Well the place where it "lives" now is in a corner of my dining room, closed, with a decorative vase on it. When I use it, I have to pull it out, I don't have space to keep the side shelf open. Granted, it's a pain to move that vase and pull the cabinet out of the corner on an almost daily basis, but I'd have to do some serious furniture rearranging to find a place to keep it open all the time. But if I have to, I will. I sure don't want to wreck the hinges or the cabinet with the constant opening and closing, raising and lifting.