Open Shelves

DIY Open Shelves 

I really do love our kitchen. I mean it was a labor of love. Check out my kitchen makeover post to see the transformation for yourself. However, I LOVE to bake and have a ton of canisters that are too bulky to fit into our cabinets. Since almost all the wall space is covered with cabinets, I decided to take one of them out and when I say “I” I really mean my amazing father-in-law. I did the rest though! Promise. 😊



After the cabinet was down, I measured the wall and decided to go with three 45x10x2 shelves. The wall measures almost 49 inches across so that left me about 4 inches of wiggle room.

Once I had my measurements I was off to Lowe’s. This nice gentleman cut my wood for me and didn’t charge me for the extra cuts! So nice. The wood plank cost under $13 too. Score!


I also purchased Early American wood finish from Miniwax for $5 at Lowe’s. I wanted the reclaimed look without paying for actual reclaimed. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference after staining. I just used a cheap sponge brush to apply the stain. I applied one thin coat and let the stain sit for less than 30 seconds and immediately wiped it off using an old towel. See, isn’t it pretty. 😍


While the stain dried I tackled sparkling, sanding, and painting the wall where the cabinet use to be. I had the paint on hand since I ALWAYS make sure to have extra paint in case of touch ups or when I decide to rip a cabinet off the wall. 😂 The paint color is Gallery White from Behr. That’s what my entire kitchen is in. I think I accidentally said Pure White in my kitchen remodel post. Oops! Sorry.

I purchased these 6 shelf brackets from Lowe’s. They actually aren’t shelf brackets. They are corner brackets. Used to build a house, so I figured they could hold my shelves too. 😊 They are super sturdy, but there are several holes and I wasn’t about to put that many holes in my wall and I didn’t want the holes to be visible so I got creative and filled the extra holes with sparkle using a putty knife. It’s not completely unnoticeable, but it works for me! After the sparkle was dry, I painted the brackets Flat Black using Rustoleum spray paint. I already had the spray paint, but you can purchase it from Lowe’s as well.


After everything was dry (I let everything dry overnight) I marked where I wanted the shelves to be. The total wall space i had to work with is 49 inches (really 56.25 but my light switched are 7 inches up so I lost those 7 inches). I also measured my biggest canister, which is 11 inches tall so I knew there had to be at least 11 inches of space between the shelves + account for the thickness of the wood plank (2 inches). So to make the space between the shelves even I had to space them out 14 inches. I really wanted 16 inches, but what’s a girl to do?! 🤔 Even though the brackets are sturdy, I still used 50lb metal anchors that I purchased from Lowe’s for $6. The wood alone is heavy so I didn’t want to chance it.


Once all the brackets were secured I put the shelves up and started to decorate (my favorite part). What do you think?


In case you are wondering, I purchased all the canisters, copper lid jars, pie pans, & all the rolling pins at Crate & Barrel. My favorite place to shop! I purchased the spice jars at Hobby Lobby. They were 50% off so I got all of them for $12. The white crate was $5 at Michaels. The tall jar with the wooden lid is Kate Spade from Nordstroms. I found the sifter at an antique shop for $3. The berry crates & white pitcher are from Home Goods& the mini muffin pan was my grandmothers. 😊

I also changed out the standard white light switch plates for white bead board plates that I found at Lowe’s when I was getting the wood.


The total cost for the shelf supplies was under $55, which is far less if I purchased them at a store. I wish I could say that about every on the shelves! However, I am so happy with the way they turned out. Now all my baking items are in one place and that makes me super happy! P.S. I ended up putting only two shelves up. I realized I didn’t want items up that high, I mean I am 5’2. 😂😂

Well that’s it friends! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. Until next time. Xoxo

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