Can I Design a Kitchen Without Wall Cupboards?
There is no rule that says you must have wall cupboards in a kitchen and, in fact, there are three reasons why it might be better to leave wall cupboards out of the kitchen.
15/07/2023
martha stewart
While it is considered somewhat of a trend to design a kitchen without wall-mounted cupboards, there are also several reasons why leaving out wall-mounted cupboards will be in your favour. Below, we take a look at three practical reasons why you might want to ditch wall-mounted cupboards in your kitchen.
Reasons to leave out wall-mounted cupboards in a kitchen
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1. My kitchen is south-facing and very dark
Plenty of emphasis is placed on the orientation of a house and how to ensure that most of the rooms receive sunlight during the day. Unfortunately, kitchens and bathrooms usually end up at the back of the house and south-facing. Kitchens that are south-facing either receive a small amount of sunshine in the morning when facing east, or limited sunshine in the afternoon if facing west and during the remainder of the day these rooms can be gloomy or depressing.
Doing away with cupboards on walls in a south-facing kitchen opens up the room and allows even a limited amount of light to enter and fill the space. Keep fixtures and fittings in a light colour to bring brightness into the kitchen.
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2. There is only a small window in my kitchen
Another common problem is the lack of windows in the kitchen. Perhaps it is bad planning on behalf of the developers or you have purchased a ready-built home where this is the case. Whatever the reason, unless you are planning on knocking-out walls there isn't much you can do about it other than installing additional light fittings.
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Leaving the upper walls in a kitchen blank disperses natural light through a kitchen, even with only a small window. Light-coloured walls and cupboard finishes also brighten the room.
3. The kitchen is cramped and claustrophobic
A tiny kitchen can feel like it is closing in around you, especially if fitted floor-to-ceiling with cupboards. Dark fittings such as cabinets, countertops, and flooring only contribute to the overwhelming feeling whereas a light or white colour scheme will have the opposite effect.
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Even a tiny, cramped kitchen will benefit from leaving out wall-mounted cupboards and it will make the room feel open and airy.
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When to consider shelves instead of wall cupboards
Having shelves installed as an alternative to wall-mounted cupboards provides you with extra storage without making a kitchen feel darker or suffocating; however, there are circumstances where you should perhaps stick with cupboards if any of the following apply to you:
1. A tendency to be unorganised in the kitchen
Anyone not in the habit of being organised in the kitchen or has a tendency to regularly make a mess should not have shelves in place of wall cupboards. Open shelves need to be kept well-ordered and neat so as not to be an eyesore.
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2. Insufficient storage space
When you are already struggling to find a place to store everything chances are that not installing wall-mounted cupboards will only exacerbate the problem. While shelves do provide a certain amount of storage space they do not provide the amount of storage provided by wall cupboards.
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3. More cleaning required
Let's be honest here, kitchens attract grease and grease attracts dust. When you have shelf solutions in a kitchen, you will need to spend more time cleaning anything on the shelves regularly. If this is not for you, skip the shelves and go for wall cupboards.
