A growing trend for the kitchen is opting for cubby-style cabinets. Cubbies are a set of smaller squares and rectangles used in place of traditional cabinets or open shelving. Cubbies provide an organized form of storage that keeps items you use frequently easy to access while helping you stay more sorted and less cluttered.

Cubbies are less common than open shelving or traditional cabinets but they can provide the best of both of those options. The open fronts of the cubbies make it easy to locate an item you need while the limited space in each cubby prevents clutter build-up. Open shelving can appear cluttered, depending on what is stored on the shelves–and what migrates there over time. Traditional cabinets are closed and make it difficult to locate an item with a quick glance, though they do conceal clutter and limit the amount of stuff that can be crammed in. Cubbies solve both issues by being both visible and limited in space. Here are some other reasons you might want to consider adding cubbies to your kitchen design:

1. Cubbies are a good solution for “extra space” – If you have a space that won’t fit a traditional cabinet, cubbies could be a good solution. They can supplement your storage in an organized and visually interesting way. Store pet items, wine bottles, coffee mugs or any items you reach for frequently.

2. Cubbies are great organizers – The limited and uniform style of cubbies are great at helping you stay organized in a more effortless way. If you use one cubby for plates and it exactly fits that stack of plates, it’s unlikely you’ll add clutter to that cubby. Fill each cubby with a particular item and you’ll be far less likely to become disorganized.

3. Cubbies collect less dust – One big complaint people have about open shelving in the kitchen is that items collect dust–and do so quickly. Cubbies are more closed in, so items stored in cubbies collect less dust than items stored on open shelves. Of course, traditional cabinets tend to collect the least amount of dust on items. But if you’re looking for something different, cubbies are a happy medium.

4. Cubbies work with many design styles – Whether your kitchen is contemporary, French country, traditional or farmhouse, cubbies work well with almost any design style around. Cubbies can be made from a number of wood options and just like traditional cabinets, can be painted, stained and finished to match the decor of your existing cabinetry or style.

If you like the cubby look but don’t have the money to convert your cabinets over to cubbies, some styles of kitchen cabinets can create a cubby-like look simply by removing the doors. This works best with cabinets that look great inside and outside, with no visible plywood on the inside. You can even add vertical wood pieces in the same finish as your cabinet shelves to enhance the cubby look and feel.