I would have your bench top supplier cut a thin batten of timber in the same 40mm thickness, and fix this as a front to a white melamine shelf. For a couple of reasons. Melamine is easiest to keep clean, whereas a varnish or oiled timber will require constant maintenance and resealing if it is used often, it will discolour and even with the sealant it does not like moisture, being natural, all timbers expand and contract in temp changes. Melamine is stable, and won't be seen from the viewpoint, and the timber front will make it look more substantial. Secondly, this thickness will be necessary to avoid shelf deflection, where lengths over 900mm will commonly sag under weight. Reinforcing your shelf with timber battens will avoid this, and the timber edge strip again hides it. If all this seems a little too hard, just invest in solid timber shelves of around 40mm, but have the tops laminated.

Open shelves Dan create visual interest if you use them to store common place everyday objects, ones that will be used enough to avoid collecting dust, or display Like minded items of interest, whether it be all white serving ware, as in country styled kitchens, or a grouping of recipe books. Whichever you choose, make sure the items are not static, and get moved around enough to remain visually interesting and dust free! Open shelves can be vertical shelving units, amongst your tall cabinets to fill awkward left over space, at upper level within easy reach of your, keeping Bench-tops free of clutter. They can merge into an adjoining desk space perfect to pay and store bills, or charge your iPad etc ready for ordering online. Open shelves can be further utilized to introduce colour or texture into a single palette kitchen, for example having timber open shelves or a colour can tie in accessories, appliances or even splash back colours. As a kitchen designer, I often include them into a design, and make sure they are a usable size, and flexible enough that if you tire of them, you could order a door to enclose them at some point. If you like the option of that, the shelves would be need to be recessed 20mm back from the adjoining door fronts so if one was added, they would all be seamless. This can be design feature by also adding a 20mm shadow line around the unit. To get an idea, take a look at the Formica colour palette brochure with a timber feature open unit, the feature colour here was yellow, and was designed by me. Good luck.

Do you need a shelf or just think a shelf would look good?? With your heringbone subway tile pattern, very interesting actually, you've really ruled yourself out of putting in a shelf and not interupting the tiles to such a degree that it would most definitely detract rather than enhance the wall, so I agree with myperfectadvice, leave it as it is, as it's a beautiful design and kitchen from the little I can see and the pendant light is stunning. BUT, If you are desperate for a shelf and your kitchen is black/white then I'd go metal and 50mm thick and if you have timber doors and or floors, then I'd go timber for sure, again 50mm thick. I can't see the cupboard doors but I can see a timber knife block on display, so I'm guessing you have timber??? Good luck. Cheers, Barbara

Avoid the niche and have a full length shelf. You can also use tile trim or “angle” in a metal to match your fittings. Or depending on your other tiles a capping or pencil tile can be used to neaten edges. Niches can be problematic.