Going against the grain. Because that's how I roll.

The last decision to be made in our "Lowe's Never Stop Improving" (wink) kitchen renovation was what was going overhead. Overhead you ask? Yep. Because I wasn't planning to install upper cabinets in my kitchen, I decided to install open shelving instead. I scoped out a couple of different inspirational images to guide my shelving positioning and selection, and then decided to ignore the way everyone had done everything and did it slightly differently instead.*

It seems the standard methodology is to install open kitchen shelves with a whopping great decorative bracket supporting the shelf from below. I was just not feeling that at all. In our kitchen, we already had so much happening on the shelf wall (refrigerator, window, radiator, half-wall-of-tile, farm sink... You name it, we had one!) and the thought of adding some hulking, scrolling cornice to the whole affair just felt like it was going to make it look so ungapatchka (yes. I did just say that! I've provided a link for those of you who aren't familiar with the term. If you don't know what it means, you probably don't live in New York.)

After much discussion about the logistics (and physics) of my plan, I persuaded John and my friend Ty to help me install the shelves with the brackets supporting the shelves from above. We're still not completely sure that this should be secure according to gravity, but they are bolted and anchored into the wall nine-ways-from-Sunday and it feels like you could do chin ups on them. Which I promised John I wouldn't try. Just in case.

I'm loving how they look-- essentially it's the appearance of a floating shelf without the typical thickness of a floating shelf-- and then if you look closely there's a pretty, subtle bracket detail keeping everything afloat. Tremendous! 

And what better way to display my extensive collection of tacky vintage state plates?!?! 

(These beauties aren't actually a part of my collection, but I've got about 12 more equally tasteful versions!)

*Okay. I just had to mention this. Scroll back up and look at that first kitchen picture I included. I'm not trying to get too snooty up in here, but I'm just baffled by that kitchen. Look at that beautiful sink, the lovely beadboard wall detail, those terrific green cabinets, and that pretty mullioned window. Look at all of the work and thought and consideration that went into the design of that kitchen. And THEN! Look at that freaking sconce. That off-center, crappy clam-shell of a sconce. What happened?!? It's like a black-eye on that kitchen's face. If there's one thing I learned from being on the show, the devil is in the details... 

Let that kitchen be a lesson to us all.