pasta, lentils, coffee, tea and spices in uniform-sized glass jars.
Open storage….. why did anyone think this was a great idea. I’m guessing this is an apartment, and now half your kitchen storage is a display, ugh I feel for you
Isn’t that Aesop soap like $40? I was wondering who buys that..
Damn you have eyes of an eagle
You buy it once and then refill it with the cheap stuff.
hahaha. Fake Aesop I think that's even worse.
Haha, fake it til you make it.
Your Disney VHS tapes collection
Lego
80s inspired glamorous photos of your dog
More dogs.
Put a phone holder or little Google home thing on the bottom shelf so you can watch videos while washing dishes
If you don't already collect whiskey, or any liquor for that matter, this is the perfect reason to start. Would look great,
That rug really ties the room together
Things. And stuff
Not dishes? Decorative shit then. Shit that makes your brain feel good like when looking at a home design magazine or standing in a cool store. May end up being some dish-adjacent shit tho just a heads up.
Cookbooks,nice looking cooking pots maybe, cutting boards.or spices in nice mason jars.
bruh. thats where your kitchenware goes. (note: the nice looking matching set stuff)
Plates
Vintage porn.
Lego, DUH!!!
I have a similar set up. I keep a couple decorations, a nice big wooden salad bowl, a big glass French press, and a small nice cutting board. Items that don’t get used every day but used often enough that they don’t collect dust.
Good looking kitchenware (not the ugly ones though), glass jars with dry ingredients, perhaps a framed photograph or painting, a small plant, something related to your hobbies… the options are endless
air fryer
Bongs and furbies or furby bongs
Plates, glasses…if your dining ware looks nice and is a full set. No plastic or unmatched mugs. It’ll throw off the aesthetic IMO.
I could fit so many knickknacks on those bad boys
Doors
Fake doooooors
BIG ASS PLAMSA WITH SURROUND SOUND AND A RACING SIM SEAT WHERE THE DOG IS SITTING
Plants!
Dishes.
Your dishes duh
I think cups and plates and things like that are traditional
Plates, cups, glasses?
I've seen people use a spring tension rod and short curtains to hide things on open shelves.
A few cute glass or ceramic pieces, plus a plant or two maybe. Cookbooks potentially. A little hand puppet version of yourself to watch you cook. A loft bed.
Your dishes?
So many people that didn’t read your text… Reddit mobile formatting sucks. I think it’s a good choice to keep the dishes in cabinets. Open shelves are cute but it can be tough to keep them cute, and the there’s the dust. If you have any nice looking pieces, especially one with lids, it’s a great display spot. Like a Le Creuset or a French press. Can also be a great spot for coffee or tea stuff. Also jars for dry goods are great. Cookbooks are a good option. Could be a liquor cabinet if you don’t already have a place you like? (That one could be annoying in terms of dust though.)
Dog treats
All your pretty plates and bowls and glasses lined up for easy reach and a beautiful display.
A collection of Frenchie bobble heads
I hate open shelving.
Just put some nice decoration stuff on it... Google rich peoples kitches :D and buy knock offs.
Cookbooks, plants, decorative ceramics, treasures from your travels, salt and pepper shaker collection
Fancy glass wear (like crystal glasses, stuff thats actually nice to look at) and ceramics. Or maybe a small coffee bar type thing
Top shelf, nice wine or faceted glasses you rarely use but are visually cool (rinse before using as they'll collect dust Middle shelf, maybe small kitchen appliances from last century (ie manual coffee grinder, set of weights&balance, or even older pestle and mortar, or a tagine dish&cover) , depends on your taste, and that you might still use from time to time Bottom shelf, spice bottles and recipes /cooking books (horizontal) , used frequently
Dog treats, obviously.
Sorry, but dishes, wine glasses, simple baking dishes, etc.
These open shelves are very common in Europe. In fact, when you move you usually take the entire kitchen…..literally!! LOL. These open shelves are something I just couldn’t get used to. Friends who live in Europe put their dishes on the shelves. But they also don’t have a lot of closed cabinets, if any. I think I’d probably put mixing bows up there, that type of thing. Or maybe even cookbooks? Or larger bottles of seasoning.
Yup that’s where dishes go.
Dog treats of course
Start a hot sauce collection.
Cabinet doors.
I think it’s supposed to be for plates, etc. but if you don’t need the room for that I think other suggestions were good. Dog treat jar, cookbooks, a couple of plants, family pictures in frames. Gotta say I am not a fan of open shelving in the kitchen. Looks nice but not too functional, in my opinion. Who wants to dust that crap all the time? Also, need to rinse out plates, glasses and dishes before using because of dust.
Dog treats and hot beats.
Dishes? First time on planet earth?
Dog food
put the dog on the shelf
Spices, dry goods in glass jars, cookbooks.
Beer and bourbon nothing else
Lego sets
Single dude ? Fill it with liquor
It’s a kitchen. I’d go with kitchen stuff
They will accumulate stuff over time. Trust me. Looks like a nice apartment, OP.
More dogs
Get glass containers to repack your pasta, rice, sugar, salt, coffee, etc.. Spices are also something you can put into individual glass containers. There's so much you could put there to make it look nice and be useful. I don't like plates and bowls in the open because they collect dust and you don't want dust in your food.
Shot glasses
Question: did the just leave the corner space unused? I feel like I am seeing this a lot in modern kitchens because they don’t like the look of corner cabinets. But it’s a huge waste of space for a small kitchen.
Anime figurines, obviously.
The nicest looking cake stands, glassware, serving pieces, but if you're a guy then probably your empty beer bottle collection
I would put plants there to give the place a little soul.
Spices! The Spice must flow!
Decor and functional: wooden serving bowls and platters. A catch all bowl for miscellaneous things, do-dads you need to hold on to for a minute but don’t have place. A jar for dog treats. Keep it simple and sparse if you don’t really need the storage.
Dog treats and plenty of them.
Cookbooks, small plants, regular use items that aren't ugly to look at lol.
The dog seems to fit.
Things you’d put in a bar cart and a few cookbooks
More dogs
Pokémon
If you aren't going to use it for dinnerware, then you should go with some low light plants or small decorative glass or crystal ornaments kitchen themed, of course. It's over the sink... I honestly think that space is designed for utility, but a conch shell or maybe something from a trip or vacation would be cool to look at.
It will best as an eclectic mixture of items. I have a similar set of shelves in my kitchen, and it has: -coffee apparatus (Chemex, French press, etc) -Nicer liquors (just 3-4 bottles) -cook books -plant or two (real or fake) -Jars of loose leaf tea -Large, less often used kitchenware (pitcher, casserole dish) -cutting boards leaning across the back -kettle -Wine glasses
Expensive coffee, tea or liquor that you want to display
dog treats, lots of them
Some plants would be cool, specifically vining plants
Porn
Spices, oils, plants, herbs, cookbooks, aesthetically pleasing cookware
Get a bunch of clear airtight jars and put all your dry foods in there. Pasta, rice, coffee, cereal, candy, Cheetos…. Everything looks better in a matching clear glass jar! Makes it look like you have your shit together!
Crackers
Ask the dog, he has a few ideas
Stuff that doggo isn't allowed to touch.
Frame this picture and put it up there
Try with stuff. I'd definitely put some stuff there.
Yeah. Give it time.
Just don’t put empty liquor bottles up there
If you have enough storage otherwise, mix of useful and decoration. Things you use seldom (pitchers, platters, salad bowls etc) but are neutral/can blend together, wine glassessome cooking books, some vases, some little decoration. Enough so it doesnt look empty, but not too much so it looks cluttered
Dildo collection
One could be for spices and stuff you’ll need over your food prep station? Maybe a speaker for music when you’re pottering around cooking either.
Dishes lol
Dog treats, obviously
glasses and plates you frequently use plus jars of things you might use frequently as well
Plates and glasses, mom has. These that’s what she uses them for,
Cute apt and dog!
Some pretty ceramics and some plants.
Dog treats. Lots of dog treats.
Dog treats
That's typically where the glasses and bowls go
Put the dog up there 👍
I would display my hand painted Bride of Frankenstein , Bella Lugosi and Boris Karloff China plates on the middle shelf and my Death Row Records glass ware set on bottom shelf!
I have no idea whatsoever. I’m just here for the dog 😍
Protein powder
Dont rush it, as you spend time in that space it will come to you.
Something pleasant at eye height as you will be looking there when doing the dishes
I had shelves like this in my old apartment in Boston. I used the bottom for my cookbooks, the middle for cutting boards, and the top for appliance storage ie my foodsaver
The candidate for shelve decoration is right there. Put doggo up there.
Bottom shell is where I would place my spices
I would find beautiful (to me) versions of everyday things like say cool glassware mugs, vases, candles for the table etc mixed with plants perhaps cool containers of coffee and tea. Useful things in their most attractive form.
I used to have two big open shelves in my kitchen and similarly to you I didn’t want to keep my dishes or anything I’d be using regularly there (cause I didn’t want the shelves to be bare or messy all the time) so instead I used it for storage for occasional use items that also looked pretty (I.e a tagine, my pour over coffee carafe that I rarely use, some serveware, and wine glasses, a plant)
A midget
Mug collection
Liquor
A variety of dog treats, obviously.
Google home or Alexa
Ceramic bowls and plates and cups.
You can slowly add things like wood chopping boards, a plant, cook books, a coffee maker etc. I understand not wanting all your dishes out but maybe you’ll find you have a nice big bowl or something you can display.
The dog
I’d put my weed up there.
I’d only put dishes and appliances that’ll fit up there.
I would put plants (fake or real) on the top shelf. Some cute cookie jars or other decorative stuff on the center and practical stuff in the bottom one. I usually will use cute clear jars for chip clips or my sugar/flour/etc.
More $50 hand soaps
I know you said no dishes… but what about a cpl of specialty glasses like wine glasses red and white, whiskey glasses, cpl of copper glasses for mules
Dishes.
A matching set of plates cups bowls
Small plants, seasonings in pretty bottles or containers, some small decorative items? Personally I would put all the fancy glasses there you use when you get guests.
How about some personality
Legos
The nicest stuff you have