Kitchen shelves on the wall - how to choose and do it yourself
In the kitchen, a modern person spends almost most of the time when he is at home, which is due to various reasons: from cooking and eating food to meeting friends and relaxing with family. In this regard, every housewife wants her kitchen to be functional for work and comfortable for rest. There are many ways to solve such problems: this is the use of various household appliances that facilitate the performance of work, and furniture of various designs, which makes it convenient to work and rest comfortably. Shelves for the kitchen on the wall: types, how to choose and make with your own hands, as well as how to properly arrange and perform installation - this is the topic of this article by the editors of homemaster.techinfolux.com/en/ magazine.
The content of the article
- 1 Types of hinged shelves for the kitchen with a photo in the interior
- 2 Materials for the manufacture of kitchen hanging shelves
- 3 How to choose a shelf for the kitchen
- 4 How to make a kitchen shelf with your own hands - nuances
- 5 Installation of wall shelves for the kitchen
- 6 How to properly and efficiently arrange shelves in the kitchen
- 7 Video: open shelves in the kitchen interior
Types of hinged shelves for the kitchen with a photo in the interior
Hanging shelves are a very convenient item, using which you can place a lot of small things without cluttering up the space of the room where they are located. In addition, such items can serve as decorative elements that give the room a certain flavor and originality. Structurally, the shelves placed in the kitchen can be of several types: open and closed, corner and console, symmetric or asymmetric, with built-in drawers and various additional decorative elements (lighting, inlay, etc.).
Open kitchen shelves
Open shelves are the most optimal in terms of functionality and inexpensive option of such products, which is most affordable for making with your own hands from scrap materials.
The convenience of using an open shelf lies in the fact that in order to take an object placed on it (dishes, containers for storing spices or bulk products, etc.), you just need to reach out and take what you need.
Fasteners for open shelves can be made hidden or be additional decorative elements of similar structures. These can be brackets of various shapes and sizes, or structural elements that unite all the component parts of the product into a single whole.
The simplest option for self-manufacturing are products of this type, made from wood or board materials (chipboard, MDF etc.). This is due to the fact that the wood is easy to handle and has a low specific weight, which does not require the use of complex fastening elements when hanging on the wall.
In an open type design, several shelves can be combined, while the material used in the manufacture is completely different.
Closed wall mounted kitchen shelves
A distinctive feature of closed shelves is the presence of rear and side walls, as well as doors of various designs (sliding, swing, lifting).
The presence of doors allows you to store pungently smelling ingredients used during cooking (spices) and dishes used in everyday life on such shelves.
When making by hand, these products are more complex, because when assembling them, it is necessary to ensure reliable closing of the doors, and the product itself, as a rule, has more weight than open-type counterparts.
Various materials can also be used for the manufacture of products of this type: wood and metal, glass and panel materials produced from woodworking waste (chipboard, MDF, etc.), as well as durable plastic.
Corner kitchen shelves
The corner structure can be open or closed, its distinctive feature is its placement on two walls located at a certain angle to each other.
The materials used in the manufacture can also be completely different, which allows you to choose a model in accordance with the style of decorating the kitchen space.
There can be a huge number of design options for corner shelves, so you can always find a model that satisfies the user for all the requirements for it.
Decorative shelves on the wall for the kitchen
Decorative hanging shelves are used to create coziness in the kitchen, giving it a certain style and color.
These are, as a rule, open-type shelves made of light materials, because decor items are also lightweight, and there is no need to build strong structures.
Decorative shelves can be made on your own using the materials available.
Related article:
Wall mounted shelf: varieties, what materials can be made, photos of the product in different rooms, how to do it yourself and how to fix it correctly.
Materials for the manufacture of kitchen hanging shelves
As already mentioned above, various materials and their combinations can be used to make hinged shelves for the kitchen. Distinctive features of the materials used for these purposes are:
- for metal - strength and the ability to harmoniously fit into the interior, where there are already metal surfaces and products;
- for wood - environmental friendliness and "warmth" of natural material;
- for plastic - low cost, variety of shapes and colors;
- for glass - fragility, as well as external lightness and airiness;
- for stone - strength and significant weight.
How to choose a shelf for the kitchen
The variety of proposals on the domestic market for kitchen furniture sometimes creates difficulties with its choice, which fully applies to hinged shelves designed for placement in the kitchen.
In this case, in order not to be mistaken, you must follow the following selection criteria, using which you can make the right choice:
- Initially, you should decide for what purposes the shelf will serve, and what dishes or other items will be placed on it.
- The dimensions of the shelf should correspond to the number of items placed on it and at the same time should not "put pressure" on the overall perception of the kitchen.
- The style should be consistent with the existing or newly created one.
- For storing small items, it is most convenient to use shelves with a multi-level arrangement.
- The removable structure, fixed on the wall by means of hinged hinges, is convenient to use, because it is easy to remove and wash if necessary.
How to make a kitchen shelf with your own hands - nuances
When making a shelf yourself, as well as other furniture, you should remember the following nuances of work, namely:
- before starting work, a sketch (drawing) of the manufactured product should be drawn up;
- the dimensions of the shelf and the style of its design must correspond to the location;
- having thought over the design and choosing materials, it is necessary to prepare the tool required to perform the work;
- fastening elements used in the structure must correspond to the selected materials and ensure reliable fixing of the shelf to the wall surface.
Installation of wall shelves for the kitchen
For the correct placement of the hinged shelf, it is necessary to have a measured construction tool (level, plumb line, tape measure), as well as careful marking at the place of its placement. The shelf should be located strictly in the horizontal plane, and the elements of its fastening should correspond to the material of the wall on which it is placed.
Note! Self-tapping screws are used for fixing on a wooden surface, expansion dowels on a brick wall, and anchor bolts on a concrete surface.
Mounting options may be somewhat different, but the above are the most common among experienced users.
How to properly and efficiently arrange shelves in the kitchen
The location should be such that it is convenient to use the items placed on the shelves. Experienced designers and constructors recommend following the following recommendations when choosing the location of the hanging shelves:
- for kitchens with L- and U-shaped layouts, corner models are convenient to use;
- if there is an extractor hood located above the hob, the shelves can be positioned on both sides of it;
- placement above the countertop is a classic location option;
- if the kitchen has a niche in the enclosing structures (wall, partition), then this is an ideal place for placing shelves.
In each case, the location is considered individually, based on the nature of the use of such products, the user's personal preferences and the style of decoration of the kitchen space.
Video: open shelves in the kitchen interior
For those who still doubt the advisability of using open shelves in their kitchen, we offer the following video for viewing, which will help overcome these doubts and make the right choice in favor of their use.