Christina Haack's Controversial Cabinet Choice Transforms This Kitchen

If your goal is to create a bright and modern kitchen, you might want to consider Christina Haack's daring solution. From past hits like "Flip or Flop" to her more recent HGTV programs like "Christina in the Country," it's no wonder Christina Haack is regarded as an interior design pro. She's dabbled in countless trends and styles, with some renovations becoming fan favorites and others proving less popular. In Season 4, Episode 5, of "Christina on the Coast," Haack made a bold and divisive choice to brighten up a beachside kitchen. She removed the upper cabinets completely, relying solely on floating shelves.

The idea to forgo upper cabinets actually came from the homeowner herself. She said to Haack, "I'm not fond of uppers. If we could do, like, no uppers, that would be clean." Haack clarified, "So, you're thinking, like, all floating shelves?" This conversation resulted in an open kitchen with natural wood shelves and an organic minimalist design. The jaw-dropping transformation is proof that you can make your home look larger than it is with this tip from HGTV's Christina Haack. In spite of the stunning results, not everyone is on board with open shelving in the kitchen. This trend is currently being heavily debated by design experts and homeowners alike.

The main reason people are against open shelving is the fact that it minimizes practicality. Styling a shelf is much more time consuming than throwing your dishes in a cabinet. For the open shelving trend to look good, you have to be organized and intentional. More importantly, dishes on a shelf can accumulate dust, and therefore, result in more cleaning time. One solution is to only store your occasion dishware on the shelves, and place the everyday items in your lower cabinets. If you love the look, there are also ways to maximize storage space in a kitchen with no upper cabinets.

As seen in Haack's renovation, open shelving has several aesthetic benefits that may outweigh the cons. For those who are working with a smaller kitchen, getting rid of your upper cabinets can make your kitchen look and feel bigger. If you want to install a window like in Haack's kitchen makeover, you also have more space to insert a large opening. In the episode referenced, her clients agreed that an oversized window that opens to an outside bar is one of the best kitchen window treatments to update your home – especially if you want a lighter, brighter space!