Another popular trend has been to have open shelves in the kitchen. Most of the projects we have been involved with have been a small section of shelves, not a whole wall. Check out the article below from Houzz. They list both pro and con views of a couple of kitchen designers. Both feel there is good and bad to the idea. We have seen in addition to what they list, is the install application. Some of the types that look to be floating are harder to install on certain wall types which while still very doable, it tends to accent any wall defects you might have.