This Is the Viral Cabinet Trend You Might Instantly Regret (But It’s Fixable!)
Have you ever seen a kitchen with no cabinet doors? If you’ve been down the same TikTok rabbit hole as AT editors have been recently, then maybe yes. Perhaps in pursuit of the hygge lifestyle, people on TikTok have started attempting to go for a Scandinavian-inspired, rustic-meets-modern, open-kitchen look by simply removing the doors from their cabinets.
While a beautiful Scandi-inspired kitchen might have open shelving that looks effortless, many DIY attempts have ended with more disappointment than cozy vibes and many, many more comments — resulting in a bona fide (but bizzare) TikTok trend where people are taking off their cabinet doors seemingly just to see the response.
TikTok user Nicole Lily Holmes showed off her cabinet doorless kitchen and was met with comments telling her to take the door off of the refrigerator and store her clothes on the floor instead of in a dresser, too. But if you peek in the comments section, she seems to be in on the rage bait — after all, all comments provide engagement.
TikTok user Mackenzie Snyder jokingly took a video and posted it while her mom was repainting the doors.
Whether you attempt this trend sarcastically or sincerely, you might want to check with your roommate first. For what it’s worth, if this DIY feels true to your style or routine — or if you have super-cool plates and bowls and want to show them off — it might be worth taking this design risk.
For example, Wendy of @thekwendyhome found a way to display art and decor in the corner of her kitchen, and TikTok user Dee (@aloveforgodandprimitive7) displayed her dishes and a few other tchotchkes in one section of the cabinets.
If you choose to take apart your cabinets, whether with high hopes or just jokes in mind, you’ll want to proceed with caution.
Removing your cabinet doors? Follow these tips.
- Start with a small section, like Wendy and Dee did above, to make sure you like the look before fully committing.
- Label your cabinet doors, and label all hinges and keep screws together. In the event you want to put your cabinet doors right back on, you’ll have a system to remember which door goes where. Above, Christian Manhard of @moosepainting shows the most organized way to remove cabinet doors to make reinstalling as seamless as possible.
- Ask your landlord for permission. Even though it’s fairly easy to take off cabinet doors and put them right back on, if you’re renting it’s always safest to double check with your landlord before making any drastic changes.
- Use the opportunity to organize. With closed cabinetry, it’s easy to immediately forget what’s inside. Open cabinets will likely look best if they’re streamlined and pared down. Check out our top tips for kitchen cabinet organization here.