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Rugged Charm: 20 Rustic Shelving Ideas for your Modern Kitchen

Warm, inviting and timeless, rustic design elements transport you back in time and give your home a simpler, cozier ambiance. In a modern, urban setting where glass, polished stone and artificial finishes dominate the landscape, a dash of rustic goodness gives the space personality and rugged charm. And one of the best places to try out rustic elements is the kitchen! Even the most modern kitchen can be effortlessly combined with carefully placed rustic features and you need not always go down the route of a full-blown kitchen revamp to get this done.

Modern farmhouse kitchen with rustic shelving and a dark backdrop [From: Anthropologie Europe]

While there are plenty of little tweaks you can make to give your modern kitchen a rustic tweak, few offer an easier option than those floating, open shelves. Rustic kitchen shelving bring a completely new dimension to your open plan living and also ushers in delightful textural contrast. Since most (if not all) rustic style shelves come in natural wood, you also get to add a ‘hip element to your contemporary kitchen. Whether you consider them trendy, timeless or both, here is a look at 20 kitchens with rustic shelving –

White and Wood Trend in Kitchen

We start off with arguably the easiest kitchens to work with as you plan to add those gorgeous, rustic wooden shelves. White kitchens give you plenty of decorating freedom (even though they are a touch high-maintenance) and adding a couple of rustic shelves to this space feels both seamless and aesthetic. Combing a white backdrop with wooden accents and raw, wooden décor is a hot trend in 2017 and so this is a win-win situation no matter which way you look at it.

RELATED: Trendy Display: 50 Kitchen Islands with Open Shelving

Scandinavian and rustic styles meet inside this small kitchen [From: studio cuvier]
White brick wall and rustic wooden shelves for the eclectic kitchen

Most rustic wooden shelves come with a raw, edgy finish. This is what gives them their unique appeal and ensures that they stand out from the pack. But those leaning towards a more modern aesthetic can polish off just a few off those rugged edges to ensure that they have floating kitchen shelves that are part modern and part rustic. It is a useful trade-off and will serve you well as over time as you look to transition between kitchen styles and constantly varying trends.

Wooden shelving combines modern and rustic elements with ease
All-white kitchen with slim and rustic open shelves [From: Living with Daisy]
Exquisite kitchen with wooden shelves, LED lighting and a rustic island

Rustic Shelving for Modern Kitchen

Live-edge wooden shelves coupled with a neutral backdrop offer a picture-perfect setting for your gorgeous kitchen display. Everything from lovely china to unused copper pots and a colorful vase or two can be placed here to create a stylish and casual focal point in the kitchen. In case you prefer rustic shelving that veers more towards modernity, then shelves that match the finish of your kitchen cabinets or the central island can give the space a more curated, contemporary appeal.

RELATED: Practical and Trendy: 40 Open Shelving Ideas for the Modern Kitchen

It is the kitchen island and open shelves that bring rustic charm to this eclectic kitchen
Modern gray kitchen with simple rustic shelves
Open shelving allows you to organize your kitchen with a touch of visual flair [From: Encircle Design and Build]
Open shelving need not always be wall-mounted in the kitchen [From: Dooley Images]
Wooden shelves with rustic appeal do not disturb the existing style of your kitchen [From: HSC Remodeling]
Adding rustic wooden shelves to modern kitchen is easy and effortless [From: SALA Architects]
Coffee bar in the kitchen with chalkboard wall and floating wooden shelves

Small Kitchen Rustic Shelves

Rustic shelves in a small kitchen can make a big visual splash. Most often, they neatly tuck into a small corner of the kitchen, the space above kitchen counter or a creative little niche that is otherwise forgotten. We suggest putting your DIY skills to use here to create your own rustic shelves from a few blocks of wood instead of shopping for them or even hiring help. Since you do not really have extensive shelving to take care of and installing these wooden shelves is easy, a DIY project can cut back on costs significantly. It also gives you a great opportunity to improve your DIY skill set.

RELATED: Gorgeous Bespoke Kitchen Combines Modern Luxury with Edwardian Charm

Rustic wooden shelves bring country style to the modern kitchen
Simple DIY industrial-rustic shelf idea
Turn the small niche in the kitchen into an attractive display with DIY shelves
Block-style wooden shelves with plenty of display space
Copper and wood DIY rustic spice rack idea
Mediterranean and rustic elements are rolled into one inside this inviting kitchen
Get creative with the use of rustic shelves

Sherry Nothingam

Sherry is a blogger who loves to live her life to the fullest. She enjoys everything associated with design, décor and stylish modern trends. Born in California, Sherry has grown up on open ranches and in a wild setting, which has defined her taste for design and developed her interest in examining how structures and homes interact with the beauti[...]

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