Kitchen shelf: how to choose, why you need it, do it yourself

A comfortable and spacious kitchen set copes with its functions. Here you can store dishes, pots and even small household appliances, but sometimes there is not enough space in the shelves and cabinets for various little things. In this case, the kitchen bookcase will help the hostess out. This piece of furniture must be properly designed, then it will fit into the overall interior of the room.

Why do you need

The bookcase is a small cabinet without walls and front part. This product can be fixed to a wall surface or fixed to a floor covering, but there are also mobile models. An open cabinet allows you to colorfully decorate the interior of the kitchen, it is used to store unnecessary products and things, such as small kitchen utensils, vegetables, as well as household appliances. With this item, the user can get additional usable space in the kitchen.

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On the shelves of the bookcase, you can stack items that take up a lot of space and will get in the way in the closet. These include a food processor, blender, or coffee maker. There are voluminous models with shelves on which you can install a microwave oven. Thus, the working area is freed up, but the necessary equipment will always be at hand at the hostess.

Using a shelf has a number of advantages:

• Mobility, the ability to move furniture to any part of the room.
• Functionality and convenience. Such cabinets take up a minimum amount of free space, while many different things are placed on their shelves.
• A properly selected kitchen shelf makes it easier to perceive the interior. The open design visually expands the usable space.
• Such furniture does not interfere with the penetration of sunlight into the room.

There are many advantages in using whatnots, now let's deal with their varieties.

Kinds

Open cabinets have different purposes, so each of the furniture models has its own design and material of manufacture. There are several options for whatnots you can find in the store:

• Plastic models are considered the most convenient to use and maintain. Such products are quite lightweight and functional, they are not afraid of high humidity, show resistance to aggressive chemicals (detergents). Baskets on shelves are either closed or perforated.
• Metal shelves are covered with chrome plating, which increases the resistance of the material to corrosion. Such models are often decorated with glass inserts, so it is advisable to use metal products in a kitchen made in a modern high-tech style. Baskets are made with thin fittings, they are used to store pans, pots and dishes. Here you can place vegetables, fruits and other products.
• Products with shelves made of chipboard or MDF are unobtrusive, well suited for the interior of the kitchen, made in the modern style. Pots or jars are placed on such shelves, and cereals are also placed here.
• Glass models will perfectly fit into any interior. Photo prints with various images are often applied on their surfaces.

Often open cabinets are made of wood, but this material is afraid of exposure to humidity and temperature extremes. To protect the wood from decay, varnish is applied to the surface of the shelves. Wooden slats that cross on the side walls of the furniture will help to improve the appearance of the products.

In the form of whatnots are:

• rectangular;
•  square;
• oval.

There is also a corner shelf for the kitchen. Such a product is located in the corner of the room and allows you to effectively use the usable space. The most functional are rectangular models. This form of construction will fit well into any part of the room, which will allow you to make certain adjustments to the interior of the kitchen.

Open cabinets for storing fruits and vegetables can be made from any material. The main requirement for such models is air circulation inside the food.

How to improve the functionality of whatnots

In order for an open cabinet to best suit its purpose and be convenient to use, it is necessary to determine its main functions. Additional shelves can be installed on the shelf for storing dishes, juices or wines.

If the user plans to move the open cabinet, then he should pay attention to the models with wheels. For maximum convenience, handles are installed on the side of such products. The functionality of open modules is subject to change. For such cases, options are provided with baskets or removable shelves. The hostess herself will set the number of racks that will be used at the moment.

In the upper part of some models there is a table top. The top board allows you to select the desired height and creates additional space for the work area in the kitchen. Such shelves can save useful space; they are used for storing food.

How to make an open cabinet with your own hands

If store models for some reason turned out to be unavailable, you can try to make a bookcase with your own hands. The ideal option would be to use wood, because it is the most affordable material.

To complete the work you will need:

• hacksaw;
• self-tapping screws;
• paint brush;
• sandpaper;
• varnish;
• screwdriver.

Work begins with the manufacture of vertical racks that will be used as a basis. For this, blanks 2 meters long with a cross section of 4 * 4 centimeters are enough. The legs are interconnected by small strips 30 centimeters long with a section of 2 * 4 centimeters. The number of these parts will depend on the number of shelves. Next, we prepare planks up to 1 meter long. With a part width of 10 centimeters and a rail thickness of 2 centimeters for 6 tiers, 18 boards will be needed.

At the final stage of work, we grind the boards with sandpaper. We twist the frame of the stack with self-tapping screws and a screwdriver, then cover the wood with a protective layer of varnish. It remains to install the shelves and our open cabinet is ready to use.