Artful Display Kitchen Shelves and Pantries

Over the holidays I had some time to catch up on my reading. One book that I was anxious to read (especially because of the beautiful bookcase on the cover) was Briger + Briger. I love their approach to design which is very luxurious but very livable at the same time. I was particularly struck with their kitchen designs and the way that there are no over head cabinets. Instead dishes are displayed artfully. I also find it very user friendly, as you can see at a glance where everything is. Now I have a few caveats to add: #1 you need to have a uniform set of dishes to make this into an "artful" display #2 preferably the dishes should be white to make it look great.

March 6 2008 Post Note: Paul Briger was good enough to comment on this post (click here to see his comment) He disagrees and adds: "the most important key to success in open stacking is the orderliness of the stacking, not the color(s) used. " I like the uses of the bold, horizontal-stripes on the walls in the Breakfast Room. It adds width and interest to an otherwise narrow space. The dishes are set with an order that makes the utilitarian shelves especially attractive. The orderly placement of objects no matter how grand or insignificant can produce an aesthetically pleasing display.

The picture above and below is a pantry that leads to service stairs. which in turn ascend to the pool level. A plant stand holds a variety of potted fresh herbs for the kitchen.

A view of the kitchen that goes with the above 2 photos showing the door to the Pool level. This kitchen is compact, functional, and pleasing to the eye. It suggests that in this house much attention is paid to the preparation of meals.

The above picture is a walk-in pantry off of the kitchen with a library ladder to reach the upper shelves. Bottles are nicely stored in the baskets on the floor (see close-up below). I also like the way the cookbooks are displayed on shelves that float on the wall allowing the books to be stacked horizontally. Everything is visable and easy to find. No opening and closing several door to find what you are looking for