11 Clever Alternatives to Kitchen Cabinets

One substantial piece of freestanding furniture may provide enough centralized storage to let you free up wall space above your appliances, creating an airier look in your kitchen. An antique hutch like the one pictured here offers the best of both worlds—space to display your china collection and hidden storage for less decorative items.

Related: 8 Truly Unexpected Storage Spots

Best suited to organized minimalists who own coordinated or matching dishes, open shelving can help create an accessible kitchen atmosphere. Be sure shelves are securely hung—the last thing you want is to have to replace a whole set of broken dishes.

Repurpose vintage wooden shipping containers or farm cabinetry to create a warm and rustic kitchen. Enhance the look by using old fruit crates to organize items on the shelves.

If you’re organized, but your dishes aren’t necessarily all worthy of display, open shelving is still an option. Use baskets to organize any items that might be an eyesore, along with foodstuffs that you want to keep handy but hidden.

Seemingly straight out of high school, repurposed lockers add industrial-style storage to this kitchen. Do you have a problem keeping snacks out of your children’s hands between meals? Just lock up the treats!

If you aren’t ready to commit to maintaining attractively organized shelves, an open shelving system outfitted with frosted glass sliding doors will let you get by with a little clutter. While some sections will be on display, plenty can remain artfully hidden.

A sturdy door lets you take advantage of the handiness of open shelving without having to worry about chaos or order. Here, a common door is replaced with a sliding barn-style door that will command attention whether open or closed.

Repurpose thoroughly cleaned metal storage cabinets and tool chests to give your kitchen a decidedly industrial feel. If you need more storage space, complete the look with open shelving and galvanized baskets.

A collection of varied vintage wooden and metal boxes can be combined to create an unusual array of “cabinets” that pairs well with an otherwise understated kitchen. Containers of similar proportions help to pull this look off.

A clean and modern look in the kitchen is pretty common, but laser-cut steel doors aren’t the usual way the look is achieved. If you go the steel-cut route, we recommend a simple pattern so your cabinets don’t appear too trendy.

If your existing cabinet exteriors are suited to it, reface them with reclaimed wood for a whole new look. If they can’t easily be refaced, combine a simple shelving system with doors made of reclaimed wood to create a rustic atmosphere.