It is a fact that after a certain period of time, our kitchen does need a remodel; be it in terms of looks or space or functionality or maybe just because we want it. And going for a remodel can be confusing task when you have been accustomed to your kitchen design and are suddenly bombarded with numerous others and have to go for one. And even if you choose one, what follows is the tedious job of deciding what kind of finish you want for your kitchen remodel, which includes your cabinets, racks, countertop, etc.
One such decision that needs special mention here is deciding between going for glass-front cabinets or open shelf cabinets. While opting for your, take, for example, white shaker kitchen cabinets, you might want to show off your kitchenware. This is where the choice between glass front cabinets and open shelf cabinets needs to be made.
To make the decision easier for you, here are the advantages of glass door cabinets and open shelf cabinets respectively:
- Advantages of glass door cabinets:
- Glass-door cabinets provide the see-through ability to your cabinets while still protecting your kitchenware stored inside.
- Glass-door cabinets provide a very peaceful unexplainable privacy which is not possible with open shelving.
- Glass-door cabinets add another layer of design to your white shaker kitchen cabinets. You can either go for white translucent glass which is sober and elegant. Or you can go for multi-color glass and give your cabinets a perfect artistic touch.
- Glass-door cabinets allow you to enhance the look of your cabinet further by installing light fixtures inside. While white glass will provide a warm appeal when installed with the typical yellow shade of light, multi-color glass door cabinets will provide a spectacular show of colors as a result of the yellow light in the background.
- Advantages of open shelf cabinets:
- The first advantage of opting for open shelf cabinets is more savings. Choosing cabinet doors can be really confusing and sometimes even frustrating. Moreover, doors are indeed one of the most expensive aspects of cabinet design. This certainly entails adding to your kitchen renovation expenditure, which might not be possible for you all the time. So, the best way is to not go for it at all.
- Open shelf cabinets are perfect for showing off your kitchenware collections. If you have a vintage set, open shelves will provide them the perfect show. Moreover, opting for white shaker kitchen cabinets will further add to the presentation.
- Open shelves allow you to organize your dinnerware in just the way you like it. With glass doors, this is not the case. The doors hinder much space from being used. Whereas with open shelving, there usable space for organization.
- Open shelves allow your kitchen to appear more spacious. The open nature provides an airy feel and thus adds to your kitchen a clutter-free appearance.
However, there are some disadvantages as well.
Disadvantages of glass door cabinets and open shelf cabinets
- The one disadvantage that both of these have is that they require a lot of cleaning. While glass door cabinets will gather cobwebs due to the absence of air and light (which makes them a great hiding spot for spiders), open shelf cabinets will gather dust quicker.
Opting for cherry wood kitchen cabinets allows you to let the dust camouflage with the cherry color. This increases the time between two successive cleanings without the dust being visible to your guests.
- Another inconvenience which is distasteful at the personal level as well is that opting for either of these will showcase your canned goods and snack foods as well ( which are certainly not worthy of showing off). The solution to this is to have a mix of standard cabinet doors for these items and open shelves to show off your cherished collections.
Opting for either of these two cabinet designs is a completely personal choice. However, keeping the above-mentioned points in mind will help you consider which one will be better for you, be it in terms of looks, utility or budget.