Display Your Personality: 12 Items to Style Open Kitchen Shelves

The trend of open kitchen shelves has taken many homes by storm. Unlike enclosed cabinets, open shelves allow you to prominently display your favorite dishes, appliances, and decor items. But the benefits go beyond showcasing your best mugs and plates. Styling open shelves allows you to infuse your unique taste and personality into the heart of your home.

Adding visual interest to open shelving transforms your kitchen from drab to fab. With a bit of planning and creativity, your shelves can become a functional and eye-catching focal point. From choosing practical yet beautiful items to styling vignettes, this article will guide you through maximizing your open kitchen shelves. Read on for tips and inspiration!

Best Practices for Styling Open Shelves

Keep it Functional

When deciding what to display, prioritize items you use regularly versus decorative objects. For most people, open shelves are about easy access to dishes and appliances. So fill them with your everyday drinking glasses, plates and bowls. Reserve your fine china for special occasions, as daily use can quickly dull ornate dishes.

Likewise, only showcase small appliances that streamline your regular cooking. For instance, display your stand mixer to inspire you to whip up tasty baked treats. Or place your Instant Pot front and center for quick weeknight dinners. Avoid cluttering shelves with appliances that rarely get used.

Edit and Curate

When it comes to open shelves, less is often more. Start by displaying fewer items and gradually add to your shelves as needed. Aim for a balanced look, avoiding an overcrowded hodgepodge of stuff. Group similar items together, such as mugs or mixing bowls.

Be selective and regularly edit your shelves to avoid clutter. If you haven't used an item recently, donate or stow it away. Following the old adage "quality over quantity" keeps your shelves curated and aesthetically pleasing.

Mix Textures and Materials

Simple rows of matching dishes can start to look monotonous. For extra visual punch, blend items made from different materials like wood, glass, metal and ceramic. This adds appealing color and texture. For example, combine sleek glass canisters with hand-thrown pottery mugs. Or nestle woven baskets next to concrete planters.

Playing with textures also makes shelves tactile. Pair smooth trays with nubby cotton towels or rough wooden bowls. Your shelves become rooted in sensory experience, engaging the eye and hand.

Use Vertical Space

Don't limit yourself to flat shelves. Utilize the vertical space above and below shelves creatively. Install hooks or rods to hang your most used pots and pans within easy reach. Or mount a wire basket underneath shelves to corral spices and keep them nearby when cooking.

Higher shelves can also provide overflow storage or display space. Place a step stool nearby for access. Then use upper shelves for rarely used items or decorative objects, creating a layered look.

Play with Lighting

Proper lighting instantly elevates your shelves from mundane to museum-worthy. Accent shelves with under-cabinet lighting or puck lights for brilliance. Illuminate certain items using small LED lights. Strips of decorative lighting add flair while showcasing your best pieces.

Lighting casts items in a flattering glow while creating dramatic shadows. Spotlighting your favorite cookbooks or ceramic pieces makes them pop. Experiment with lighting options to highlight your style.

12 Must-Have Items to Style Your Shelves

Dishes

Fill shelves with classic white plates, colorful patterned bowls and your favorite mugs. Display dishes you use daily versus china reserved for special occasions. Hang mugs from hooks or place them upright in a mug tree. Prop up platters using plate stands. Don't forget everyday serveware like salad bowls and cake plates.

For visual appeal, dedicate a shelf to displaying your prettiest teacup and saucer set. Or showcase vintage finds like apothecary jars and cake stands.

Appliances

Showcase your stand mixer, instant pot or air fryer to inspire you to use them often. Place frequently used appliances like your coffeemaker or toaster oven on shelves near the counter. Not only does this allow quick access, but it also saves valuable counter space.

Display small appliances that suit your decor, like a sleek retro-style toaster. Just avoid cluttering shelves with bulky or rarely used gadgets.

Fresh Herbs

Make herbs a focal point by displaying them in small pots or labeled glass jars. Having basil, thyme and rosemary at your fingertips makes cooking with fresh herbs effortless. The pop of green also brings life to your shelves.

Keep herb jars neatly grouped to one shelf for visual impact. Water plants regularly so they stay perky. Trim herbs often to encourage new growth.

Artwork

Infuse your shelves with personality by displaying art, prints or photos in colorful frames. Lean larger pieces against the wall for prominence. Prop up chic cookbooks like decor elements.

Swap out artwork seasonally or when you crave change. Even temporary touches like floral wreaths or string lights add whimsy.

Utensils

Keep essential cooking tools close at hand on open shelves. Display your most frequently used spatulas, ladles and gadgets in labeled glass jars. Hang utensils from hooks or place them in crocks.

Use wall-mounted magnetic strips for knives and other metal tools. Corral shiny copper pots and pans on a hanging pot rack. Keeping tools organized prevents drawer rooting when cooking.

Baskets and Trays

Incorporate natural textures with woven baskets and wood trays. Baskets corral items like onions and potatoes. Trays neatly arrange oils, spices or utensils.

Try lidded baskets to conceal unsightly items like plastic wrap. Use baskets and trays to create organized vignettes. Match materials to your decor.

Decor Objects

Add personality with a few choice decor items like scented candles, small plants or unique vases. Display a pretty bowl filled with lemons or limes. Stack decorative coffee table books creatively.

Avoid going overboard on tchotchkes. Start with one or two meaningful objects, like that Parisian flea market find. Scale up slowly so shelves don't become cluttered.

Open shelves can become both beautiful and functional with a bit of planning. Remember to curate displayed items, mixing textures and materials for depth. Creative touches like unique lighting elevate your shelves to artful status. Most importantly, allow your shelves to convey your personal taste and style.