When I first saw a kitchen without upper cabinets, I thought the people who lived there had just moved in. There were no pictures on the walls. There were long shelves above the counter with bowls stacked on top of each other, jars of lentils catching the light, and a single copper pan hanging like a piece of art. No big boxes hanging over your head. No swollen chipboard doors that won’t close after too many nights of hot pasta.
I opened a drawer and realized that this kitchen was less expensive lighter, and easier to breathe.
There is a quiet revolution going on in the kitchen.
Why people are getting rid of their old-fashioned kitchen cabinets
You can see the change in any new, real life kitchen renovation right now. Wall to wall cupboards are going out of style. Instead, people are using a mix of open shelving strong pantries, and deep drawers made of materials that don’t warp when things get messy. The style is more relaxed more real, less “showroom,” and often much easier on the wallet.
Those old cabinets made of MDF with plastic veneer? On the first day, they might look nice. A few winters, a leaky dishwasher, and some trapped humidity will make your doors sag your edges soft, and that faint smell that says, “Mould has entered chat.”
Kitchen fitters will tell you that the most common problem after five to eight years is swollen crumbling units around the sink and dishwasher. Every morning, people pour thousands into shiny cabinets, only to see them bubble and peel when steam from the kettle hits the bottom.
A joiner in London told me that he now takes out more chipped and water damaged cabinets than ever before. He then puts in a mix of open birch plywood shelving and one solid larder cabinet. Clients pay less than a full set of cupboards, and ten years later, those shelves still look like they belong in a café, not a damp basement. That’s where the new trend really takes hold: long-lasting without the high price.
It’s not just the way Pinterest looks that is making this change. The truth is that closed low quality cabinets hold moisture, grease, and food that has been left behind. When you cook, warm air hits the cooler surfaces of the cabinets, condenses, and settles inside the boxes. That moisture slowly gets into the particleboard, which makes it swell and change shape.
There is more air flow because there are fewer upper units and open storage. When you add strong materials like marine-grade plywood, metal rails, or sealed masonry, the risk of warping and mold growth goes down even more. People are starting to realize that a kitchen should get better with age, like a leather jacket, not a soggy cardboard box.
The cheaper, stronger options that are taking the place of wall cabinets
The easiest thing to do is to get rid of half of your upper cabinets and replace them with open shelving made of materials that won’t get wet. Think of thick birch plywood that has been properly sealed, powder-coated steel, or even ledges that are built into the wall and covered in tiles. Three or four separate cupboards can be replaced by one long continuous shelf.
You keep everyday dishes glasses, and spices close at hand, and you keep bigger things that you don’t use very often in a tall pantry or a cabinet that stands on its own. The best part? Installing shelves is quicker, requires fewer fittings, and doesn’t need to be as precise as hanging heavy boxes perfectly level. That saves more on labor costs than most people think.
I met a couple in Manchester who gutted their kitchen from the 1990s on a budget of “as little as we can get away with.” The original chipboard cabinets had gotten so big around the sink that the doors wouldn’t shut. Mould quietly grew along the back panels.
They didn’t replace everything with the same thing; instead, they kept the lower carcasses where they were solid, only upgraded the fronts, and took down all the upper cabinets on one wall. Instead, they put in two long steel shelves, a peg rail for mugs, and a tall, second-hand wooden pantry that they sanded and sealed. They saved more than £3,000 on cabinet quotes, and two years later, there is no warping swelling, or hidden damp patch growing in the dark. The kitchen seems bigger, even though it doesn’t add any square meters.
From a building point of view, this makes sense. Because they are open to steam from the hob and sink, upper cabinets often break first. Cheap laminate and MDF are like sponges with a shiny coat. When that coat gets scratched, water can get in and do its slow, silent work.
There are fewer hidden spaces in shelves made of sealed plywood, solid wood, or metal. They dry quickly, show dirt, and make you only keep what you really need. That visibility is one reason why they stay cleaner and healthier over time. And in terms of cost, a few pieces of good wood and brackets are almost always cheaper than custom wall cabinets.
How to make a kitchen that doesn’t get wet and is easy to clean
Before you even think about shelves, do a ruthless inventory put everything from your current cabinets on a table: mugs, pans, gadgets, and the fondue set you keep “just in case.” What do you actually use every week? That pile gets valuable space on the open shelf. The rest goes into closed lower drawers, a pantry, or straight to the charity shop.
Then, draw simple blocks on your walls: a tall column of storage, a stretch of open shelving, and a row of base cabinets with drawers. Use stronger water resistant materials and as few closed, airless spaces as possible when planning the wet zone (sink, dishwasher). That’s where warping and mold like to settle down.
People often make the mistake of treating open shelving like a simple Instagram photo. Families really do have cereal boxes, dirty Tupperware, and ten different kinds of hot sauce. That’s fine. The key is to put one show shelf at eye level and more forgiving storage below it. Everyday plates and glasses go on the nice shelf, while ugly but useful things go in deep drawers.
Another mistake is not sealing well. Wood that is not treated will stain and soak up grease when it is above a pot of boiling water. Take the time to properly oil lacquer, or paint your shelves, and do it again when they start to look worn. Let’s be honest: no one really does this every day, but a quick wipe down after cooking and a seasonal refresh can help keep warping and mold at bay.
Claire, a small-space kitchen designer who works with rentals and tight budgets, says, “People think they need more cupboards, but they really need less stuff and better materials.” “I’d rather give someone one well built pantry and a few shelves that won’t break than ten cheap cabinets that will break in six years.”
- Pick materials that can handle moisture. Near sinks and hobs, look for marine grade or high-quality plywood, sealed solid wood, metal, or tiled ledges.
- Put deep drawers ahead of more upper drawers. Drawers make things easy to get to, hide visual clutter, and don’t get damaged by steam like wall cabinets do.
- Give your kitchen some air. Leave some of the walls bare and don’t box in every inch. Place extractor fans and windows so that steam can escape quickly.
A kitchen that gets better with age, not worse
It’s hard to forget what a kitchen looks like without heavy wall cabinets. The room seems taller. The back of the counter gets light. You can feel the wall’s texture, the wood’s warmth, and the curve of your favorite bowl. You don’t have rows of the same doors; instead, you have a space that shows how you really live.
It’s also nice to know that you didn’t spend all your savings on boxes that might rot from the inside out. A mix of open shelves solid pantries, and drawers that are easy to clean means less stuff, less work, and fewer places for moisture to hide. It doesn’t require you to be perfect or always clean up; it just asks you to be more honest about what you own and how you cook.
The trend of not having cabinets isn’t about always being on display. It’s about having faith that your kitchen can handle real life, like boiling pots splashing kids, late-night noodles, and the occasional spill that you only clean up the next morning. It’s about giving up the idea of sleek, sealed perfection in favor of something stronger more breathable, and surprisingly cheaper.
And maybe that’s why this change seems bigger than just a design trend. What if the best kitchen is the one that doesn’t fall apart when you use it? That’s the simple question behind the pretty pictures.
| Main point | Value for the reader in detail |
|---|---|
| Lower the cabinets on top | Put in open shelves and one tall pantry instead.Keeps things from warping and saves money by keeping steam from getting trapped. |
| Use stronger materials | Sealed plywood, metal, or brick around wet areasLess swelling, mold, and damage that lasts a long time |
| Plan for airflow | Leave room to breathe, add extraction, and stay away from corners that are boxed in.A kitchen that stays fresh for years and is better for your health |
Questions and Answers:
To follow this trend, do I have to take out all of my kitchen cabinets?
Not at all. A lot of people just take off a few upper units from one wall, put up shelves, and keep their base cabinets and one tall pantry. It’s about cutting down on cabinets, not getting rid of them.
Won’t open shelves just get dirty and dusty?
They do collect some, but since everything is out in the open, you can see and clean up messes faster. Things you use every day tend to stay clean, and a quick wipe of the shelf once a week is usually all it needs.
What kinds of materials are least likely to warp or get moldy?
Sealed birch or marine ply, powder-coated steel, tiled ledges, and well-finished solid wood are much better at holding up near water than cheap MDF or particleboard.
Is this really less expensive than regular cabinets that fit?
Yes, most of the time. Fewer units, easier construction, and less hardware all lower the cost of materials and labor, especially if you reuse good bases that you already have.
Will losing wall cabinets hurt my storage too much?
Most people don’t miss the extra upper cabinets if they plan ahead and use deep drawers and a good pantry. A lot of people find that they were keeping things they rarely or never used.
