Kitchen design is what sometimes defines the whole home, it inspires to cook, create and have the best time with your closest ones. You can find many kitchen layouts, designs, styles and looks, and one of the latest ideas to consider is a kitchen with only lower cabinets. If you don’t have lots of stuff in the kitchen, if you don’t need a lot of storage room, if you want an airy feeling in this space, you can skip upper cabinets and stick to only lower ones. Such a design isn’t new but it’s gaining more and more popularity and many homeowners decide to go for only lower cabinets adding a pantry or a large storage kitchen island to make the space airy and serene. Here are some alternatives to usual upper cabinets if you feel like such a design.
Windows
Having lots of natural light in your kitchen is amazing, spaces flooded with natural light are always much more appealing than usual ones. So, instead of upper cabinets, you can go for some windows here or one large window that will bring a lot of light, frame the views you have and connect indoors and outdoors (it can be a pass-through window). Such an idea will definitely fit any kitchen with any look, you just need to choose the type of the window right.
A beautiful and refined kitchen with light-stained cabinetry, a white hood and a white marble backsplash plus countertops.
A beautiful coastal kitchen in light blue and white, with a mosaic tile backsplash, wicker lampshades and rattan stools plus greenery.
A beautiful sage green kitchen with white stone countertops, open shelves, rich stained touches and gold handles is very chic.
A beautiful Scandinavian kitchen with pink walls and grey cabinets, brass fixtures and a brass sink.
A bright kitchen done with yellow cabinets, white stone countertops and all white everything for a chic and bold look.
A catchy teal kitchen with vintage cabinets, a white tile backsplash, stone and butcherblock coutnertops and stainless steel fixtures.
A chic dark grey farmhouse kitchen with white quartz countertops and a white marble tile backsplash, stained floating shelves and mixed metals.
A colorful minimalist kitchen with teal lower cabinets, a yellow floor, white stone countertops, potted plants and a white tile backsplash.
A contemporary chalet kitchen with sleek cabinets, concrete countertops, black touches and skylights for more natural light.
A hunter green modern kitchen with white stone countertops, gold handles and fixtures and a window instead of a backsplash.
A jaw-dropping walnut kitchen with white stone countertops and white marble tiles plus touches of gold.
A lovely taupe kitchen with shaker cabinets, vintage knobs, white stone countertops and a vintage rustic cupboard for storage.
A refined greige kitchen with a white marble countertop and gold fixtures and a faucet is a stylish idea.
A simple minimalist kitchen with sleek white cabinets and white countertops plus some black touches for drama.
A stylish mid-century modern teal kitchen with black countertops, a white tile wall and touches of gold here and there.
A warm and welcoming greige Scandinavian kitchen with vintage cabients and walls matching in color, dark countertops and a tiny backsplash.
A welcoming mid-century modern walnut kitchen with stylish cabinets and a large kitchen island, white stone countertops and a catchy chandelier.
Open Shelves And Ledges
The most popular solution to substitute upper cabinets is open shelves and ledges that are placed on the walls over the lower cabinets and are used to store various things and display your artwork, beautiful dishes and mugs and potted plants, too. This idea fits any kitchen with any style, and the shelves can be of wood, of stone that matches the backsplash material, they can stand out in the backdrop or merge with it. Whether you go for several open shelves or a single and super long ledge along the whole wall, it will be a nice idea for a kitchen. Add sconces over the shelves or some pendant lamps and voila!
A beautiful black farmhouse kitchen with shaker cabinets, floating shelves, retro sconces and mixed metals for more eye-catchiness.
A beautiful blue shaker style kitchen with a grey subway tile backsplash, white quartz countertops and touches of brass.
A beautiful mid-century modern kitchen with stained cabinets, a white tile backsplash and white countertops, greenery for a fresh look.
A bright blue kitchen with shaker lower cabinets, black countertops, long open shelves and a white herringbone tile backsplash is amazing.
A bright modern kitchen with bold blue lower cabinets and a kitchen island, white countertops and a backsplash.
A chic mint blue kitchen with shaker cabinets, white countertops, a white square tile backsplash and open shelves is a very welcoming space.
A colorful kitchen with orange walls, grey cabinetry, a mint blue fridge, a matching kitchen island and a bold orange printed tile backsplash.
A contemporary chalet kitchen all clad with wood, with black metal cabinets and a plywood kitchen island, black countertops and a black hood.
A contemporary kitchen with light stained cabinets, a white hood, a stone backsplash and countertops plus a grey planked kitchen island.
A cool and chic mid-century modern kitchen with stained cabinets, white stone countertops, an open shelf, artwork and books and potted plants.
A cool and vivacious kitchen with lower green cabinets, a geo tile backsplash, a long open shelf used for displaying art and decor.
A cool contemporary navy kitchen with white countertops and a backsplash, rattan lamps and leather stools.
A grey farmhouse kitchen with shaker cabinets, a white beadboard backsplash, open shelves and white countertops plus black sconces.
A hunter green kitchen with vintage cabinets, gold handles, an open shelf with greenery and a white stone backsplash.
A minimalist grey kitchen with stone countertops and a backsplash plus open shelves instead of upper cabinets and built-in appliances.
A navy shaker style kitchen with a white square tile backsplash and white quartz countertops plus brass touches and floating shelves.
A pretty U-shaped kitchen with grey shaker style cabinets, white countertops, white floating shelves and brass and gold touches for elegance.
A rustic sage green kitchen with elegant vintage cabinetry, wooden countertops and neutral fixtures and handles.
A sleek walnut kitchen with a Scandinavian design, a white tile backsplash and countertops plus touches of gold.
A small blue kitchen with a white tile backsplash and white countertops plus wooden shelves.
A sophisticated navy kitchen with shaker cabinets, a white marble backsplash, countertops and a ledge for displaying various stuff.
A stylish farmhouse kitchen in teal, with butcherblock countertops, a white backsplash and gold fixtures.
A stylish navy farmhouse kitchen with butcherblock countertops, a white ledge and a white beaded chandelier.
A stylish sage green kitchen with shaker style cabinets, white countertops and a white skinny tile backsplash plus floating shelves.
A taupe kitchen with open shelves instead of upper cabinets, white tiles on the backsplash and a vintage sink plus wooden beams.
A vintage hunter green kitchen with a white marble backsplash and countertops, a shelf with artworks is chic.
An elegant navy kitchen with shaker cabinets, white stone countertops, a large kitchen island, a white square tile backsplash and a white shelf for dishes.
Dark-stained wood and white cabinets plus metallic touches for a mid-century modern space.
Suspended Shelves
Suspended shelves are another solution for a kitchen, and they mostly match boho, mid-century modern, industrial kitchens. The shelves can be suspended using leather or using metal depending on the look you want, and the idea is the same: you put some decor, potted plants and dishes on them.
A minimalist black kitchen spruced up with a white sink and a wooden shelf plus countertops for a fresh look.
A modern rustic kitchen with stained flat panel cabinets, white stone countertops, a herringbone tile backsplash, suspended open shelves.
A stained kitchen with shaker style cabinets, black stone countertops and black handles, long open shelves instead of upper cabinets is cool.
An industrial kitchen with stained flat panel cabinets, a brick herringbone backsplash, suspended open shelves and exposed pipes.
Backsplashes
Sometimes you just don’t need anything to substitute upper cabinets, it can be just your regular backsplash accented more or nothing at all. Such a solution will make your kitchen airy and lightweight and it will be really cool and modern. Such an idea will match any kitchen style and any look. Get inspired and choose an option that fits your own kitchen!
A black kitchen refreshed with neutral plaster walls and a white tile floor has a totally different look than a solid black one.
A bold contemporary kitchen with yellow plywood cabinets, neutral countertops, a white subway tile backsplash and a brick wall.
A bold walnut kitchen with dark cabinetry, a grey stone countertop and black fixtures and furniture.
A bright kitchen with yellow walls, blue cabinets, a stone countertops and a beautiful printed tile backsplash for a bolder touch.
A chic contemporary kitchen with lower flat panel cabinets and a kitchen island, a glossy white hex tile backsplash and skylights for natural light.
A coastal kitchen with pale blue ridged cabinets and a kitchen island, woven pendant lamps and a white hood that matches the backsplash.
A creative vintage-inspired kitchen in black with a light-colored wooden ceiling and rich-colored woodne floor to warm up the space.
A moody hunter green kitchen with vintage cabinets, dark green brick walls, a white stone backsplash and countertops.
A sage green kitchen with matching walls and cabinetry, wooden beams on the ceiling and wooden countertops plus dark handles.
A welcoming kitchen with sleek stained cabinets, white countertops and a stone wall as a backsplash, a wooden table as a kitchen island.
An eye-catchy kitchen with flated lower cabients and a black marble countertop, a tan and beige Zellige tile wall and some art.